God’s work moves forward as we pray. Throughout the ages, God’s servants have recognized the power of prayer. Guy H. King said, “No one is a firmer believer in the power of prayer than the devil; not that he practices it, but he suffers from it.”
F.B. Meyer, the great preacher of Leicester, England, said, “The greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer.”
Oswald Chambers said, “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.”
Most churches that support missionaries have printed prayer lists. Most Christians understand that missionaries need intercession. The question is “Are we praying effectively for our missionaries and do we really understand HOW we should pray for them?” On the next page are some suggested ways to remember your missionaries when you pray:
1. Pray that the missionaries will actually reach the field of their calling. Missionaries must raise their support in order to finance their missionary enterprise. This entails many months of traveling, speaking in churches, and presenting their ministry. They must make hundreds of contacts with potential supporters. Some candidates fail to ever leave for the field because they are beset by discouragements and trials on deputation. Deputation is a great step of faith. We must pray for new candidates as they embark on their pre-field ministry.
2. Pray that the missionaries will be able to adapt to the foreign culture of their field.
- Most missionaries must adapt to a different climate. In Alaska, they must cope with freez- ing cold weather, while in Australia and Afr- ica, they encounter heat. Like it or not, we humans are creatures of climate.
- Missionaries must adapt to different cultures and customs. In Mexico and Spain, every- thing closes down for the afternoon siesta. In New Guinea, the people speak in “pigeon English.” In Central America and the Philip- pines, the population is open to the Gospel and responsive. In Europe, people are re- served and hardened to religion. In Muslim lands, missionaries find the population an- tagonistic. In other countries, the people are anti-American’ while yet in others there is a love for Americans.
- The missionary must adapt to the different cuisine. All missionaries have stories of “bad” things they have had to eat because they did not want to offend the people.
3. Pray that the missionary will be able to learn the language of their field of calling. This is a major prayer request. Some languages are extremely difficult. The missionary must learn the local language in order to truly understand the thinking of the local people. Some missionaries become discouraged. Pray for them and write and encourage them.
4. Pray that the missionary and family will adjust. Sometimes the missionary must live thousands of miles from parents, from home, and from familiar places. They face loneliness. Grandchildren miss grandparents and friends. Loneliness is a powerful emotion. In time, missionaries must leave their grown children in America for college and return to the field without them. One missionary son said goodbye to his parents, and as they returned, he stayed in the car at the airport all night weeping. Pray for adjustment. Missionary children have lived their developing years on the mission field. While they do not belong there, they neither feel totally adapted back in America.
5. Pray for the health and safety of the missionary and family. In many lands, the missionaries do not have adequate medical facilities. They face malaria, typhoid fever, and other diseases. They face physical dangers from robbers, revolutions, and hostile environments.
6. Pray for the spiritual lives of the missionaries. When the missionaries arrive on the field they will often not have the support of Christian friends and a church family. The spiritual oppression on most mission fields can be draining and overwhelming.
7. Pray definite prayers for definite needs and particular people. Those who support missionaries should know how to pray for them. Charles Spurgeon said, “There is a general kind of praying which fails for lack of precision. It is as if a regiment of soldiers should all fire off their guns anywhere. Possibly somebody would be killed, but the majority of the enemy would be missed.” Forget “bless all the missionaries” and pray such prayers as the following:
- John and Betty in China and their need of lodging.
- Bill and Jane in Africa that they will be safe from the rebels.
- Bob and Jennifer in Russia that they will be able to renew their visas.
- Jim and Gloria in England that their support needs will be met because of the drastic fall of the dollar.
- The Smiths’ daughter as she returns from South America for college that she will make friends and overcome homesickness.
