God's Will is Supreme"Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." - Matthew 9:38 NKJV
Jesus spoke these words to his disciples. Just prior to this though, Matthew records that Jesus was busy going from one town and village to another preaching the good news of the kingdom of God and healing the diseased and sick. Wherever Jesus went, large crowds would gather. Jesus looked at these crowds with compassion. Jesus saw people who not only had physical disease but were spiritually sick, "harassed and helpless."
I can imagine the disciples standing by Jesus in front of a large crowd and hearing the compassion in his voice when he said "Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." Matthews tells us that after Jesus spoke these words he sent his disciples out in pairs throughout Israel to preach the good news and gave them power to heal sickness and cast out demons.
It is important to recognize that the harvest belongs to the Lord and that the harvest is all people. The world is Jesus' to reach. The work of evangelizing and meeting the spiritual needs of helpless people is Jesus'. It was not the disciples place to determine the work. It is foremost and only the Lord's will which determines what the disciples are to do. The disciples could have accomplished nothing without our Lord empowering them with the ability to preach, heal, and cast out demons.
In our prayers, we should realize that the Lord's will is supreme. Our obligation is to serve God humbly and in submission. Our prayer should be "not my will, but thine be done." In our community, we see many needs, many people who are hurting, many who are afflicted with spiritual disease. It is easy for us to determine that we shall do this or do that to reach these individuals. However, all of our plans are for naught if not empowered the Lord. We do not dictate to God how his work should be done. We should pray that He will work – that he will send out laborers – and then be willing ourselves, like the disciples, to be one of those workers.
Are your prayers filled with orders to God to do this or do that? Are your prayers filled with requests for God to bless those plans you have devised on your own? Or are your prayers filled with requests for God to show His will, for God to direct your paths? An effective prayer seeks out God's will and then has an attitude of willingness to follow in that will.
Darren R. Covington, First Church of God, Greensburg, Indiana.
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