31
Greatest Prayer Needs for Missionaries
Missionaries need prayer more than anything
else. But effective praying must address the core issues of
spiritual battle and the struggles of daily life and
ministry. The following 31 requests can be used as a monthly
prayer guide or as a prayer prompter for those times when
you want to pray specifically but are unaware of the
missionary's particular needs.
"I do not cease to give thanks for you,
remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of
wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him."
Ephesians 1:16-17
1. An ever-increasing understanding of the
character of God and an ever-deepening love for Him.
2. A daily experience of the fullness and
power of the Holy Spirit for their life and ministry.
3. Self discipline to spend quality time in
daily Bible reading and prayer, with uplifting times of
worship even if they lack the opportunity to participate in
meaningful corporate worship services.
4. The manifestation of the fruits of the
Spirit in all their thinking, speaking and doing.
5. A constant "weaning" from this
world and its value system, living only for that which will
last for eternity.
6. The keeping of short accounts with the
Lord, their family, their co-workers and others, that there
would be no unresolved conflicts, harbored bitterness or
other unconfessed sin.
7. For unwavering moral purity, despite
submersion in immoral societies, extended travel alone, and
Satan's efforts to compromise their integrity.
8. An increasing understanding and exercise
of the gifts God's Spirit has given them.
9. Regular accountability with their spouse
and/or other individuals who will help them assess their
spiritual growth and faithfulness.
10. Good health and wise stewardship of
their physical body, including discipline in the areas of
diet, exercise and sleep.
11. For couples-healthy, growing marriages
characterized by intentional communication and mutual love
and submission.
12. For singles-companionship and good
integration with other single and married co-workers.
13. For parents-time and skills to be good
parents, and the ability to communicate and model love and
truth to each child.
14. For missionary children-physical and
moral protection, spiritual regeneration, ability to make
right choices based on biblical principles, and enthusiastic
ownership of their parents' calling and ministry.
15. Wisdom in dealing with the needs of
aging parents.
16. Good stewardship and management of the
time and money God has entrusted to them.
17. Holy boldness and effectiveness in
sharing the gospel in a wide variety of contexts. For those
in support roles-insight into opportunities to share their
faith, even if their primary responsibility is not
evangelism.
18. Dedication to life-long improvement of
their fluency in the language(s) of the people to whom they
minister.
19. Diligence in continuing to work at
understanding and adapting to the culture in which they
work.
20. The ability to objectively assess and
reassess their priorities, demonstrating flexibility and
willingness to change for the improvement of ministry.
21. Love toward fellow workers despite
differences in background, viewpoint, and giftedness, and
daily demonstrations of Christian unity, even at the cost of
personal "rights" and preferences.
22. Growing faith and the ability to believe God for greater
things in their own life and in ministry-even in times of
discouragement and seeming defeat.
23. The provision of their financial
support.
24. The ability to communicate clearly the
joys and difficulties of their ministry to their supporters
to involve them more actively in the ministry.
25. Effective discipleship of new believers,
both in formal study and informal mentoring situations.
26. The conversion or discovery of key
believers who can be catalysts and leaders around whom an
effective ministry can be built.
27. The wisdom to know when to entrust local
believers with spiritual responsibility and leadership and
the grace to allow them to make mistakes.
28. Favor in the eyes of the government
under which they live and work and wisdom to know how to
relate to civil officials.
29. An attitude of humility and servanthood
in working with and under national Christian leaders and
national churches.
30. A spirit of cooperation with other
evangelical missionaries and church groups, and the
development of creative approaches to utilizing all
available resources in order to more effectively reach
people for Christ.
31. An open, mutually supportive
relationship with the leaders of their sending organization
and churches.
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