The Compassion Prayer

Quote by May Angelou (author, poet, and civil rights activist) "My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style."

Passion, compassion, humor, and style seems a much more positive life outlook that to merely survive--to just get by. To be honest, thriving in life seems much more fun, exciting, and useful. I want to thrive in life! In my marriage, in my ministry, in everything I put my hand and thought to--I want to thrive in 2017.

But there is a secret--and important truth--that all of us need to grasp if we are going experience life to the fullest. "To experience life to the fullest we need to know and fulfill our purpose for living!"

As a Christian, I look to Jesus Christ--His ministry and His teachings--to help me grasp what I need to do and how I need to think. And, to have (as in the words of May Angelou) "my mission in life...[to] not merely...survive, but to thrive", I need to see and put into practice what Jesus did.

Text

Matthew 9:35–36 ESV

And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Transition

To understand the prayer Jesus wants us to pray, we need to understand the heart of Jesus.

Why did Jesus do what He did? What motivated Jesus? And, why is this important for us today?

Many of us do not know why we do the things we do. As a result, we are easily discouraged and disappointed with life. We enter survival mode and become motivated by fear and frustration.

This is why we need to understand the heart of Jesus. Jesus said as much to His disciples, just prior to His death and resurrection.

John 15:4–5 ESV

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

So, what can we learn about the heart, the center, the attitude of Jesus that will help us understand about how we ought to live and what we ought to do?

At the heart of Jesus we see His compassion for people.

Jesus loved people! He did not see people as irritations or stepping stones to get ahead in life. Every person was and is important to Jesus. Even those that opposed Him!

A snapshot of Jesus' activities recorded in Matthew chapter 9 gives clarity to His priorities:

He forgave and healed the paralytic.

He called Matthew, a tax collector, to be one of His disciples.

He answered questions from some disciples of John the Baptist concerning fasting.

He healed a woman that was suffering for most of her life and brought back to life a dead girl.

He healed to blind men.

He healed a man who was unable to speak.

Jesus loved people!

But, Jesus' love went deeper than the physical illnesses people faced. He saw into their heart--and He saw people suffering.

Matthew 9:36 ESV

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Jesus sees the helplessness of people.

"Harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." What Jesus saw was the reality of the human condition--the bankruptcy of the human condition--the utter lostness of the human condition.

There is a sense of urgency in Jesus' mission to reach the hurting.

Jesus knew that without God's intervention, there was no hope for humankind. Institutions can't save. Traditions and rituals can't save. Ingenuity and intellect can't save. Or, event sticking our heads in the sand, or attempting to make life one big party of self indulgence.

Don't get me wrong--we try. We try to be good. We try to find ways through our problems--but, no matter what we try or how hard we try--we fall short.

And, Jesus sees and understands this like no other. But, Jesus did not just identify the human problem--He came to be the answer to the problem. People needed saving--and so, He would become the Savior.

So, all a person would need to do was believe--to trust in Jesus as Savior.

Paul, the Apostle (a leader in the early Church), put it this way:

Romans 10:9 ESV

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Jesus invites His followers to join Him in reaching out to people.

If the need of people is one of urgency, another is opportunity.

Matthew 9:37–38 ESV

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

First, Jesus states that "the harvest is plentiful..."

In the Old Testament, the word harvest is often used as a picture of the coming judgement. John the Baptist and even Jesus does so elsewhere.

Here, however, the Lord's thought is rather of peoples' readiness now to respond to the gospel by "fleeing from the wrath to come."

So many people--more than we can count--are ready to hear and act on the gospel message of Jesus Christ. The opportunity abounds!

Second, Jesus observes that "the laborers are few..."

The laborers here are not angels sent out to execute final judgment on the nations, as many of those who initially heard these words of Christ would expect.

These laborers are people--followers of Jesus Christ--commissioned and sent out to rescue others from judgment.

For this task the disciples were, and have always been, to few. There are many who are ready to respond; there are too few to reach them. Something must be done!

Third, Jesus gives to His followers a responsibility: "therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest..."

Jesus affirms a key principle in God's approach to reaching people with His message of salvation. A believer's prayer participates in the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan. God chooses to act or withhold action as a result of believers praying or not praying.

Jesus' instruction to pray is a call to action. This kind of praying is deliberate, strategic, and motivated by deep, sincere compassion for the lost.

This prayer of the follower of Christ is directed to "the Lord of the harvest." This underscores a critical truth: God has made it His priority to reach the lost. The mission is God's--and is under His control. As a result, every believer must make is their own priority to engage in the redemptive mission of God. This answers the question of why we do what we do. If it is God's business to reach the lost, so should it be ours as well.

Worship team forward.

And fourth, Jesus makes the content of this prayer specific: "to send out laborers into his harvest."

Three implications exist when the follower of Christ prays this prayer.

First implication: That God would motivate and stir the hearts of His people to engage in the activity of world evangelism (that God would call people to serve as missionaries).

Second implication: "Send out" could also be translated thrust out, and it could even refer to workers already in the field who "need to have a fire lit under them to thrust them out of their comforts into the world of need."

Third implication: That God would motivate us to be the answer to this prayer. For immediately following this declaration of Jesus, He called and sent out His twelve disciples to compassionately do what He did in ministering to people.

Conclusion

So, are you ready to go beyond surviving in 2017? Are you wanting to thrive? Then decide today to do the things Jesus did by praying the prayer Jesus prayed.

But, the starting point for thriving is a life centered on Jesus Christ.

Decide today to pray the Compassion Prayer--the prayer of Jesus: "Lord of the harvest, send out your workers to reach people with your message of hope."

Decide today to be the answer to your prayer: be the worker of hope and participate fully in the harvest the Lord gathers.