Sowing in the Season of Struggle
Priceless Lessons from Dr. Price
WHEN THE WORKERS ARE FEW: WHY GOD'S HARVEST STILL THRIVES
META SUMMARY:
When ministry feels overwhelming and workers seem scarce, remember this: God's harvest doesn't depend on your numbers—it thrives on your faithfulness. Discover why "the workers are few" is a declaration of confidence, not complaint.
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Picture this: You're standing at the edge of a vast field, golden wheat stretching to the horizon. The grain is ready—past ready, actually—and you can almost hear it whispering for someone to gather it in. But when you turn to look for help, you see only a handful of workers scattered across acres of opportunity. Your first thought? "We don't have enough people."
This is where most of us live in ministry today. We look at our church rolls, count the volunteers, measure the resources, and feel the weight of inadequacy pressing down. But Dr. Richard Price, preaching at Schrader Lane Church of Christ, flips that narrative on its head with a truth that's both ancient and urgently modern.
In his powerful sermon "The Lord of The Harvest," Dr. Price anchors us in Matthew 9:37-38: "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest. Ask him to send more workers into his fields." Paired with Galatians 6:9—"Let's not get tired of doing what is good… we will reap a harvest of blessings if we don't give up"—this message delivers a radical reframe for everyone feeling stretched thin in Christian service.
The big idea? The God who owns the field also ordains the timing of the harvest. Gratitude is trusting His process while working in His purpose.
GOD OWNS THE FIELD—AND THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING
Let's start with ownership. Everything that grows belongs to God. We labor in His field, not ours. This isn't just theological poetry—it's the foundation for how we approach faithful service to God.
Dr. Price reminded the congregation that in the Greek, "harvest" means the appointed time of reaping. In Israel's agricultural life, harvest signified divine faithfulness. When Jesus declared, "The harvest is great," He wasn't lamenting scarcity—He was announcing that God's timing had come. He saw expectation, not exhaustion.
Here's what God's ownership means for us practically:
• It eliminates anxiety. If He owns the field, He guarantees the fruit. You're not responsible for manufacturing results—you're responsible for faithfulness.
• It demands gratitude. Thanksgiving isn't seasonal; it's structural to faith. When you're truly serving God, praise can break out at any moment, regardless of circumstances.
• It defines purpose. We're not competitors scrambling for territory. We're co-laborers under His command, working together in the same field.
"What looks empty to you looks expected to God. What you call delay, He calls development."
This truth hit home when Dr. Price described walking through the church administrative wing and overhearing two faithful members coordinating a response to recent SNAP benefit cuts affecting families. While they could have complained about the political landscape or the magnitude of the crisis, they got spiritual instead of political. They saw hungry children and asked, "What does God need us to do?"
That's the spirit of ownership. Gratitude isn't just saying "thank you" for the harvest—it's becoming the answer to someone's hunger.
"THE WORKERS ARE FEW" IS CONFIDENCE, NOT COMPLAINT
Here's where Dr. Price's preaching catches fire. For most of our lives, we've heard Matthew 9:37—"the workers are few"—and interpreted it as Jesus complaining about low volunteer numbers or reminiscing about the glory days when churches were packed.
Wrong.
This is not a statement of complaint. This is a statement of confidence. Jesus looked at the field after performing miracle after miracle, after facing opposition from religious leaders, after being misunderstood and accused of blasphemy—and He declared: Despite everything, God's redemptive work continues. The harvest is still plentiful.
The phrase "workers are few" speaks to moral and spiritual scarcity, not just statistical shortage. It's about the availability of servants willing to move when the Lord commands. Jesus isn't asking for warm bodies—He's looking for willing hearts.
Consider the biblical pattern: God accomplishes great works through remnants.
• Noah's family—eight people saved humanity
• Gideon's 300—defeated a massive army
• The 12 apostles—turned the world upside down
Dr. Price shared that during the recent interim ministry deep dive across fifty-plus ministries at Schrader Lane, one thing encouraged him most: "Whether we got one or two, we are not afraid to go back to the drawing board to figure out how we can do things better."
The church wasn't complaining about numbers. They were pursuing the mastery of Christ in their ministry. God doesn't always look at how many people surround you; He looks at the substance of the service you provide.
"The harvest is not a future promise—it is a present opportunity. Thank God for the few, and just keep working for God."
THE SECRET WEAPON: PRAYING FOR MINISTRY WORKERS
If you want a formula to refresh yourself in ministry, Dr. Price offers something better than best practices or the latest church growth strategies. He points straight to Scripture: "So pray to the Lord of the harvest" (Matthew 9:38).
