KEEP PRAYING FOR MISSIONARIES

Luke 10:1-2

Luk 10:1 After that, the Lord designated seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him two by two into every town and place where he himself was about to go.
Luk 10:2 He told them, “The harvest is bountiful, but the workers are scarce. Since this is so, keep asking the Lord of the harvest to keep sending out workers into his harvest.

The workers are scarce

When Jesus looked at the seventy‑two He had just commissioned, He didn’t see an abundance of workers—He saw the beginning of something far larger. Even with dozens of missionaries heading out two by two, the harvest still dwarfed the workforce. Jesus wasn’t thinking about one region, one generation, or one denomination. He saw the global, centuries‑long harvest of His kingdom, stretching far beyond what any group of disciples could handle on their own.

That’s why He said the workers were few. Not because none were willing, but because the mission was—and still is—so vast. The need always exceeds the number of laborers. The opportunities always outpace the personnel. The fields always ripen faster than the workers can gather.

And His instructions remain the same:
Pray. Ask. Keep asking. Keep praying.
Not for strategies, not for funding, not for safety—though those matter. His first command is to pray for workers. Pray that God would stir hearts, awaken callings, and send people into the places where the gospel has not yet taken root.

You’re right to notice how easy it is for churches and denominations to drift from that command. We mourn shrinking missionary rosters, but we rarely ask whether we have stopped praying the prayer Jesus told us to pray. We lament the lack of workers, but we often stop asking the Lord of the harvest to send them. And when we stop asking, we should not be surprised when fewer are sent.

But Jesus’ promise still stands:
If we keep seeking, He will keep sending.
If we keep praying, He will keep calling.
If we keep supporting, He will keep raising up laborers for His fields.

The harvest is still plentiful. The workers are still few. And the Lord is still listening for the prayers He commanded us to pray.

So we pray:
LORD, forgive us for failing to keep asking for workers in Your harvest. Flood Your fields with those whose hearts burn for the harvest You see.