# A Prayer for Our Labors Outside the Church Walls

An episode of [Your Daily Prayer](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1253570474), 1 Sep 2026, 7:28.

Audio: https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/c035a7f6-4128-4372-aaf2-af5b00f866a9/0d4c6f00-80fe-42a3-8714-b4b100f72d30/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=b1db73a2-bae6-49ef-b354-af5b00f8a5d2

Matthew 9:35-38 shows Jesus going throughout cities and villages, not staying in one place, moved by compassion for people who were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. The harvest is plentiful, He said, but the laborers are few. That call to labor is not limited to what happens within church walls. A kitchen can be a prayer room. A living room can be a sanctuary. A park, a library, and a splash pad can be holy ground. Raising children to know God, cultivating seeds of faith in young souls, teaching little hands to do kind things and change the world for God's glory — this is sacred and significant work. It may look nothing like serving on a worship team or greeting guests on a Sunday morning, but it is kingdom labor of the highest order. And the deepest truth in all of it is this: the labor is not what changes the world. His is. We are simply the vessels, emptied of ourselves and filled with nothing but His mercy and grace, offered faithfully in whatever ordinary and extraordinary places He has placed us. Today's Bible Verse "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, ESV Ponder Today • Kingdom labor happens everywhere, not just inside a church building. Jesus went throughout cities and villages, moved by compassion wherever He found people in need. Our calling to labor for His kingdom follows the same expansive, boundary-crossing pattern. • The ordinary places we inhabit are holy ground. A kitchen, a living room, a neighborhood park — wherever we bring God's love, hope, and truth, that place becomes a site of kingdom work. Location does not limit calling. • Our labor is not what changes the world — His is. The most freeing realization in any season of service is that we are vessels, not the source. Being emptied of ourselves and filled with His mercy and grace is the whole job description. A Prayer for You Today Lord, I cannot thank You enough for the honor of laboring for Your kingdom. Thank You that I get to witness Your goodness and teach it to hearts outside the church walls. Your love, hope, and joy are ours to access no matter where we are, and it is our calling to share such gifts wherever we go. Let us remember this in the routine places we inhabit and the extraordinary places that big adventures take us. Let us follow You with boldness and enthusiasm and labor with humility and intentionality. We love and praise You, Lord. In Your holy name, Amen. Want More? Sign up for our free newsletter, The Good Word, for weekly biblical wisdom and encouragement delivered right to your inbox. Join our community today: https://www.lifeaudio.com/thegoodword/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

