“In no other way can the believer become as fully involved with God’s work, especially the work of world evangelism, as in intercessory prayer.” – Dick Eastman.
“I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach.” – Charles Spurgeon
What a joy and privilege it is that we as believers have the ability and access to our God – to call upon Him at any time, to be in communion and conversation with Him! He delights in the prayers of the upright (Prov 15:8 NKJV). Time and time again, the Scriptures instruct us to approach the Lord in prayer, to draw near to Him (Ps 73:28), making our requests with thanksgiving (Phil 4:6).
It is good and right to pray on behalf of ourselves, but it is arguably even better to pray for others.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” – James 5:16
With regards to missions, Paul is an excellent example. He is often referred to as the prototypical Christian missionary due to his efforts in bringing the gospel to the Gentiles and establishing and strengthening churches all across the known world. In many of his letters to these churches, he requests that they pray for him. Paul himself was a man of fervent prayer (Eph 1:16), but he always coveted the prayers of others for himself and his ministry. He closes his letter to the Colossians with this exhortation:
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.” – Col 4:2-4
Paul desired prayer specifically for his evangelistic ministry, that God would open doors to preach the gospel, and that he would do so clearly when those opportunities arose. Missionaries today are in need of prayer just as much as Paul was. But I wonder, are we praying as much as we could? Are we praying as effectively as we could? Missionaries are often out of sight and out of mind. It can be easy to forget and neglect to intercede for them regularly. They are also doing unique work in unique circumstances that are foreign to us, so we may not know how best to pray for them. The following few points are intended to help guide your prayers. Many of them are similar to what “regular” people face, though the details are unique to missionaries.
- Spiritual Health and Protection. Missionaries can get tired, frustrated, and discouraged. Pray that they would stand strong in the Lord and daily draw near to Him. Pray that their love for God and love for the people they are trying to reach would not grow cold. Pray for protection against the devil’s lies, for resistance against all kinds of temptation. Pray that they would take the time to “be still and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10).
- Singles are a great boon in missions, as they can devote all their time and focus to their ministry to the people around them (1 Cor 7:32). Yet the loneliness and distance from family that all missionaries face is exacerbated 10-fold for singles. Pray for strength – for them to hold fast to their calling both as a missionary and as a single (for the time that may be the case). Pray for them to have great contentment in the Lord. Pray for a strong community around them. When I was single missionary, being ‘adopted’ by one or two families in the team was a blessing beyond measure.
- Marriages and Families. Pray for marriages to be strong and unified. For spouses to love one another well. For children to be raised in the knowledge and discipline of the Lord (Eph 6:4). Pray against workaholism, and for missionaries to find the balance of caring for their families amidst the never-ending demands of ministry. Pray for children who often have disrupted schooling and find themselves growing up caught between two cultures.
- Cross-cultural living. There are many demands and stresses here, which vary greatly depending on location. Daily living can be extremely stressful, with unreliable power and running water. Difficulty managing traffic and public transport. Simple administrative tasks that take days and multiple visits to government offices to complete. Visas regularly needing to be renewed, with no guarantee that it will happen. Frequent miscommunications due to language and culture differences.
- The “Four Ds” – some of the most common reasons missionaries leave the field: Disease, Divorce, Division, Depression. Division can often happen due to cultural differences within teams. An Australian working in Africa might have an easy time working with the Africans, because they expect and are prepared for cultural differences. But they clash heavily with their fellow missionaries from America or England, because they don’t expect such differences and are less prepared for them. A disproportionate number of missionaries come home ‘early’ due to difficulties within the team.
- Sending Churches. Pray that their sending churches would partner well, being diligent with pastoral, practical, financial, and prayerful support.
- Sending Agencies. These play a crucial part in preparing, training, equipping, and logistics. Pray for the agencies themselves to do this well, and to have strong partnerships with churches.
- Faithfulness and Fruitfulness. Pray for missionaries to be faithful with their ‘talents’ (Matt 25:14-30). And that they would abide in Christ, bearing fruit in their own lives (John 15:16). Pray too that their ministry would be fruitful, in making and baptising disciples of Christ in all nations (Matt 28:19).
- Re-entry. Pray that missionaries on home assignment or furlough would be received well by their church, friends, and family. That they would rest well, and readjust well to a culture that has become foreign in their time away.
- More Workers. Pray that the Lord would raise up more workers for the harvest. People who, like Jesus, have a passion and compassion for the lost and helpless (Matt 9:35-38). People who are equipped, gifted, and willing to obey the call. Perhaps even people like you?!
- The Lost. Last, but not least, pray for those whom your missionaries are praying for. Pray for the people they are working with. Pray for their ministry to bear fruit, for the countless perishing to come to know and love Jesus Christ and be saved.
This post is intended as an introduction to some of the most common missionary prayer needs, but is by necessity somewhat generic. These can inform many of your prayers, but another great step is to ‘adopt’ a missionary (or 10!). Add them to your prayer list. Sign up to their newsletters, so you can pray for their most present and pressing needs. You can see the missionaries and organisations HBC is currently associated with here. There are many great resources and organisations online too, which can help guide your prayers. Follow JoshuaProject to pray for unreached people groups. Open Doors and Voice of the Martyrs work with persecuted Christians. Many local mission agencies like Pioneers, SIM, MAF, and CMS publish prayer guides or send monthly newsletters to help you pray for their missionaries.
Let us be a praying church, interceding on behalf of those who have answered the call and sacrificed much for the sake of the gospel.
0 Comments