Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:37–38)

Salvation belongs to the Lord; winning lost sinners to Himself is His responsibility. The apostle Paul recognized this when he wrote, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth” (1 Cor 3:6–7). Praise God He has given gifted evangelists like the apostle Paul, and down through the ages, men like D.L. Moody and Billy Graham. And pioneer missionaries like David Livingstone and Hudson Taylor. Which of us could possibly write the “Who’s Who” of gifted evangelists who have served unheralded, reaching out to the lost in every conceivable corner of the world, workplaces, neighborhoods and families? The Lord of the Harvest notices, for He has sent out the army of Good News proclaimers:

How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” (Rom 10:14–15, quoting Is 52:7)

One can imagine the Lord watching as each one goes out, yet in unison through the ages, saying to Himself, “What a beautiful sight!” He rejoices as Lord of the Harvest to see all His obedient messengers spreading out across the globe, across the centuries, with the same message, that of reconciliation between God and His image bearers who have been fallen since that fateful day in the Garden of Eden.

Such a beautiful thing for the Lord, but a source of anxiety for many Christians. The gifted evangelist (Eph 4:11) is like an Alaskan husky dog that was made for running and pulling: harness it to a sled and it is in its glory; that is what it was made for. But for us who are not gifted evangelists, Paul’s challenge to Timothy is our motivation: “But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim 4:5). Why should we do it? Because the Lord of the Harvest wants to join our feet to the beauty of those feet who are marching out to bring in His harvest. When we join in the effort to reach the lost, we become qualified to rejoice in the harvest and to sit at the table of Thanksgiving of eternity.

Lord, help me overcome my fear of sharing the Good News with others.