Matthew 9:32-38

Matthew 9:32-38 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I have a laundry list of items that I'd love for God to address in my life.  It can get rather detailed, as I know well the trials and struggles that I find in life.  Some of these prayers are answered, while others go unanswered.  What I can often tend to forget in my prayers is the bigger picture.
  Here, Jesus sees the crowds and has compassion for them -- he knows that the world can be a chaotic place, and while the peace of God can be wonderfully calming to the soul caught up in the turbulent times, there are so many that have not heard the Good News of the Gospel:  that God loves them, that their lives matter on an eternal scale, that Jesus died for them, and that there is a hope for this life and beyond the defeated veil of death.
  I'm often too caught up, too concerned with what's going on in my life that I fail to see the world as God sees it, as a place filled with opportunities to proclaim the Gospel, to share the Good News.  I have tunnel vision to only see what's going on with me, and I miss what God is doing around me.  So my prayer is for God to open my eyes and my heart to truly see the needs of those around me, that I might be a laborer in the fields.