Saturday 4 Dec 2021

December 4: Matthew 9:35-38

Key Verse: Matthew 9:37
Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.

Devotion:
I wonder if you have ever had to help out in an emergency or some sort of disaster? When you arrive on the scene it is a bit of a shock to see the scene, then the desperation of the people can be seen, then your feeling of helplessness sets in… Only when you start to do physical things, however small, do you start to see a change in circumstances and you finally see you can help!

I don’t wish disaster aid on anyone because it can be distressing, often taking a very special kind of person to help out when everything seems to pointless to start with. I could imagine this being the same feeling Jesus would have when going to some of these towns and villages where He would see the helpless crowds who needed so much. But, everywhere He went would be another new opportunity to do something, no matter how small!

I’m sure half the problem was seeing how helpless the disciples felt as well. He would see how they needed support to be able to help the people in the towns. He could see their desperate hearts. But Jesus’ way forward was not to give the disciples super-human strength to get through everything, but to remind them they needed help from others too.

As we step out to do what God wants us to do, we are going to face times when we will feel helpless and think we cannot do things as He wants us to. Those are the times when we need to step back and review how we are going about His work. Do we need to go forward in a different way, or do we need to ask for help? Often asking for help is difficult because we think we should be able to cope, but when we get local communities involved with God’s work, they will begin to see how rewarding it is...

Points to Ponder:
How much do you do for God in your community?

Will you be willing to help when asked?