OF THE HARVEST pable of the confidence that He will give it in answer to our prayer. O let us pray for a life so one with Christ that His compassion may stream into us and His Spirit assure us that our prayer avails.
in answer to our prayer, blessing has been given that o t h e rw i s e w’ould not have come. Lord, Teach Us to Pray Blessed Lord! Thou hast this day again given us another of Thy won drous lessons to learn. We humbly ask Thee, 0 give us to see aright the spiritual realities of which Thou hast been speaking. There is the harvest which is so large, and per ishing as it waits for sleepy disci ples to give the signal for laborers to come. Lord, teach us to look out upon it with a heart moved with compassion and pity. There are the laborers, so few Lord, show us how terrible the sin of the want of prayer and faith of which this is the token. And there is the Lord of the harvest, so able and ready to send them forth. Lord, show us how He does indeed wait for the prayer to which He has bound His answer. And there are the disciples to whom the commission to pray has been given: Lord, show us how Thou canst pour down Thy Spirit and breathe upon them so that Thy compassion and the faith in Thy promise shall rouse them to unceas ing, prevailing prayer. O our Lord! We cannot under stand how Thou canst entrust such work and give such power to men so slothful and unfaithful. We thank Thee for all whom Thou art teach ing to cry day and night for labor ers to be sent forth. Lord, breathe Thine own Spirit on all Thy chil dren that they may learn to live for this one thing alone — the kingdom and glory of their Lord — and be come fully awake to the faith of what their prayer can accomplish. And let all our hearts in this, as in every petition, be filled with the assurance that prayer offered in loving faith in the living God will bring certain and abundant answer. Amen. END.
Solemn, blessed thought! this power has been given us in prayer to provide the need of the world, to secure the servants for God’s work. The Lord of the harvest will hear. Christ, who called us so spe cially to pray thus, will support our prayers offered in His name and interest. Let us set apart time and give ourselves to this part of our intercessory work. It will lead us into the fellowship of that compas sionate heart of His that led Him to call for our prayers. It will elevate us to the insight of our regal posi-
Such prayer will ask and obtain a two-fold blessing. There will first be the desire for the increase of men entirely given up to the service of God. It is a terrible blot upon the Church of Christ that there are times when actually men cannot be found for the service of the Master as ministers, missionaries or teach ers of God’s Word. As God’s chil dren make this a matter of suppli cation for t he i r own c i r c l e or church, it will be given. The Lord Jesus is now Lord of the harvest. He has been exalted to bestow gifts — gifts of the Spirit. His chief gifts are men filled with the Spirit. But the supply and distribution of the gifts depend on the cooperation of Head and members. It is just prayer that will lead to such cooperation; the believing suppliants will be stirred to find the •men and the means for the work. The other blessing to be asked will not be less. Every believer is a laborer; there is not one of God’s children who has been redeemed for service and has not his work wait ing. It must be our prayer that the Lord would so fill all His people with the spirit of devotion that not one may be found standing idle in the vineyard. Wherever there is a complaint of the want of helpers or of fit helpers in God’s work, prayer has the promise of a supply. There is no Sunday school or district visit ing, no Bible reading or rescue work, where God is not ready and able to provide. It may take time and importunity, but the command of Christ to ask the Lord of the har vest is the pledge that the prayer will be heard: “ I say unto you, he will arise and give him as many as he needeth.”
Each morning at eight the editorial staff of King's Busi ness magazine ga t h e r s for prayer. Over the years God has onswcred the heartcry of thou sands. Should you have a request we would count it a privilege to take it to the A throne of grace. Your request w ill be held in the strictest confidence. Address: The Edi tors, King's Business, 558 So. Hope St., Los Angeles 17, Calif.
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tion as those whose will counts for something with the great God in the advancement of His kingdom. It will make us feel how really we are God’s fellow-workers on earth to whom a share in His work has in downright earnest been entrusted. It will make us partakers in the soul travail but also in the soul sat isfaction of Jesus, as we know how,
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