Day 7: The harvest is plentiful
I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest (John 4:35).
Our Father, You sent Your Son to bring hope, restoration, and redemption to a humanity suffering under the crushing weight of sin, death, and destruction— a broken humanity fallen from the good You designed for Your creation (Genesis Chapters 1-3). You announced to us His mission and ministry— the good news of salvation: healing, freedom, comfort, beauty, joy, hope (Isaiah 61:1-3).
Having accomplished everything purposed by God according to divine timing and plan, You, Lord Jesus, returned to the Father to prepare a place for [Your followers], with a promise to come again and receive them so that where You are they also may be (John 14:2-3). But You left instructions for continuing Your mission, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation" (Mark 16:15).
Gospel means good news— the same good news You brought to the poor, the brokenhearted, the prisoner and the one bowed down with grief and despair. It is a continuation of Your ministry to heal, mend, and restore a broken world through Your grace.
To those who have themselves experienced Your grace, You have given the role and the mission to share with others the news of Your love and mercy, so that they too, will be lifted out of the condemnation into which humans are born: Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned (Mark 16:15).
You have called us to be harvest workers for Your kingdom, to sow seeds of hope into a world full of sin and despair. You showed us Your own compassionate reaction as You surveyed the harvest field:
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming 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, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few..." (Matthew 9:35-37).
Lord, give us Your compassion. Open our eyes to see the harried and helpless around us. Many have been wounded, scarred, hurt, betrayed, and deceived. Many have been disappointed or short-changed by institutions and individuals. Many have been used and abused by those in positions of trust and authority— in their homes, in religious settings, in the world.
You are the only One who can give us peace and beauty in place of brokenness and ashes. Heal souls from the wounds and scars left by the troubles, the failings, and the cruelties in this mortal life.
Jesus, Your kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36)— we live as foreigners and strangers (Hebrews 11:13) here. But in the midst of volatile power structures, earthly struggles, and spiritual battles that manifest in the natural world, help us to share the good news that You offer hope and a future.
We are grateful for the grace You have given us. Open our eyes to see the fields.
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