Pray for harvesters
Praying for harvesters is a significant theme in the Gospels, reflecting Jesus’ call for more workers to labor in God’s field. This prayer is rooted in the passage from Matthew 9:37-38, where Jesus says to His disciples:
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
This prayer aligns with the mission of spreading the Gospel and building the Kingdom of God. As you pray for harvesters, you are joining in the mission of Jesus, asking God to raise up people who will share His love, mercy, and truth with the world.
Prayer for Harvesters
Here is a suggested prayer for harvesters:
Heavenly Father,
You are the Lord of the harvest, and You see the needs of the world more deeply than we can imagine. Your field is vast, and many souls are longing for Your love, Your truth, and Your salvation.
We pray, Lord, that You would send forth laborers into Your harvest. Stir the hearts of men and women to respond to Your call, to go out into the world and proclaim Your Gospel with courage, joy, and humility.
Bless those already in the field—pastors, missionaries, and all who serve Your Church—that they may be strengthened and encouraged in their work. Inspire new vocations to the priesthood, religious life, and lay ministry, so that more people can be reached with the message of Your love.
Help each of us to discern how we can be Your laborers in our own lives, in our communities, and in the world. Teach us to serve You with love and dedication, knowing that the harvest is plentiful and the rewards eternal.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
As you reflect on this prayer, you might consider where God is calling you to be a laborer in His field. This could be in small, everyday actions in your family or community, or perhaps in a larger vocational calling. Trust that God will guide you as you listen and remain open to His invitation.
Hebrew meaning and symbolism of the harvest
The concept of the harvest carries rich symbolism and meaning in both Hebrew Scripture (the Old Testament) and Jewish tradition. Here’s a deeper look at its significance:
1. Hebrew Word for Harvest
In Hebrew, the word for harvest is “קָצִיר” (Qatsir). It primarily refers to the gathering of crops, but the symbolism goes far beyond the physical act of reaping.
2. Symbol of God’s Provision
The harvest is a powerful symbol of God’s provision for His people. Throughout the Old Testament, God promises to bless the land and provide for the Israelites through the abundance of the harvest. The gathering of crops signifies God’s faithfulness, as seen in passages like:
- Deuteronomy 16:15: “For the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will altogether be joyful.“
- Psalm 65:9-11: “You care for the land and water it; You enrich it abundantly… You crown the year with Your bounty, and Your carts overflow with abundance.”
The idea of harvest reflects God’s active involvement in ensuring that His people are sustained. In a spiritual sense, it shows how God continually works to bring about His Kingdom and provide for His people, both physically and spiritually.
3. Harvest Festivals (The Feasts)
The Israelites celebrated three major harvest festivals that were central to their worship of God:
- Pesach (Passover): Celebrating the barley harvest and commemorating Israel’s liberation from Egypt.
- Shavuot (Pentecost): Also known as the Feast of Weeks, it marked the wheat harvest and the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.
- Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles): Celebrating the fruit harvest, this feast symbolized God’s protection during the Israelites’ time in the wilderness.
Each festival reminded the people that the harvest came from God’s hand, and that their reliance was on Him. These celebrations were also times to share the blessings of the harvest with the poor, the foreigner, and the needy (Deuteronomy 16:14), demonstrating the community aspect of God’s generosity.
4. Symbol of Judgment and Salvation
The concept of harvest is also used in Scripture to symbolize judgmentand salvation. In prophetic literature, the harvest often represents the end of time, when God will judge the nations and gather His people to Himself:
- Joel 3:13: “Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow—so great is their wickedness!”
- Isaiah 27:12: “In that day the Lord will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, Israel, will be gathered up one by one.”
The harvest is a metaphor for the day of the Lord, when righteousness and justice will prevail. In the New Testament, Jesus uses this image to speak of the gathering of souls, both the righteous (the wheat) and the wicked (the tares or weeds). The righteous will be gathered into the Kingdom, while the wicked face judgment.
5. The Harvest as a Symbol of Human Souls
In a spiritual sense, the harvest represents the gathering of souls for the Kingdom of God. Jesus frequently uses the image of the harvest to describe the mission of spreading the Gospel and bringing people to faith in Him. This ties into Matthew 9:37-38, where Jesus sees the crowds as a ripe harvest waiting to be gathered.
- Isaiah 9:3 prophesies the increase of joy as with the joy at harvest, implying that God’s salvation is like an abundant harvest that brings great celebration.
In Jewish thought, the harvest also connects to themes of repentance and renewal, especially in the celebration of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), where there is an acknowledgment that God alone can bless the work of human hands and that His judgment and mercy are present in each season of life.
6. Eschatological Meaning (End Times)
Finally, in both Jewish and Christian eschatology (study of the end times), the harvest points to the final gathering of God’s people. For Christians, this is seen in the Book of Revelation, where the imagery of reaping the harvest is used to describe the final judgment:
- Revelation 14:15: “Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, ‘Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.'”
This harvest refers to the ultimate completion of God’s work, where all souls are brought before Him, and His divine plan comes to fulfillment.
