When you read the words evangelism, unreached peoples, and world missions, what comes to your mind?
If you are aware of the staggering numbers of people worldwide who have never heard the name of Jesus, the words above may make you feel immediately overwhelmed. You may feel like a fly tasked with turning the direction of a barge: The mission feels so big, you are not sure what to do or even how to pray. Grasping the vastness of the lost world can result in a paralysis of action, which in turn stirs guilt and condemnation.
Many of us need to hear again the words Jesus spoke to his disciples in Matthew 9:37–38:
The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
Before Jesus said anything about going, he taught his disciples to pray. And he made sure his disciples knew exactly to whom they should pray: “the Lord of the harvest.” If you feel overwhelmed by the weight of world evangelism, you may not have fully grasped the weight of who Jesus is and what he has accomplished. By his righteous life and sacrificial death, the resurrected and ascended Jesus has all authority in the universe. The Lord of hosts is the Lord of the harvest.
Prayer Propels the Mission
Who Jesus is as the Lord of the harvest changes everything about the privilege of prayer. While many in the world might say, “We need more than prayers,” prayer is the first mandate for disciples of Jesus. In God’s economy, prayer propels his purposes.
If anyone should have felt overwhelmed by the task of world evangelism, surely it was the apostles in the book of Acts. Yet even a cursory glance at Luke’s narrative demonstrates that the apostles never disconnected planting gospel seeds from praying to the Lord of the harvest. Immediately after Jesus ascends to heaven, we read, “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer” (Acts 1:14).
From the gathering of the first Christians after Pentecost, who “devoted themselves to . . . the prayers” (Acts 2:42), to the apostle Paul’s prayer with the Ephesian elders (Acts 20:36–38), prayer to the Lord of the harvest marks the life of Christ’s church throughout the book of Acts. Worldly rulers fall — as ultimately Rome itself would — but the word of God, backed by prayer, increases and multiplies (Acts 6:7; 12:24).
For his part, the apostle Paul treasured the prayers of the saints as fuel for his apostolic calling to take the gospel to the Gentile world. He did not consider it a waste of costly ink to repeatedly request prayer for gospel advancement (Romans 15:30; Colossians 4:2–4; 2 Thessalonians 3:1). The prayers of the saints were indispensable.
The apostles and the early church, though surely tempted to discouragement by the world they saw, never lost sight of the Lord of the harvest. By faith, they prayed, and through their prayers, their Lord worked.
Same Task, Same Lord
Two millennia later, the task has not changed — and neither has the Lord Jesus. Much of the world remains unreached with the good news of who Jesus is and what he has accomplished. The untouched fields are great. But the Lord of the harvest is still greater. As we recognize that Jesus is sovereign over the harvest, our posture toward global missions transforms from paralysis and guilt to grace-given opportunity and delight. When we recognize his authority, we will enthusiastically pray, individually and corporately, for workers and fruit.
The great twentieth-century preacher John Stott once shared an account of sitting in the back of a church. A lay brother prayed for several needs in the congregation — a pregnancy, an illness, a good holiday for the pastor. But there was nothing beyond local and temporal concerns. Stott reflected, “It’s a village church with a village God” (Ten Great Preachers, 117).
Our Lord did not tell us that he has all authority in heaven and earth so that we would be a village people with a village God. Could it be that we are overwhelmed by the millions of people who remain unreached because we have gradually become underwhelmed by the majesty, glory, and power of our risen and ascended Lord? As you behold the cross and the resurrection of our Savior, see his glorious salvation, yes, but also see an open invitation: He beckons us to approach the throne of grace and ask him to fulfill his global purposes.
Burden Lifted, Prayers Unleashed
As we look toward 2026, what if we resolved in our personal lives and public worship to pray as if our Savior really has all authority and really uses that authority to raise up laborers and make his name known? As God’s people gather, it should be normal both that the word is preached and that the world for which Jesus died is prayed for. In our church in the Middle East, for example, we pray publicly and systematically for the nations of the world throughout the calendar year. What might happen if you petitioned the Lord of the harvest, individually and with other believers, to gather in his harvest — from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe?
Surely, one of the great joys of eternity will be seeing the different ways our Lord used ordinary but faithful saints to bear witness and expand his kingdom. But I also believe we will be surprised by how Jesus used ordinary, faith-fueled prayers for his extraordinary purposes. So, why not resolve not only to read the word of the Lord next year but also to take the Lord at his word and consistently pray for laborers to be raised up all over the globe?
On its face, the task of taking the gospel to the world is impossible. But the burden is lifted when we understand whose shoulders carry it. Of all the ways our Lord could have motivated his disciples, he did not weigh them down with guilt. He told them of his supreme authority and invited them to stand in awe of his majestic glory. And he tells the same to the church today. So, whenever you look at the world’s harvest fields, see also the greatness of the Lord of the harvest.
Desiring God