Scripture: "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourer; are few, pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest."—MATT. ix. 37, 38.
The disciples understood very little of what these words meant. Christ gave them as a seed-thought, to be lodged in their hearts for later use. At Pentecost, as they saw how many of the new converts were ready in the power of the Spirit to testify of Christ, they must have felt how the ten days of continuous united prayer had brought this blessing too, as the fruit of the Spirit's power—labourers in the harvest.
Christ meant to teach us that, however large the field may be, and however few the labourers, prayer is the best, the sure, the only means for supplying the need.
What we need to understand is that it is not only in time of need that the prayer must be sent up, but that the whole work is to be carried on in the spirit of prayer, so that the prayer for labourers' shall be in perfect harmony with the whole of our life and effort.
In the China Inland Mission, when the number of mission¬aries had gone up to 200, at a Conference held in China they felt so deeply the need of more labourers for districts quite unprovided for, that after much prayer they felt at liberty to ask God to give them within a year 100 additional labourers and £10,000 to meet the expenses. They agreed to continue in prayer day by day throughout the year. At the end of the time the 100 suitable men and women had been found, with £11,000.
To meet the need of the world, its open fields, and its waiting souls, the churches all complain of the lack of labourers and of funds. Does not Christ's voice call us to the united and unceasing prayer of the first disciples? God is faithful, by the power of His Spirit, to supply every need. Let the Church take the posture of united prayer and supplication. God hears prayer.
Blessed Lord Jesus, teach Thy Church what it means so to live and labour for Thee, in the Spirit of unceasing prayerfulness, that our faith may rise to the assurance that Thou wilt in very deed, in a way surpassing all expectation, meet the crying need of a dying world. AMEN.
