Workers in the harvest field

Week 40

Sometimes our greatest fear when we decide to follow Jesus and give our lives to him is that he will send us to a foreign country. That he would make us missionaries to Africa, South America or some poverty stricken  third world country seems like the it would be one of the hardest jobs in the world. And maybe for some it would be, but God calls all of us to the mission field. And wherever he calls us, he will equip us for the job he has for us to do.

When Jesus walked on the earth as one of us he was only able to be in one place at a time. In Matthew 9:35-38 we hear what he has to say to us today. Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples (that means you and I), “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send workers into his harvest field.”

Where is the harvest field that he is sending you? It could be in your own neighborhood, it could be a foreign country. It is up to each one of us to find out where it is that we are to serve and to give our whole lives to that cause whatever it is.

I remember when friends of ours knew that God was calling them to the mission field. They weren’t exactly sure where he wanted them to go and they began to explore the possibilities. It was a process and because they had three children the decision became a family decision. They agreed that unless they all felt called to a particular place they would not go. Sure enough the Lord called each one of them and within 2 years they set off to Uganda where God equipped them, used them and provided for all their needs.

Some of the ways that God provides for the needs of missionaries is for those of us who are left behind to pray for them daily. To remember them as they undergo hardships and transitions. To support them financially and to encourage them in the harvest field to continue the work of the Lord.

Some of us are called to the mission field not as missionaries ourselves, but as support groups for those who are serving. There have been many times that I asked the Lord to use me. I told him that I was willing to sell all that I have and go wherever he wanted to send me. Instead, he put missionaries in my pathway and I have been able to pray for many people who are serving God. We have missionary friends in Belfast, Northern Ireland; Japan; Africa; Turkey; Haiti and Russia. 

Some we give financial support to, others we give prayer support, but all of them are in our hearts almost daily as we think about them giving the Lord their lives so far from homes and family members.

What is God asking you to do for missions? There are many mission opportunities close to home as well. A local church has a free clothing ministry giving us opportunities to share clothing with those in our own neighborhood who have needs. We have a local food pantry which is always in need of donations. We are also able to help those in Appalachia with donations of food, clothing and furniture. 

Locally, Habitat for Humanity is continuing to build affordable home for those who are currently living in substandard conditions. Volunteer workers are needed to help build these homes. You not only receive on-the-job training, but you can have a wonderful sense of accomplishment and satisfaction in knowing that you were one of the workers in the harvest field.

Is God calling you to a harvest field? I truly believe that he calls each one of us to some sort of field. We are, after all, to produce fruit for the kingdom of God. In the past, I have been a literacy tutor and have been worked with a young woman to improve her reading skills and her life skills as well. I had many opportunities to share the gospel message with her. I invited her to church services and prayed with her about concerns in her life.

Just as Jesus saw that those around him were harassed and helpless and that they needed a shepherd, we have only to look around us and see the same thing. Maybe they are people you work with, maybe your children or grandchildren, neighbors. Wherever you see people who are lost, helpless, hopeless, harassed, that is a mission field.

When our oldest son went to prison, the first thing that I thought about for him was the enormous opportunity that awaited him. I knew that his faith needed to grow before he could meet the needs of those around him, but I shared with him that he was in the middle of a huge mission field and that God could use him right where he was to reach lost, hopeless people.

Over the years he has ministered to many of his fellow inmates in amazing ways. His experiences have led our family to reach out to many of those men in other ways, becoming a loving family for them. Something they had never had before.

Look around you, what field are you standing in the middle of right now? Who do you see or know that needs the touch of Jesus? What can you do to be Jesus to someone? Ask God to reveal these things to you and to show you what it is he wants you to do to enlarge his kingdom. He wants to equip you, he wants to lead you and he wants you to be one of the workers.

If we would all get over the fact that God may send us to a foreign mission field and just be excited over the possibilities of how he can use us, then maybe the harvest would be gathered into the storehouse and Jesus would come back for his church.

Holy God,

I give you praise today and thank you for your promises. I thank you for the prayer that Jesus taught us about asking the Lord of the harvest to send workers into the harvest field. I know that the fields are ripe and ready to be harvested, I want to be one of those workers who bring in the harvest. Equip me and show me where the field is that you want me to work in. I cannot do the work by myself, I need your direction and your provision, but I have willing hands and a willing heart. Use me to enlarge your kingdom, in Jesus name. Amen