God of Abundance

The God we serve is a god of abundance. He is the generous host and creator of this world that He has placed us in. In nearly every story in scripture, we see humans struggling to trust that our God will be generous to them. And, in countless instances, we see God or a messenger of God telling the people not to fear, to trust in God, and that God will provide. And over and over again God provides – often in unexpected ways, through unexpected people, and almost never in the timing the people have prescribed.

My ears perk up when I see Jesus using scarcity language in Luke 10:2. He says this as he sends out the seventy-two, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” The laborers are few and not only are they few but he instructs us to, “… pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” 

I hear Jesus telling the church today, the harvest is plentiful – everywhere in the world, in your city, in your neighborhood, at your workplace, at your school – the harvest is plentiful. But my ears tend to hear this verse and think, “Well surely He didn’t mean here, not in my place. Everyone here already knows about God and has rejected Him.” But what if I took Jesus seriously when he says the harvest is plentiful? Not just in foreign lands, but truly everywhere. 

How would you act differently if you believed that someone you knew would come to know Christ if you were to boldly tell your personal story of redemption? And not just one person. One person would not be a plentiful crop by most farmers' standards. Jesus says the harvest is plentiful. 

Will you be so bold as to trust our generous God? Trust him to provide for you as you step out in your space to become a laborer. We need laborers at your school, at your workplace, and in your neighborhood. We are praying for laborers. Will you labor with us?

As we contemplate a risky step of obedience in our lives, let’s jump back into Luke 10. We see Jesus send the seventy-two out into the mission field, two by two. He instructs them to not take any provisions for food, money, or clothing on their missionary journeys. They were to trust that the Lord would provide for all of their needs. In Luke 10:17, we see all seventy-two of the believers come back, “The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!’”

The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. I pray that you and I will work shoulder to shoulder in this plentiful field.