Step 11... Pray For Missionaries
The Apostle Paul was a missionary and he encouraged people to prevailin prayer for him and the ministry committed to him.
"Brethren pray for us that the word of God may have free course and be glorified." 2 Thess. 3:1
Beware lest we become weak prayers who only ask God to "bless themissionaries." We are to prevail in prayer. That means we must holdthe ropes for them as they enter Satan's territory. We are to liftthem up continually before our Father in heaven. To do so mosteffectively we must make it our business to know missionaries by nameand by face. Here are some of the things we should be praying for...
- Souls to be saved
- Strength
- Wisdom
- Language ability
- Health
- Safety in danger
- Finances
- Satanic Attacks
- Temptations
- Family unity
- Discouragements
- Loneliness
- Separation from children
- Children in MK schools
- Visas to be granted
- Spiritual life
- Supplies and equipment
- Furloughing missionaries
- Preaching ability
- Training of nationals
Not only should we pray for missionaries, but we should be praying forthe people to whom they are sent. We should pray for the souls ofpeople of many nations. A.B. Simpson often prayed with his armswrapped around the globe, weeping for lost tribes of men and women.Pray for unreached people groups of the world. Pray for resistantpeoples. Pray for whole countries. Pray for far off forgotten places.
"Other sheep I have that are not of this fold, them also I must bring." John 10:16
In prayer we are not limited by time, space, distance, or language. Wecan go anywhere on the globe in intercessory prayer and know that itis as effective as going there in person.
Become a world Christian. Catch a vision of the world. Adopt amission field as your own, adopt a missionary family, adopt anunreached people group, a tribe, or a country to pray them to Christ.
Study that country. Write to a missionary there. Learn some of theirlanguage, their hardships, their resistance to the Gospel.
HELPFUL HINTS:
"Lift up your eyes unto the fields for they are ripe already to harvest." John 4:35
- Spread a world map before you on the floor or table as you pray.
- Place your finger on a particular country as you pray.
- Hold a globe in your arms and pray for nations.
- Use a bulletin board display of missionary pictures as you pray.
- Keep informed on a country by newspaper and magazine articles
- Compile a photo album of missionaries.
- Write your missionary after you have carried a particular burden.
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