The Lord of the Harvest
The Harvest Is Already Yours: Stop Worrying and Start Working
Priceless Lessons from Dr. Price
📖 1,180 words | ⏱️ 5-minute read
Have you ever felt like you're working hard but not seeing results? Like you're pouring everything into your job, your relationships, or your ministry, but the fruit just isn't coming? Maybe you've looked around at your church's small group, your struggling ministry, or your own spiritual life and thought, "Is this even worth it?"
I get it. We live in a world obsessed with metrics, growth charts, and instant results. But what if I told you that the harvest you're worried about doesn't actually belong to you in the first place?
In a powerful sermon at Schrader Lane Church of Christ, Dr. Richard Price unpacked a truth that changes everything about how we approach work, ministry, and faith: God owns the field, sets the timing, and guarantees the harvest. Our job? Show up, pray, and work faithfully—even when we can't see the results yet.
The Scripture That Shifts Everything
"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." — Matthew 9:37-38
Jesus spoke these words after performing miracle after miracle—healing lepers, calming storms, raising the dead. Yet instead of celebrating His success, He looked at the crowds and saw something different: opportunity, not opposition.
Here's what blew my mind: This wasn't Jesus complaining about low volunteer numbers at the disciples' ministry fair. This was a declaration of confidence that despite exhaustion, misunderstanding, and religious opposition, God's work continues. The harvest is already happening.
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"—we get the full picture: gratitude is trusting God's process while working in His purpose.
You're Not the Owner, You're the Worker
Let's be honest: We love control. We want to manage outcomes, predict timelines, and ensure success. But here's the liberating truth Dr. Price emphasizes: everything that grows belongs to God. We labor in His field, not ours.
In ancient Israel, harvest wasn't just about crops—it signified divine faithfulness. When Jesus said "the harvest is great," He was declaring that God's timing had arrived. He wasn't seeing exhaustion; He was seeing expectation.
Three Ways God's Ownership Changes Everything
1. It eliminates anxiety. If God owns the field, He guarantees the fruit. Your job security isn't dependent on quarterly results; it's rooted in His faithfulness.
2. It demands gratitude. Thanksgiving isn't seasonal—it's structural to faith. When you realize you're working in someone else's garden, every green shoot becomes a gift, not an expectation.
3. It defines purpose. You're not competing with other churches, ministries, or Christians. You're co-laboring under His command.
When Few Doesn't Mean Failure
"The workers are few." — Matthew 9:37
Here's where the sermon gets really practical. Dr. Price challenges our obsession with numbers: "Few" conveys moral and spiritual scarcity, not just statistical shortage. Jesus isn't worried about headcount; He's looking for servants willing to move when He commands.
Think about it: God accomplished incredible things through remnants—Noah's family, Gideon's 300, the 12 apostles. Faithfulness outweighs numbers every single time.
During the church's recent interim ministry review, leaders across 50+ ministries weren't complaining about small teams. Instead, they asked: "How can we do this better? How can we align with Christ's mastery?" That's the posture that moves heaven.
A Modern-Day Harvest Story
Dr. Price shared a moment that brought him to tears: He overheard two church members coordinating a response to recent cuts in SNAP benefits affecting families in their city. Instead of ranting about politics or wringing their hands about the problem, they got to work—planning food distributions, connecting with interfaith partners, showing up.
That's what harvest workers look like. They see a child going hungry and pray, "Lord, what do You need us to do?" Then they act.
One member even said to Dr. Price: "You need to come to this interfaith meeting—they're discussing best practices for food relief." And he went. No grandstanding, no theological debates about who's "in" or "out." Just faithful people being God's hands and feet.
This is the church at its best—when we stop asking "What's in it for me?" and start asking "Who needs what I have to give?"
The Prayer That Precedes the Power
Before Jesus sent the disciples into the harvest field in Matthew 10, He gave them a critical instruction in Matthew 9:38: "Pray to the Lord of the harvest."
In Greek, this word "pray" means to plead earnestly, to depend utterly. Prayer isn't a formality before strategy; it's the strategy. It confirms that God governs both the climate of our world and the calendar of the field.
Here's the pattern Dr. Price lays out:
Observation → Jesus sees the crowd with compassion
Declaration → "The harvest is great"
Revelation → "The workers are few"
Intercession → "Pray to the Lord"
Commission → He sends disciples forward
Notice: Those who prayed in Matthew 9 were sent in Matthew 10. Your prayer life qualifies you for kingdom work.
What This Means for You Right Now
Maybe you're serving in a ministry that feels invisible. Maybe you're the only one in your family who follows Jesus. Maybe your small group has three people (on a good week). Maybe you're just tired.
Dr. Price's message is clear: Don't grow weary in doing good. Your harvest is already on heaven's schedule.
"What looks empty to you looks expected to God. What you call delay, He calls development." — Dr. Richard Price
Key Takeaways:
God's ownership eliminates anxiety — He guarantees the fruit, you bring the faithfulness
The "few" workers Jesus mentions aren't about numbers — they're about availability and obedience
Prayer must precede action — intercession qualifies you for commission
Gratitude becomes action — it's not just saying "thank you" but becoming the answer to someone's need
Faithfulness is stronger than fatigue — when a praying church meets a faithful God, the harvest cannot be hindered
Your Next Steps in the Harvest
Here's how to live this out this week:
Start with prayer, not strategy. Before your next ministry meeting, work project, or difficult conversation—pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest.
Serve where you are with what you have. Stop waiting for perfect conditions or bigger teams. If one person shows up, thank God and get to work.
Replace complaint with compassion. When you're tempted to focus on what's lacking, ask: "Who needs what I can give?"
Trust God's timing over your timeline. Write down one area where you're impatient for results. Surrender it to the Lord of the harvest.
Become the answer. Find one tangible need in your community (food insecurity, loneliness, lack of spiritual support) and take one action this week.
A Final Word: The Harvest Has Your Name On It
Dr. Price closed with these powerful words: "The same Lord who called the disciples from the crowd is still calling us. And He's saying, go into my field. And when the day's work is done, may the Lord of the harvest look down... and say, 'Well done. Good and faithful servants.'"
The harvest is plentiful. The workers are few. The question isn't whether God will come through—He always does. The question is: Will you show up?
Reflect & Respond
For Group Discussion:
Where in your life are you frustrated by "lack of results" when God may be asking you to trust His timing?
What would change if you truly believed God owns the field and guarantees the harvest?
How can your small group or ministry shift from a scarcity mindset to a harvest mindset?
SEO Headline: The Harvest Is Already Yours: A Faith-Based Approach to Overcoming Burnout and Trusting God's Timing
Meta Description: Feeling burned out in ministry or life? Discover why "the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few" isn't about numbers—it's about faithfulness. Learn to trust God's process while working in His purpose.
Suggested Tags: #HarvestTheology #FaithfulService #ChurchMinistry #GodsTimingNotMine #Matthew9 #Galatians6 #TrustTheProcess #ChristianLiving #MinistryEncouragement #SpiritualGrowth