## Transcript

[0:13] Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to Your Daily Prayer, where we
[0:15] Speaker 1: help you find the words you need to connect to
[0:18] Speaker 1: your Father in Heaven. No matter what's happening in your
[0:20] Speaker 1: life today, you can trust that God wants to hear
[0:23] Speaker 1: from you. Right after this short word from our sponsors,
[0:27] Speaker 1: we'll pray through today's prayer together. for our labors outside
[0:30] Speaker 1: the church walls. A Prayer for Our Labors Outside the
[0:51] Speaker 1: Church Walls Written by Peyton Garland Read by Leah Gerard
[0:57] Speaker 1: And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching
[1:00] Speaker 1: in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom,
[1:04] Speaker 1: and healing every disease and affliction. When he saw the crowds,
[1:07] Speaker 1: he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless,
[1:11] Speaker 1: like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples,
[1:15] Speaker 1: The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore
[1:19] Speaker 1: pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send
[1:22] Speaker 1: out laborers into his harvest. Matthew 9, 35-38 I rarely
[1:29] Speaker 1: make it to church, and when I do, my newborn
[1:32] Speaker 1: has a blowout diaper that leaves us both covered in poop.
[1:36] Speaker 1: Such was my church experience last weekend. This might cast
[1:40] Speaker 1: doubt on the genuineness of my faith. How can I
[1:43] Speaker 1: be an active, faith-filled believer and neglect church? It's not neglect, though.
[1:51] Speaker 1: It's a hard reality that my husband travels for work
[1:54] Speaker 1: so I'm often at home, caring for our toddler and
[1:56] Speaker 1: newborn by myself. It's the undeniable fact that getting to church,
[2:01] Speaker 1: forget getting there on time, is an Olympic sport. It's
[2:06] Speaker 1: packing diaper bags, brushing a three-year-old boy's teeth, dressing the
[2:10] Speaker 1: baby in little overalls, making breakfast the toddler won't eat,
[2:13] Speaker 1: nursing the baby, fighting the toddler to put on a
[2:16] Speaker 1: nice outfit, and changing the newborn's overalls because he peed
[2:19] Speaker 1: through his diaper and outfit. It's forgetting that I haven't
[2:22] Speaker 1: put on deodorant, realizing I don't have time to fix
[2:25] Speaker 1: my hair, and buckling kiddos into car seats. It's a
[2:29] Speaker 1: toddler's demands for smoothie bites in the car and the
[2:31] Speaker 1: newborn wailing because he hates being strapped into his car seat.
[2:35] Speaker 1: It's pulling into the parking lot 15 minutes late, realizing
[2:38] Speaker 1: I don't have my Bible and my toddler doesn't have
[2:41] Speaker 1: shoes on. It's a lot. Don't get me wrong, it's
[2:45] Speaker 1: a beautiful bussing, to have a hardworking husband whose job
[2:49] Speaker 1: provides for our family, granting me the opportunity to stay
[2:52] Speaker 1: with my boys 24-7. I get to be at home
[2:55] Speaker 1: with them in these early, precious, vulnerable years. But it's hard,
[3:01] Speaker 1: and some blessings require my personal sacrifice for me to
[3:03] Speaker 1: recognize their value. One such sacrifice in this season of
[3:08] Speaker 1: motherhood is accepting that when I do manage to get
[3:11] Speaker 1: to church with both boys, all by myself, I'll likely
[3:15] Speaker 1: spend most of my time sitting in the nursery, The
[3:17] Speaker 1: newborn will have a diaper to change.
[3:20] Speaker 2: The toddler will squirm in the pew.
[3:21] Speaker 1: The newborn will need to be nursed. The toddler won't
[3:24] Speaker 1: stay in his little class. Needless to say, my labor
[3:28] Speaker 1: in the faith is always outside the church walls. I
[3:32] Speaker 1: can't play the piano for the worship band these days.
[3:35] Speaker 1: I can't greet guests or pass out sermon guides, but
[3:38] Speaker 1: I can raise up the next generation of believers. I
[3:43] Speaker 1: can cultivate seeds of faith in two delicate little souls.
[3:48] Speaker 1: I can guide little hearts to do kind things and
[3:51] Speaker 1: teach little hands caked in dirt or covered in finger
[3:54] Speaker 1: paint to change the world for God's goodness and glory.
[3:59] Speaker 1: My kitchen is my prayer room, the sink washing dishes
[4:03] Speaker 1: where I spill my soul. The living room is my
[4:07] Speaker 1: sanctuary where our toddler demands to watch What a Mighty
[4:11] Speaker 1: God We Serve on YouTube. It's where we watch church
[4:15] Speaker 1: online most Sundays. as I explained to our toddler for
[4:18] Speaker 1: the millionth time, that Pastor Bob is not Jesus, he's
[4:22] Speaker 1: just one of his special messengers. The park, library, and
[4:26] Speaker 1: splash pad are bits of local holy ground where I
[4:30] Speaker 1: take my boys, James and John, to explore the world
[4:33] Speaker 1: and meet others made in God's image. James and John,
[4:38] Speaker 1: my husband and I named them after the disciples who
[4:41] Speaker 1: were biological brothers, the sons of thunder with deep intention.
[4:46] Speaker 1: And it's our great desire that they too pursue Jesus
[4:49] Speaker 1: radically and change the world for the gospel. Though I've
[4:53] Speaker 1: told God that I prefer my babies not be martyred
[4:57] Speaker 1: or banished to a deserted island. My labor in the
[5:01] Speaker 1: faith is me humbly begging God to raise James and
[5:05] Speaker 1: John through an empty version of me that's filled with
[5:09] Speaker 1: nothing but His mercy and grace. My labor in the
[5:13] Speaker 1: faith is realizing that my labor isn't what's changing the world.
[5:19] Speaker 1: It's His. Let's pray. Lord, I can't thank You enough
[5:25] Speaker 1: for the honor of laboring for Your kingdom. Thank You
[5:28] Speaker 1: that I get to witness Your goodness and teach it
[5:30] Speaker 1: to hearts outside the church walls. Your love, hope, and
[5:35] Speaker 1: joy are ours to access no matter where we are.
[5:38] Speaker 1: And it's our calling to share such gifts wherever we go.
[5:43] Speaker 1: Let us remember this in the routine places we inhabit
[5:47] Speaker 1: and the extraordinary places where big adventures take us. Let
[5:51] Speaker 1: us follow you with boldness and enthusiasm. Let us labor
[5:56] Speaker 1: with humility and intentionality. We love and praise you, Lord.
[6:02] Speaker 1: In your holy name we pray.
[6:04] Speaker 2: Amen.
[6:16] Speaker 1: Your daily prayer is a production of Life Audio and
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