Our Scriptures have plenty to say in regards to prayer. They give us both examples of prayer and instruction on how to pray. In Matthew 9:36-38, Jesus commands His disciples to be in prayer for the lost.
1. Our Motivation to Pray (verse 36)
2. The Problem Defined (verse 37)
3. The Lord’s Surprising Solution (verse 38)
Let’s take a closer look at the teaching in each of these verses.
1. Our Motivation to Pray
“Seeing the people, He [Jesus] felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36). First of all, notice that Jesus sees the people and recognizes their need. Living as a modern-day monk, socializing only with other believers, will not likely give you much of a heart for the lost. Jesus is our example, and He regularly associated with the lost, the outcast, and the oppressed.
Secondly, notice that their spiritual need was His main concern. They may have been hungry or in need of a new and better political regime, but Jesus was focused on their eternal well-being.
Lastly, sheep without a shepherd are highly vulnerable and may succumb to hungry wolves at any moment. The situation is urgent, the eternal destinies of these souls are being held in the balance. The time for action is now!
2. The Problem Defined
“Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.’” (Matthew 9:37). Jesus said there are more people ready and waiting to be saved than there are people willing to share the gospel with them. This is a serious problem!
Has anything changed in 2,000 years? Not really. While we don’t know how many people are ready for harvesting, we do know that only about 30% of the world self-identifies as being Christian. That means for every person who claims to be a follower of Christ, there are at least two people who are not.
However, the reality of the situation is quite grim. Not all of these self-professing Christians are truly saved. Jesus warns us that not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” is going to heaven (Matthew 7:21-23). Furthermore, most self-professing Christians have never shared the gospel message with someone else. Indeed, “the workers are few.”
3. The Lord’s Surprising Solution
“Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:38). To “beseech” is to ask urgently and fervently. We are told here to pray earnestly for the lost by praying for more workers.
Jesus, filled with compassion for the lost sheep’s urgent and dire need, commands His disciples to pray for those who share the gospel. How many times have we prayed that this or that particular person come to know Christ? Yet here we find Jesus teaching us that our prayers should focus on the Christians surrounding that person, that they be strengthened and increase in number.
Finally, notice that this harvest belongs to God. Jesus says God is the “Lord of the harvest” and that this is specifically “His harvest”. Yes, we are to play our part. But, ultimately, the outcome is in His hands!
Conclusion:
To be in prayer for the lost is to pray for the Christians whose lives touch the lost. We need to take personal responsibility and speak up, boldly sharing the gospel whenever opportunities arise. But we also must pray for back-up, that more warriors are sent into battle and that the Lord of the harvest equip us as He sees fit.
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I’ve created a special page here on WingAbouts, dedicated to educating others about reaching the lost. Please watch and share the two short videos at “Our Mission”. Thank you!
