Vietnam Evangelical Covenant Church – Before we travel, we usually pray for God’s protection and blessing on our time away. It would be good to pray in the same way for missionaries’ trips, whether long-term or short-term.
All mission work begins with and is sustained by prayer. Whether you go or stay home, you can play a vital part by praying for missions. The ten prayers below will help you know what to ask for. Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB).
We often assume the pastor is the one who prays a blessing over missionaries, while the rest of us have the privilege of supporting them financially or materially. But we too can become prayer warriors on their behalf. If you want to pray but don’t know where to start, here are 10 suggested prayers for missionaries.
10 Prayers for Missions
1. Pray for missionaries’ families
Many men and women have chosen to leave their families, sometimes for long periods, to go into the mission field. Ask God to provide for their families back home while their loved ones are away. Others take their young families with them, leaving relatives and close friends behind to serve in an unfamiliar land. Pray that their family relationships stay strong, especially as they adjust to a new place with a different culture, climate and way of life. You might pray:
Lord, wherever our missionaries serve You, keep their family relationships strong. Remind them, even in their busiest moments, that they are very special. Protect and provide for their families back home as they look forward to seeing their loved ones again. Help them remember one another in prayer, for I know You always hear when we call. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
2. Pray for missionaries’ health
Health is always a top concern for missionaries, because the places they go may expose them to illness or infectious disease, which can keep them from fulfilling their ministry. Ask God to protect them from sickness. Here is a prayer you can use:
Lord, I pray for the health of Your servants. Remind them of Your promise: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, ‘You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly plague. He will cover you with His feathers; under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the calamity that destroys at noon” (Psalm 91:1–6). Lord, You are the Great Physician, and I entrust these missionaries’ health into Your hands. Amen.
3. Pray for missionaries’ personal time with God
Every Christian needs private time with God and daily meditation on His Word. So pray this for missionaries too:
Lord, give my dear brothers and sisters private time with You. Grant them quiet moments each day to meditate on Your Word, so that their relationship with You grows deeper. Father, help them hide Your Word in their hearts, and let Your Spirit bring it to mind when they need it. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
4. Pray for missionaries’ financial needs
One concern missionaries carry is financial support. They need funds not only for living expenses but also for their ministry. So praying about finances is an essential prayer for missionaries. We can pray in the spirit of Paul’s teaching to the Corinthian church (2 Corinthians 9:5–7):
Father, make me part of Your plan through financial giving. Help me give generously and cheerfully. Move the hearts of many to give to mission work. Lord, I know that everything we have comes from You, and I trust in Your provision as we devote ourselves to You. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
5. Pray for missionaries’ ministry relationships
When serving in a new environment, relationships with coworkers are an important matter for prayer. Philippians 2:2–5 gives us a wonderful prayer:
Father, I pray that my dear brothers and sisters will be like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose, making Your joy complete. Do not let them do anything out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility count others more significant than themselves. Let each of them look not only to their own interests but also to the interests of others. May they have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
6. Pray for missionaries’ words
A missionary’s task is to share the gospel message as clearly as possible with everyone. Paul asked the church to pray that he could proclaim Christ clearly, so we can pray for our missionaries as in Colossians:
Lord, I pray that Your messengers will be guided by the Spirit with words of wisdom, so they can share about Jesus, the Savior of the world who gave His precious life to atone for humanity. May people come to know Jesus, who conquered death and rose on the third day according to the Scriptures. I long for many souls to be forgiven and many lives transformed in the truth. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
7. Pray that missionaries won’t feel lonely
Being far from home and living in an unfamiliar place easily brings loneliness. So pray that missionaries won’t feel empty when they miss their loved ones. Send your prayers to our heavenly Father, that He would remind our dear brothers and sisters that they are not alone, because He is always with them.
“Truly, truly, I tell you, you will weep and wail while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman has pain in childbirth because her time has come; but when her child is born, she forgets her anguish because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy” (John 16:20–22).
8. Pray that missionaries get rest
Mission work is extremely busy; missionaries may work from early morning until late at night. They often sleep very little, or not at all, because of ministry concerns. So don’t forget to pray that God gives them time to rest.
Father, You know how hard Your servants have worked. Help them arrange their work so they have time to rest, because their bodies need it. Remind them that God Himself modeled rest when He created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Restore their strength so they can keep serving You. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
9. Pray for protection from the devil’s schemes
Missionaries are a top concern of the enemy. He may use anything to create obstacles and make them retreat from sharing the gospel. So pray that your missionaries put on the full armor of God for protection in spiritual battle. You can pray from Ephesians 6:10–17:
Father, make my brothers and sisters strong in You and in Your mighty power. May they put on the full armor of God so they can stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this world’s darkness, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Equip them with Your armor so they can stand firm in the day of evil. Father, fasten the belt of truth around their waist and the breastplate of righteousness on them. Fit their feet with the readiness of the gospel of peace, and give them the shield of faith to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Let them take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. I pray for Your servants in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
10. Pray that God will use you
Don’t forget to pray that God will use us according to His will. Ask Him to open our hearts to hear His call, because we may well be the next person He wants to send into the mission field. We don’t need to worry whether we can do what God asks, because God may not call the equipped, but He equips the called. He will lift us on His wings so we can do it. We can pray like Mary of Nazareth, the Lord’s humble servant, who submitted to God’s will and let Him use her for His great plan.
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For He has looked with favor on the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me. Holy is His name. His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as He promised our fathers” (Luke 1:46–55).
A Heartfelt Note From a Missionary Wife
Our family has served in missions for 12 years, and prayer has accompanied us the whole way, including now as we serve in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We trust the Lord, Jehovah Jireh, who always provides for our needs as we live far from home and walk by faith.
Won’t you pray for your missionaries right now? They will be blessed by your prayers, and you will be blessed knowing that God loves to hear His beloved children intercede for one another.
Partnering Through Prayer
Paul often asked the churches to pray that God would “open a door for the word.” Praying for missions is how every believer takes part in the Lord’s harvest.
Choose one missionary or mission team your church supports and commit to praying for them every week. If you can, send them a note to let them know you are praying.
You may also like: What Does Evangelism Cost? and 8 Ways to Keep Your Passion for Missions After a Short-Term Trip.
Prayer
Lord of the harvest, send more workers into Your harvest field. Protect, strengthen and give wisdom to those serving in missions, open the hearts of those who hear the gospel, and use us to pray for mission work. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Article: Thùy Hương
Adapted from: WhatChristiansWantToKnow.com
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