Reflection
In light of the Hebrew meaning and symbolism of the harvest, your prayer for harvesters becomes not just a request for more laborers, but a profound participation in God’s ongoing work of provision, judgment, and salvation. As you pray, you are calling on God to send workers into His vast field, asking Him to gather souls into His Kingdom, and recognizing that the work of the Gospel is an abundant harvest that belongs to the Lord.
Jesus asks us to pray for harvesters
The fact that Jesus asks us to pray for harvesters, rather than focusing on sowing, is indeed striking and filled with meaning.
Let’s explore this idea further, especially in the context of spiritual exercises and the mission of the Kingdom:
1. The Harvest is God’s Work, Not Ours
In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus says,
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest field.”
The key here is that it’s God’s harvest—it is God who prepares the soil, plants the seeds, and nurtures the growth. We are called to participate, but ultimately, the growth and the readiness of the harvest are entirely in God’s hands. This reminds us of several important spiritual truths:
- God is the Source: God initiates the work of salvation. He is constantly at work in people’s hearts, preparing them to receive His grace. The sowing of the seeds, which can symbolize faith or the Gospel message, is something God oversees through His Spirit, often unseen by us.
- The Harvest is Already Plentiful: Jesus tells us that the harvest is already plentiful. In other words, the work of God is ongoing, and many people are ready to respond to His call. What’s lacking isn’t the work God is doing, but the laborers to help gather those whom God has already prepared. We are invited to be laborers in a field that God has already cultivated.
2. Our Role is to Respond, Not to Control
Your insight—that we are not necessarily the ones sowing—humbles us in realizing that our role in the mission of God is one of collaboration, not control. The seeds of faith are planted in people’s hearts through a variety of ways—through prayer, grace, life experiences, or the work of the Holy Spirit. God is at work far beyond what we can see or understand.
- Humility in Mission: We are not the ones who create or force the harvest; we are called to respond to where God is already working. In Ignatian terms, this calls for a spirit of discernment. How can we open our eyes to see where God is already at work, and how can we best join Him in gathering the harvest? We are invited to be co-laborers with Christ, knowing that the work is His, and our role is simply to participate faithfully.
- Listen to God’s Call: When we pray for laborers, we are asking for more people to respond to God’s call, and for the courage to answer the call ourselves. This prayer calls for openness—asking the Lord of the harvest how we can be sent, and where we can contribute to His mission.
3. Sowing and Reaping in God’s Time
There’s another deeper layer to this reflection: the separation between sowing and reaping. The spiritual journey often involves stages of waiting and trust. Sometimes we are called to plant seeds that we may not see come to fruition during our lifetime. Other times, we are invited into moments where we gather a harvest that others have sown long before us.
- Jesus’ Own Ministry: Jesus Himself entered a world where the seeds of faith had already been sown through the prophets, the Law, and Israel’s history. He proclaimed the Kingdom, drawing from the long history of salvation, and His disciples were sent to reap the benefits of centuries of preparatio. In a similar way, we may step into places where the Holy Spirit has been working for years, even generations, preparing hearts for the Gospel.
- The Continuity of God’s Plan: Sowing and reaping are parts of a continuous divine plan, not isolated acts. Even though we may not always see the results of our work, we can trust that God will bring the harvest in His time. This teaches us to work with patience and faithfulness, trusting that all our efforts are united in God’s larger plan of salvation. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 emphasizes this dynamic: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”
4. Interceding for Harvesters is The Call to Prayer
When Jesus asks us to pray for harvesters, it highlights the importance of intercession in the mission of the Church. Before the work of mission, we are called to pray and ask the Lord to send workers into His field. This shows us that:
- Prayer precedes action: Before going into the mission field, we must first pray, aligning our hearts with God’s will. In Ignatian spirituality, discernment is key—spending time in prayer to ask where God is calling us and others. This reminds us that mission is God’s initiative, and we must first listen before acting.
- Intercession for Vocations: When we pray for more laborers, we are praying for vocations—not just to the priesthood or religious life, but to every form of ministry in the Church. The “harvest” requires many hands—priests, lay ministers, missionaries, parents, teachers, and all who contribute to building the Kingdom of God. Praying for vocations is a way of actively participating in the mission, trusting God to inspire new workers.
- The Harvesters We Do Not See: Our prayer is for harvesters we may never meet or know. God sends laborers into fields across the world, where we may not be present but can contribute through our prayer. In this sense, we are connected to the global mission of the Church through our intercession, even if we are not physically involved in every place where the Gospel is being preached.
5. Living Out the Call to Harvest in the Spiritual Exercises
In the context of Ignatian spirituality, here are some ways to reflect more deeply on this passage and live out its call:
- Discernment of Mission: Ask God in your daily Examen or periods of discernment: “Lord, where are You calling me to participate in the harvest? Where are the fields You have prepared, and how can I serve as a harvester in those places?”
- Prayer for Vocations: As part of your spiritual journey, commit to regularly praying for vocations in the Church. Ask the Holy Spirit to send laborers into the fields of the world, and to inspire people to respond to God’s call.
