More often than not, we spend so much of our time in prayer asking God for the things that we need. There's nothing wrong with that and the Bible does teach us to pray for our daily bread and for protection from evil, but the Bible also calls us to extend love to others by praying for them.
We all know that we are called to pray for others- for our family, our church, our co-workers and for the lost, but when was the last time you prayed for missionaries? I have to admit that I easily forget to pray for our brothers and sisters who leave comfort zones and trust God by obeying the call to travel overseas to preach the Gospel.
And the truth is this- that our missionaries need our prayers more than they need anything else. Sure they need visa approvals, they need finances and they need protection, but all of these things are nothing compared to their need for spiritual covering. Here are four things to pray for missionaries today.
Power. Preaching the Gospel is a power profession as the Bible tells us in Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Apart from the power of the Holy Spirit, our missionaries cannot do their jobs, and so we are called to pray for and with them for the power of God to move through them.
Provision. Most missionaries live off monthly support, which can be very inconsistent and practically unreliable, but they serve the same God that provides for those that get monthly pay checks. Also, take the time to pray for those who partner with missionaries that God will bless them with a new level of finances and a higher desire to be generous.
Providence. God's sovereignty must be declared to the nations, and for this to happen we must declare God's sovereignty over the lives of missionaries. Things will get hard for them and their situation could go south on them anytime, but as long as God is in control our missionaries are in good hands.
Protection. Many missionaries put their lives in danger by entering closed nations where Christianity is banned and forbidden. Punishments can be as severe as deportation, imprisonment or even execution. If not exposed to the dangers of political and cultural forces, they are exposed to ridicule and rejection. We as the body of Christ must take action and pray for protection from the forces of nature, the forces of foreign governments and the forces of darkness.
