Chapter nine
"Every believer is a laborer..."
As I read this chapter, I was reminded over and over that in essence, we are praying for ourselves we when pray for the workers of the harvest. Bob clearly has felt this as well since he has specifically asked us to go out on the campus at the end of the month and pronounce that the harvest is here. We cannot merely seek the Lord in this manner for some unnamed, faceless workers to magically appear and do the work we are afraid of or unconcerned with in Athens. Let us realize that we should include ourselves in this prayer, and be ready to go and do the work that we have prayed for.
2 things stuck out to me in this lesson:
ReplyDelete1) "Just as in the parable of the friend at midnight, He would have them understand that prayer is not to be selfish; so here it is the power through which blessing can come to others."
How quickly our prayers can become inward focused- and then reside there. I find myself frequently petitioning the Lord for my own wants, needs, and desires, forgetting that prayer is the power through which blessing can come to others. Lord, remind us of this and give us the grace to lift our brothers and sisters up in prayer as frequently as we present our own needs to you.
2) “Strange, is it not, that He should ask His disciples to pray for this? And could He not pray Himself? And would not one prayer of His avail more than a thousand of theirs? And God, the Lord of the harvest, did He not see the need? And would not He, in His own good time, send forth labourers without their prayer? Such questions lead us up to the deepest mysteries of prayer, and its power in the Kingdom of God. The answer to such questions will convince us that prayer is indeed a power, on which the ingathering of the harvest and the coming of the Kingdom do in very truth depend.”
This is a question I’ve asked many times, and is a brilliant reminder of the deep connection that prayer and mission have with one another. Never should one be without the other- they always go hand in hand. The ingathering of the harvest and the coming of the Kingdom are dependent on prayer! The Lord has given us the responsibility to petition Him for labourers of the harvest- let us not forget this important task.
I am liking all of the lessons. They really push me towards the Father. I'm learning a lot right now about the Father's heart and my identity/sonship. I like connecting this with the importance of a prayer life and intercession.
ReplyDeleteClay I like that you talk about these ambiguous laborers we are to pray for, seeing as the next chapter is about praying for definite and specific things.
ReplyDeleteIt is totally cool that this is one of the ONE things Jesus really says what to pray for. Fishers of men, indeed.
What stuck out to me was that Murray pointed out that we are all seen by God as "redeemed for service" I know there have been times in my life when I have simply not believed there could be a grace for that. Praise God that we can be fellow workers with Him.