TL;DR:
Effective missionary work depends as much on intercessors at home as on workers in the field. This page offers practical ways to pray meaningfully for missionaries and global evangelism. Use the acrostic of BLESS to pray for a missionary's Body, Labor, Emotions, Social, and Spiritual well-being. Isolation, overload, and hostility can lead to burnout among missionaries. Pray for their emotional renewal, companionship, and encouragement through God’s Word.
"Praying Hands" design by Albrecht Dürer on a 1955 French surchange postage stamp |
(Image source)
Your prayers can impact the fruitfulness of missionaries worldwide.
Five fingers, five reminders: Use your fingers to remember and pray for different aspects of the ministry of missionaries.
We can pray for missionaries in the areas of: health, guidance, teamwork, social relationships, spiritual growth, physical safety, and emotional strength to overcome loneliness and temptation.
"The man or woman at home who prays often has as much to do with the effectiveness of the missionary on the field, and consequently, with the results of his or her labors, as the missionary." -- R. A. Torrey
How to pray for missionaries — Prayer and world missions
"Pray for us." -- Hebrews 13:18
Making your "concerts of prayer" fruitful: Praying for world evangelism's front-line workers
Want to know how to pray for those working to fulfill Jesus' Great Commission among those yet unreached?
Use your fingers as memory aids when you pray for missions. Here's how your five fingers can be prayer reminders:
Thumb Since your thumb is nearest to you, begin by praying for the missionaries you feel closest to. They are the easiest ones to remember. C.S. Lewis said praying for those we love is a "sweet duty."
Index or pointing finder Let your "pointing finger" remind you to pray for missionaries who teach, instruct, and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and evangelists. They need support and wisdom to point others in the right direction.
Middle finger Our tallest finger reminds us of church leaders. We can never pray too much for them. Pray
for those who supervise global missionary outreach.
Ring finger As any piano teacher will testify, the ring finger is our weakest finger. This weaker finger reminds us to pray for missionaries who are discouraged, in pain, or going through troubled times. [ read more ]
Little finger Our little finger is the smallest finger. That is where we should place our individual wants and desires in relation to world evangelism needs. Let your pinkie remind you to pray for the people of the world who have the greatest need to find Jesus.
--Author unknown
contributed by Bev Borbe, former general president of Nazarene Missions International
Intercessory prayer support is a key thing that believers in local churches can do to support world evangelism. "The history of revival shows plainly that all movements of the Spirit have started in prayer," wrote missionary Jonathan Goforth, By My Spirit, p. 181.
Seven things all missionaries need . . . and for which people neglect to pray:
Victory over mental stagnation
Freshness in prayer and in Bible teaching
Guidance in how to present the Gospel
Deliverance from the temptation to pride
Wisdom in relationships with other missionaries
Strength to overcome temptations brought on by loneliness
Adapted from WorldTeam's brochure, "Praying for missionaries."
From a missionary: Specifics to pray for
When traveling . . .
That missionaries will pass effortlessly through customs and immigration lines as they enter and leave countries
That the planes on which missionaries travel will not encounter mechanical problems or trouble from terrorists
That traveling missionaries will make all their transportation connections
Health and safety objectives
Protection from accidents, crime, natural disasters, terrorists, and dangerous animals
Protection from debilitating sickness
That missionaries will find time for proper sleep, rest, and exercise
That missionaries' food and water needs will be met
Spiritual watch-care objectives
Times of intimacy with Jesus for missionaries as they read the Bible, pray, and participate in worship
Shielding for missionaries from dark forces in the spiritual dimension
Preservation for missionaries from discouragement, fear, and doubt
That missionaries will demonstrate purity, wisdom, humility, boldness, patience, love for people, a teachable spirit, and the power of the Holy Spirit
Teamwork objectives
That teams of missionaries will experience and express unity, love, good
communication, patience, and spiritual gifts [ more on conflict
management ]
For the ability to resist temptations toward jealousy, envy, bitterness, and pride
Grace for cultural adjustments, dealing with jet lag, being
away from family and friends, and a perceived lack of privacy. [ more on
culture shock ]
Wisdom to design and implement efforts that will make a long-term difference . . . and that they will be able to establish and maintain solid friendships with government officials and other leaders in their place of service.
Bible verses to meditate on at prayer time
Exodus 4:12; 33:14
Psalms 4:8, 19:14, 121:1-8
Isaiah 40:29-31; 55:10-11
Zechariah 4:6
Acts 1:8, 4:29,30
Ephesians 3:16-20; 6:10-20
Portions adapted from an article by Gail Seiver in World Christian, Vol. 14, Number 4.
