Praying hands for world missions

Your prayers at home can impact the effectiveness of missionaries worldwide in their work of fulfilling the Great Commission.
Five fingers, five reminders: Use your fingers to remember and pray for missionaries in different situations.
Missionaries have seven crucial needs: health, guidance, teamwork, social relationships, spiritual growth, safety, and 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" effective: 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?

drawing of a hand with fingers outstretched

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 and direct 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 of the digits on our hands, which is where we should place our individual wants and desires in relation to world evangelism needs. The Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you." Let your pinkie remind you to pray for the people of the world who have the greatest need to find Jesus. Pray that they will open their eyes and see Him.

--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. "All movements of the Spirit in China, within our experience, may be traced to prayer," said Jonathan Goforth, missionary

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
A saving sense of humor [ read more ]

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 spiritual realms
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 effective 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 acronym 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.
S - Spiritual.: Prayer for their spiritual health.

contributed by CMA missionary Lisa Miriam Rohrick

Will you join the 714 Club? -- an invitation

"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 discernment 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
The need to solve problems and counsel people using an unfamiliar language
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

-- Howard Culbertson,

"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

Praying for cross-cultural Christian missionaries is essential if they are to fulfill their divine call and help birth thriving church-planting movements "where the church is not yet." Here is a comprehensive list of suggestions to help you pray meaningfully for missionaries:

Protection and Safety: Pray for physical safety and protection from harm for missionaries as they navigate unfamiliar and potentially risky situations.
Health and Well-being: Pray for missionaries' health and well-being. Ask that their strength and stamina be continually renewed.
Cultural Sensitivity: Ask for God to give wisdom and discernment to missionaries so they can understand and 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.
Language Acquisition: Missionaries are often deployed in 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.
Spiritual Strength: 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.
Relationships: Pray that the missionaries can build trust and rapport through relationships they develop with local people.
Impact and Fruitfulness: 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.
Unity and Support: 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.
Perseverance: Missionary work can be challenging and discouraging. Pray for perseverance and endurance.
Divine Guidance: 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.