Prayer to us is not practical, it is stupid, and until we do see that prayer is stupid, stupid from the ordinary, natural, common sense point of view, we will never pray. But that is what Jesus says He will do. It sounds stupid, but it is a stupidity based on His redemption. The reason that our prayers are not answered is that we are not stupid enough to believe what Jesus says. It is a child, and only a child who has prayer answered; a wise and prudent adult does not (see Matthew 11:25). We have to be as natural as children in our relationship to Jesus Christ and He does His work all the time. Jesus Christ is our Master and He lays down His orders distincly, “therefore pray.”Oswald Chambers – So I send You & Workmen of God
This is a wonderful section we read this morning for our devotion. The quote, therefore pray, is from Matthew 9:38.
It says: Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
We pray to the Lord of the harvest. There can be many things we pray for. But the emphasis is to the Lord of the harvest. Noticed that it is the Lord of the harvest that sends out the workers. The workers didn’t decide themselves where to go and what to do. The Lord of the harvest have the plans. The workers are to follow from the Lord. This the nature of relationship between the master and his labourers. Or between us, follower of Christ, and the Lord of Lords!
There are many times we want to pray but get distracted. I have many things on the to do list (I have one right now). If I don’t do the work, no one else will. The whole mission project depends on me to get my work done. But this shouldn’t be the case. Oswald Chambers says that prayer is the work. Prayer is not to prepare us for the work.
Prayer is the outcome of our apprehension of the nature of God, the means whereby we assimilate more and more of His mind, and the means whereby He unveils His purposes to us.Oswald Chambers – So I send You & Workmen of God
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.John 14:12-14 (NKJV)
I remember a long time ago, some of us joked whether Jesus said in John 14 is ever going to happen. Really? I pray anything I want in Jesus name and He will do it for me? This is actually immature thinking. What Jesus implies is that when we are so connected with Jesus, He will do the things we ask because it is the thing He wants to do. The prayer is not what I want but rather what He wants.
Personally, I believe that I need to be as Oswald Chamber says, more stupid. It is not about great ideas I have in my head for His Kingdom. But rather the works He wants me to do for His purpose. And the work is done through prayer.