- Surrender and Trust: Reflect on how this passage calls you to a posture of humility and trust. Surrender the need to see immediate results or to control the outcome of your work. Trust that God is at work, even in ways you may not see. Your role is to be faithful to the task of harvesting where God has sent you.
- Action and Prayer Together: Combine your action in the mission of the Church with your prayer life. For example, if you are involved in a ministry or community service, take time to pray regularly for those you are serving. Ask God to work in the hearts of those you meet, trusting that He is the Lord of the harvest.
Conclusion
Your reflection that we are not the ones who sow reveals a profound truth about our spiritual role: we are invited into a harvest that is already God’s work. Our mission is to collaborate with what God has already prepared, to pray for more laborers, and to respond to the call where He sends us. This teaches us humility, patience, and trust in God’s larger plan, and it reminds us that our efforts, while important, are always part of a greater work initiated and sustained by God.
Prayer Exercise – Listen to the Call of the Harvest
Let’s walk through an Ignatian prayer exercise based on the theme of the harvest and our role as laborers in God’s field. This prayer will guide you through a period of reflection and conversation with God, helping you to discern where God is calling you to participate in His mission.
Step 1: Prepare and Set the Scene
Find a quiet place where you can pray and be still with God. Take a few deep breaths to center yourself. As you breathe in, imagine that you are receiving the grace of God’s presence; as you breathe out, let go of any distractions or worries.
Opening Prayer: “Lord of the harvest, I come before You with an open heart. As I enter this time of prayer, I ask for the grace to hear Your voice and to understand where You are calling me to serve. May I see Your work in the world, and may I respond generously to Your call. Amen.”
Step 2: Scripture Reflection
Read Matthew 9:35-38 slowly and prayerfully:
“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’”
Take a few moments to sit with this passage. Imagine yourself in the scene: walking with Jesus through the towns and villages, witnessing His compassion for the people.
Step 3: Imaginative Contemplation
Using Ignatian imaginative prayer, place yourself in the scene with Jesus. Picture the towns and the crowds of people around you. Allow yourself to feel what Jesus feels as He looks upon the people with compassion.
- What do you notice in the crowd? Do the people look lost or in need? Can you sense their longing for healing, for purpose, for God’s love?
- How does Jesus respond? Notice His deep compassion for them. Pay attention to His tone of voice as He speaks to His disciples about the harvest.
- Jesus turns to you. He looks at you with love and invites you to be a part of His mission. Listen to His words as He says, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” How do you feel as He speaks these words to you?
Step 4: Conversation with Jesus (Colloquy)
Now, have a conversation with Jesus about what you have seen and felt in this prayer. Speak to Him honestly about your own sense of mission and calling.
- Ask Him directly: “Jesus, where are You calling me to labor in Your harvest?”
- Listen: Take a moment of silence to hear His response. It may come as a feeling, a word, or a sense of peace. Allow Jesus to show you the specific “field” where He is inviting you to serve—whether it’s in your family, community, workplace, or a specific ministry.
- Tell Him your desires and concerns: If you feel unsure, afraid, or excited, express these feelings to Him. Share your hopes, fears, and longings regarding the mission He is calling you to.
Step 5: Pray for More Laborers
In response to Jesus’ request to “ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers,” take a moment to pray for vocations and for those who are already laboring in God’s field.
Prayer for Vocations: “Lord, You have told us that the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. I lift up to You all those who are discerning their vocation. Inspire more people to respond to Your call to serve in the priesthood, religious life, and lay ministries. Strengthen those who are already serving in Your Church, and give them the courage to continue proclaiming Your Kingdom. May I also be a witness to Your love in the world, wherever You send me. Amen.”
Step 6: Personal Discernment
After this time of conversation with Jesus, reflect on the following questions to discern where God might be calling you:
- Where in my life do I sense a “harvest“—a place or community that is ripe for God’s love and grace?
- How can I serve as a harvester in my daily life? Where am I being called to gather, heal, or lead others closer to God?
- What gifts or strengths do I have that God might be asking me to use in His mission?
- Are there any fears or doubts that are holding me back from answering God’s call? How can I surrender these to Him?
Step 7: Closing Prayer
As you conclude this time of prayer, offer all your reflections, desires, and insights to God. Trust that He will continue to guide you as you discern your role in His mission.
Closing Prayer: “Lord of the harvest, I thank You for this time of prayer and reflection. I trust that You are always at work in the world, preparing hearts to receive Your love. I ask for the courage to be a laborer in Your field, to gather those You have prepared, and to walk in the mission You have called me to. Send more workers into Your field, Lord, and guide Your Church in fulfilling Your Kingdom work. I place my trust in You. Amen.”
Step 8: Journaling (Optional)
After your prayer, you may want to spend a few minutes journaling about what you experienced or heard during the prayer. Write down any insights, feelings, or words that came to you during your conversation with Jesus. This can help you continue to discern and reflect on where God is leading you.
This prayer exercise is a way to engage deeply with Jesus’ call to the harvest, while also reflecting on how you are being invited to participate in God’s mission. It combines imaginative prayer, discernment, and intercession to help you listen to God’s voice and respond to His call.
