Thursday, October 15, 2026 (St. Luke)

Note to readers: This is an alternate reading from the Three Year Lectionary, and may not match up with the readings your church uses this Sunday.

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of Him, two by two, into every town and place where He Himself was about to go. And He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.”’ (Luke 10:1-9)

If you’re like me, you’re used to getting prayer requests. People at church ask you to pray for them; there’s probably a list in the bulletin. You may have friends and family who call you and ask you to pray. And because you love them, you pray.

But what about Jesus? It wasn’t till last year that I realized He had a prayer request for us too—as far as I can tell, the only one He ever asked of us. It’s this: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

This sounds like the kind of thing Jesus would ask, doesn’t it? Because the one thing He wants most is for as many human beings as possible to be saved—reconciled to God, set free from evil, brought into God’s family as His own dear children. Because He loves us, and He wants us home! But how will this happen? Jesus is planning to suffer and die a painful, shameful death on a cross to make it happen—and then He will break the power of death by coming alive again for all of us.

This is the whole reason He came into the world. When Jesus dies, He will be like a seed, planted in the grave—a seed that rises into new life and produces a huge harvest. And that harvest includes you and me—everybody who trusts in Jesus and receives new life from the Holy Spirit.

But for them to believe, someone has to tell them about Jesus! And that’s why Jesus asks us to pray. He needs as many people as possible to go and spread the Good News—as many harvesters as He can find! And so He calls us—and He tells us to pray for more help.

WE PRAY: Dear Father, please call many more harvesters into Your fields, that as many people as possible may be saved through Your Son Jesus. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Reflection Questions:

1. How could you make Jesus’ prayer request a regular part of your own prayers?
2. Have you ever told someone about Jesus?
3. If you find that difficult, where could you find help?

Today's Readings:

2 Chronicles 33-34
Acts 23:16-35

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