1016 主人命令的关键
所以，你们当求庄稼的主打发工人出去收他的庄稼。《马太福音 9:38》
传道者艰难任务的关键在神手中，而这个关键是祷告，不是工作——也就是说，不是今天常用的「工作」这个词，工作常常导致我们的焦点从神身上转移。传道者艰难任务的关键，也不是常识的关键，也不是医学、文明、教育甚至传福音的关键。关键是听从主人的命令——关键就是祷告。「求庄稼的主…」在自然界中，祷告是不切实际，而是荒谬的。我们必须认识到，从常理的角度来看，祷告是愚蠢的。
从耶稣基督的角度来看，没有国家，只有世界。我们当中有多少人祷告时不考虑任何人，而只考虑一位——耶稣基督？祂拥有庄稼，是通过苦难和知罪而产生的庄稼；这就是我们必须祷告工人被派遣出去收庄稼。我们忙着工作，而周围的人都成熟可被收割，我们甚至没有收割他们中的一个人，而只是将主的时间浪费在过度耗尽精力的活动和计划中。假设一个危机临到你父亲或兄弟的生活——你是否在那里作为工人，为耶稣基督收庄稼呢？你的反应是「哦，但我有一项特别的工作要做」吗？没有基督徒有特别的工作要做。基督徒被称为耶稣基督的仆人，「仆人不能大于主人」（约翰福音13:16），并且不会命令耶稣基督他打算做什么。我们的主并没有呼召我们去做什么特别的工作——祂呼召我们归向祂自己。「求庄稼的主」，祂就会策划你的处境，打发你作为祂的工人出去。
来自章伯斯的智慧
无论神的旨意将我们扔到哪里，无论是贫民窟、商店还是沙漠，我们都必须沿着祂的指示努力工作。永远不可有「我在这里毫无用处」的想法，因为如果你不在所在之地，你当然是毫无用处！无论祂在哪里发动了你的环境，就是祷告。 《故我差遣你》
1016 The Key to the Master’s Orders
Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. —Matthew 9:38
The key to the missionary’s difficult task is in the hand of God, and that key is prayer, not work— that is, not work as the word is commonly used today, which often results in the shifting of our focus away from God. The key to the missionary’s difficult task is also not the key of common sense, nor is it the key of medicine, civilization, education, or even evangelization. The key is in following the Master’s orders— the key is prayer. “Pray the Lord of the harvest….” In the natural realm, prayer is not practical but absurd. We have to realize that prayer is foolish from the commonsense point of view.
From Jesus Christ’s perspective, there are no nations, but only the world. How many of us pray without regard to the persons, but with regard to only one Person— Jesus Christ? He owns the harvest that is produced through distress and through conviction of sin. This is the harvest for which we have to pray that laborers be sent out to reap. We stay busy at work, while people all around us are ripe and ready to be harvested; we do not reap even one of them, but simply waste our Lord’s time in over-energized activities and programs. Suppose a crisis were to come into your father’s or your brother’s life— are you there as a laborer to reap the harvest for Jesus Christ? Is your response, “Oh, but I have a special work to do!” No Christian has a special work to do. A Christian is called to be Jesus Christ’s own, “a servant [who] is not greater than his master” (John 13:16), and someone who does not dictate to Jesus Christ what he intends to do. Our Lord calls us to no special work— He calls us to Himself. “Pray the Lord of the harvest,” and He will engineer your circumstances to send you out as His laborer.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Wherever the providence of God may dump us down, in a slum, in a shop, in the desert, we have to labour along the line of His direction. Never allow this thought—“I am of no use where I am,” because you certainly can be of no use where you are not! Wherever He has engineered your circumstances, pray. So Send I You, 1325 L