The Greek word for "pray" here means to plead earnestly, to depend utterly. Prayer doesn't follow strategy—prayer precedes sending. Notice the pattern in Matthew's narrative: those who prayed in chapter 9 were sent in chapter 10. Prayer qualifies those who are called.
Dr. Price issued a challenging series of questions that deserve honest answers:
• Do you spend more time complaining about what you don't have, or praying to the Lord of the harvest?
• Do you spend more time talking to people who cannot give you spiritual increase, or praying to the Lord of the harvest?
• Do you invest energy into things that will not yield a spiritual reward, or are you praying to the Lord of the harvest?
Prayer confirms ownership. God governs both the climate of our world and the calendar of the field. When a praying church meets a faithful God, the harvest cannot be hindered.
This is especially crucial for Christian harvest work. You can attend every conference, read every ministry book, and implement every proven strategy—but without an intentional prayer life rooted in dependence on God, you're building on sand.
MINISTRY IN MOTION: FAITHFULNESS OVER FATIGUE
Dr. Price painted a beautiful picture of ministry at Schrader Lane—administrative wings, benevolence ministry, community involvement, edification and evangelism, health ministry, hospital visitation, membership accountability, missions, technology, youth, worship. Each ministry operates as a vital role in the field.
Some have one or two faithful workers. Others have more. But all of them demonstrate that faithfulness is stronger than fatigue.
He described members who didn't just see the food crisis as a political problem or throw their hands up in despair. They coordinated. They attended interfaith meetings to discuss best practices. They chose spiritual responsiveness over political argument. They embodied Galatians 6:9: refusing to grow weary in doing good because they trusted the promise of the harvest.
This is where the rubber meets the road in faithful service to God. You don't need hundreds of people. You need people who will:
• See with God's eyes. Look for opportunity, not just opposition.
• Pray before they strategize. Enter His presence before entering the field.
• Trust God for increase. Focus on souls and spiritual intentionality, not just metrics.
• Serve with excellence. Even with limited resources, pursue the mastery of Christ.
"Grace still grows where gratitude is planted. The Lord of the harvest has never had a failed season."
YOUR HARVEST IS ALREADY ON HEAVEN'S SCHEDULE
As we enter this pre-Thanksgiving season, the timing of Dr. Price's message couldn't be more perfect. Many of us are entering a period marked by both gratitude and grief, celebration and stress, family gatherings and potential conflict.
Dr. Price offers pastoral wisdom: prepare your heart now. Avoid negativity. Maintain spiritual focus. Don't let the world's chaos steal your peace or your calling.
The field may look dormant in your life right now. You may have sown in tears. You may be tired. But heaven's soil never sleeps. Nothing you've planted in faith is forgotten.
Dr. Price concluded with this vision for the church: "I can see it—where it's already crowded and you've got to get here an hour early. I can see classrooms filled again. I can see a whole new campus. I see the nation looking at us as an example because of our faithfulness and not because of our might, because of our prayer and our connection to the assignment that God has placed in our hands."
That's not wishful thinking. That's prophetic confidence rooted in praying for ministry workers and trusting the God who has never had a failed season.
THE CHALLENGE: KEEP YOUR HAND TO THE PLOW
Before you navigate away from this post and back into the demands of your week, let this truth settle deep:
You are not responsible for the size of the harvest. You are responsible for faithful service to God in the field He's assigned to you.
The same Lord who called the disciples from the crowd is still calling us today. He's saying: "Go into my field. Work with what I've given you. Pray earnestly. Serve faithfully. Trust my timing."
Stop waiting for more people, more resources, or more favorable conditions. The harvest is plentiful right now. The question isn't whether God will come through—the question is whether you'll show up.
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REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
• Where are you complaining about scarcity when God is calling you to confidence?
• What would change if you spent the next week praying to the Lord of the harvest before strategizing about ministry needs?
• Who in your congregation is faithfully laboring with few resources, and how can you encourage them this week?
• What "one or two" are you grateful for in your ministry field right now?
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Don't grow weary in doing good, beloved. Your harvest is already on heaven's schedule. When you pray, He supplies. When you work, He sustains. When you thank Him, He brings increase.
Stay faithful. Keep your hand to the plow, your heart to the promise, your eyes to heaven. The Lord of the harvest knows your name, sees every seed you've sown, and will not forget your work of love.
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Listen to the full sermon "The Lord of The Harvest" by Dr. Richard Price at Schrader Lane Church of Christ to experience the complete power of this message.
For more inspiring resources on Christian living, discipleship, and faithful service, visit Barry's Bureau at www.BarrysBureau.org
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