Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.(Luke 10:2)

We live in a day of an exceeding great harvest. The field is the world. Millions lie in sin awaiting the refreshing good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. How can they hear without a preacher?

The Lord exhorts His people to pray unto Him that He would send forth labourers into the harvest. The word labourers brings to our mind the need for perseverance in the daily harvest of Christ. There is hardship, sweat, and tears. Weariness and painfulness can enter into our arena of witness. Persevering earnest prayer is needed. Rejection is ever present. The Lord is ever there strengthening, encouraging, gracing, and providing our every need.

Yet, they must be sent forth. This phrase means to eject by force, to drive out, or expel. Brethren, it is not that we are to be praying for labourers. We are praying that the Lord would compulsively drive out workers into His harvest. May we all have that inward compulsion for Christ!

Andrew Bonar had an annual workers meeting at his church in Glasgow. The church records that it was a time of refreshing and encouragement. At one of those meetings, the following remark was made by Bro. Bonar. May it challenge us in our witness this day.

I have come to believe this to be almost invariably true, that seldom is anything good proposed to us but we have something to object to in it at first. This seems to be the reason for the expression used by our Lord – “Thrust forth labourers.” We are all unwilling to go. The truth is, we are all a little lazy. We need to be “thrust forth.” (Andrew Bonar, Diary & Life, 422)