A Call to Pray

Lon Graham, Vice President

Matthew tells us something remarkable about Jesus. He says that, when Jesus saw the crowds that were following Him, "He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36). Is that not amazing? It shows that our Lord – the one by whom and for whom all things were created – was not indifferent to human pain. He saw them. He cared for them. 

We know that the crowds that accompanied Jesus were large. At one point, there were thousands upon thousands of people following Him (Matthew 14:13-21; 15:32-39). Those who came to Him for help were sick, afflicted, and overcome with profound need. It must have been an overwhelming sight. 

Today, we are surrounded by another great crowd full of need – and it can feel overwhelming. At this moment, over 2,000 children are in the custody of New Mexico's Children, Youth, and Families Department. More than double that number of children are victims of abuse and neglect every year in New Mexico. A generation is being traumatized on our watch. These children are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 

We believe that Jesus sees them. He cares for them. Will we join Him?

I ask that not to guilt people into action. I ask it because, as Christians, we are meant to follow Jesus. Following Him means sharing His compassion and allowing our hearts to be moved by the plight of those around us. 

There are a lot of ways to put our compassion into action: volunteering, donating, and raising awareness are all wonderful, and we welcome them all. But I want to keep following Jesus here. In Matthew 9, right after being moved by the harassed and helpless crowd, He tells His disciples, "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" (Matthew 9:37-38). He calls on His followers to pray – and so I do the same now. 

Pray for your Children's Home. Pray specifically for laborers. We can do nothing to meet the need that surrounds us without workers. These children need people who will love them, care for them, support them, and show them the love of Jesus. 

Simple put, what these children need most is loving houseparents. Join in us praying that God will send us houseparents who will help us to make the invisible love of God visible to these children.