BLESS -- an acrostic to guide your prayer for a missionary or a people group
B -- Body
Prayer for physical health.
L - Labor.
Prayer for their ministry work.
E - Emotions.
Prayer for emotional health and well-being of the missionary or people group.
S - Social.
Prayer for their social relationships, their families, and extended families. Pray that God will keep marriages together.
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will answer their prayers and heal their land." --2 Chronicles 7:14
People everywhere are invited to join the 714 Club. The Club takes its name
from 2 Chronicles 7:14. There are no meetings to attend and no dues to pay. There's only
one rule: Club members agree to pray for Africa each day at 7:14 in the morning and again at 7:14 in the evening.
What should you pray for?
Pray for the Africa Region Church of the Nazarene as it evangelizes that great continent, preaching and teaching scriptural holiness so that new Christians will be discipled.
Pray that God will give a vision for directions to be taken in the future.
Pray that God will give boldness and foresight to field strategy coordinators.
Pray for missionaries as they carry out their specific ministries.
Pray for the district superintendents across the African continent.
Pray for the Bible college leaders, faculty, and other educational staff as they train men and women for ministry.
Pray that God will give each pastor, missionary, and layperson across the Africa region
strength and power to carry out the ministries in which He is calling churches to engage.
— a plea by J. Fred Huff, known in Africa as
Dumisani Ndhlovu (the elephant that praises God), former Nazarene regional director for Africa,
a region where the Church of the Nazarene is now present in every country and also has
ministries within several of the cultural groups that missiologists consider to be unreached
because of the small percentage of Christians within them.
For more on why we should pray for missions, go to the listing of Bible passages that illustrate how important world evangelism is to God
When cross-cultural missionaries become discouraged
What causes missionaries to feel discouragement?
Overload. Tension. Loneliness. Harassment.
"'I have had enough, Lord,' [Elijah] said, "I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." -- 1 Kings 19:4, 10
A missionary can be tempted to feel defeated because of one or more of the following situations:
Working among an apparently unresponsive or even hostile people group
Work overload due to unrealistic expectations and/or a shortage of personnel
Ministry requiring frequent trips away from spouse and family
For married missionaries: Tension between the demands of "the work" and family needs
For single workers: loneliness
Having to use an unfamiliar language to solve problems and counsel people
Limited fellowship with others of like mind
Harassment by local government officials
Discouraged missionaries are very vulnerable to temptation. Discouragement is a reason missionaries drop out and return home from assignments. Successful coping with
discouraging times can lower the missionary attrition or drop-out rate.
"I lie in the dust, completely discouraged; revive me by your word." --Psalm 119:25, The New Living Translation
Adapted from "20 Points on Praying for Missionaries" by WEC International
"I may not end up being a goer, but I can still play a role in reaching the world for Christ by being a sender." -- Heather H., Nazarene Bible College student
Afterword: What to Pray For
Our prayers for cross-cultural Christian missionaries help them fulfill their divine call. Ptayers help birth church-planting movements "where the church is not yet." Here are ten suggestions to help you pray meaningfully for missionaries:
Pray for physical safety and protection from harm for missionaries as they deal with unfamiliar and possibly risky situations.
Pray for missionaries' health and well-being. Ask that their strength and stamina be continually renewed.
Ask for God to give wisdom and understanding to missionaries so they can respect the cultural norms and values of the people they serve. Pray that they will communicate the gospel in a culturally sensitive and relevant way.
Missionaries are often sent to places where they must learn a new language. Pray for their language acquisition process so that they may be able to communicate clearly with people.
Pray for spiritual strength and resilience for the missionaries. Living and ministering cross-culturally can be emotionally and spiritually challenging. Pray that the Holy Spirit will refresh missionaries.
Pray that the missionaries can build trust and rapport through relationships they develop with local people.
Pray for the impact of their work. Pray that hearts will be opened to receive the message of Christ and that people will be transformed.
Pray for unity and harmony among missionary teams, as well as with local churches and organizations with whom they collaborate. Pray also for financial provision and support.
Missionary work can be challenging and discouraging. Pray for perseverance and endurance.
Pray that missionaries will sense God's guidance and direction in all aspects of their life and ministry. Pray that they may be truly led by the Holy Spirit.
"Praying Hands" design by Albrecht Dürer on a 1955 French surchange postage stamp |
(Image source)
