Matthew 9:38

Pray ye therefore. Their prayer to the Lord of the harvest does not imply that He was unconcerned or unaware of the need of more laborers. The Twelve were to make this need the object of prayer in order that thus the Lord of the harvest might have an opportunity to bring to their own hearts conviction of their personal responsibility to meet that need.

For the most part prayer is designed, not to inform God of what He would otherwise not know or to prevail upon Him to do what He would otherwise not do, but to condition our own hearts and minds to cooperate with Him. No doubt Christ led the disciples in a season of prayer, in which this urgent need, now felt keenly by all members of the little group, was made foremost. They were to pray, and then go forth in faith to cooperate with God in answering their own prayers (see on ch. 10:10).

Send forth. Here is expressed the urgency with which it was anticipated the “Lord of the harvest” would send forth laborers found willing to go.