"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.'" - Matthew 9:37-38

I used to think prayer was the warm-up act before the real ministry began. You know—pray first, then get to work. Pray for God's blessing, then execute your plans. Pray for open doors, then open them with your own effort.

I had it completely backwards.

Prayer isn't the preliminary to disciple-making; it's the power source. It's not what you do before the real work starts; it is the real work. And until we understand this, we'll find ourselves trying to manufacture spiritual fruit through human effort—a recipe for burnout and frustration.

I once had two ministry events in the same week. One I thought would be easy - a receptive audience who were eager for my message. The other I thought would be a tougher crowd. Bizarrely the first, the easier one, was tough work! I felt nervous approaching the second but it was a phenomenal time. The power of God came and many were set free and filled with the Spirit. Pondering the unexpected difference on the way home I received a text from a friend. "Hope you're well. The Lord woke me up in the night and I've been praying for you most of the night. Not sure what it's about." Ah - there you go!

Prayer is the real work!

The Prayer Room Revolution

This reminds me of something my friend John Wilthew shared about revival—he described having a heart for revival using a prayer house metaphor. In this house, there were different rooms for different types of prayer, including a special revival prayer room in the loft. After a period of spiritual coldness, John experienced personal revival when he returned to this prayer room.

So prayer impacts others - and it impacts us.

But here's what most Christians miss: prayer isn't just about asking God to bless what we're already planning to do. It's about discovering what God is already doing and joining Him in it. It's about aligning our hearts with His heart, our vision with His vision, our methods with His methods.

The Harvest Prayer

Look again at Jesus' words in Matthew 9:37-38. The disciples are looking at the crowds, and Jesus makes an observation: "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." Then He gives them a command that seems almost counterintuitive: "Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

If the problem is too few workers, why doesn't Jesus say, "Go recruit more workers"? Why doesn't He say, "Work harder" or "Be more strategic"? Instead, He points them to prayer as the solution to the worker shortage.

I realised I've spent a lot of time praying for the harvest but not much time praying for workers for the harvest.

Here's what Jesus understood that we often miss: God is the Lord of the harvest. He's the one who prepares hearts, opens doors, and sends workers. This is His initiative, not ours! Our job isn't to create the harvest; it's to recognize it, enter it, and work within it. And that recognition begins with prayer.

A farmer friend of mine relates to this very much through his farming. Yes, he is involved with the harvest - planting, monitoring, harvesting. But so much of the harvest is out of his control - the soil, the weather, even the growing process itself! Just as God is the Lord of the physical harvest - he's also the Lord of the spiritual harvest.

When you pray for workers for the harvest, several things happen:

Your eyes are opened to see what God is already doing. You begin to notice the spiritual conversations happening around you, the people asking deeper questions, the circumstances that are preparing hearts for the gospel.

Your heart is aligned with God's heart for the lost. You start to feel what He feels for the people in your sphere of influence. Their spiritual condition becomes a burden, not just a project.

Years ago I prayed for the Middle East. I wept as I prayed for a region that needed the gospel. Little did I know that years later I would visit many times to help strengthen what God is doing in that region.

Your faith is stirred for supernatural intervention. You begin to expect God to work in ways that go beyond your natural abilities or circumstances.

Your methods are guided by divine wisdom. Instead of relying on techniques you've learned, you find yourself led by the Spirit in how to approach specific people and situations.

I was once invited on a ministry trip to France. I didn't actually want to go as I was tired and didn't know the people. But I prayed for God's guidance and that night I had a dream of me conducting a wedding. The weird thing was it was under water and I was marrying a French woman to a dolphin! I was saying to the people "The water temperature is mostly cold but warm in a few places - but don't worry God is going to raise all of the temperature." I realised later what it meant - the heir to the French throne was called the Le Dauphin and literally had a dolphin on his crest. Jesus, the true King, was coming for his French bride! The spiritual water temperature was going to be raised across the whole of France. That trip turned out to be extremely significant as it introduced me to a group of people who I could help to launch a multiplying church planting network that has impacted many lives. True workers for the harvest!

Praying for People of Peace

One of the most transformative prayer practices I've learned is learning to pray for "people of peace." This comes directly from Jesus' instructions in Luke 10, where He tells the seventy-two to look for "people of peace" in each place they visit.

Jesus had modelled this himself. He's only said to have prayed through the night twice in his ministry - the first in Gethsemane when he was about to carry the sins of the world. The second was when he was about to choose the 12. The disciples that he was trusting the Father would multiply his message through.

A person of peace is someone God has prepared to receive the gospel and potentially become a bridge to others in their community. They're not necessarily the most religious people or the most obvious candidates. Often, they're people whose hearts God has been quietly preparing through circumstances, relationships, or divine encounters.

But here's the key: you discover people of peace through prayer before you meet them in person.

Since I discovered this, I'm regularly praying and looking out for people of peace. I have limited time in my week - and my life(!) - I need to spend it on those who will multiply! But how do I know who will become such a person? I have to ask God to guide me and trust the Holy Spirit to lead me to find them.

People of peace are also those who are already believers but who need discipleship to become multiplying disciples. They are those who will do something with what you teach them - and they will pass it on to others.

The Transformation of Ordinary Moments

What happens when you begin to pray this way is remarkable. Ordinary conversations take on new significance. Casual encounters become potential divine appointments. You start to notice things you never saw before—the coworker who's been asking deeper questions, the neighbor who's going through a difficult season, the friend who's been more open to spiritual conversations.

But more than that, you begin to approach these relationships with a different spirit. Instead of seeing people as projects to be completed, you see them as individuals God loves and is pursuing.

So What's Next For You?

What's the next step in your journey of learning to pray for workers for the harvest? Who is there around you that God has prepared as people of peace? Are you praying for them? Are you investing in them? Are you giving them the time they need?

What does it look like for you to do what Jesus said and pray for workers for the harvest?

Let's go out and multiply!