A Missionary’s Prayer (I Will Go and Do)

1. Father, I hear thy call,

I turn my thoughts to thee, forsaking all;
Recalling promises we all must keep.
I put my hand in thine and go to feed thy sheep.
Lead me to those who seek,
and give me faith and strength to boldly speak.
In humble dignity I will proclaim,
that men may come to know and love thy holy name.
If there be trials, Lord, to help me grow,
If thou wilt guide me I will conquer, this I know!
I will go and do the things which the Lord commandeth,
for I know that He giveth no commands to His children,
except He prepare a way, except He prepare a way.

2. Father, I clearly see that ev’ry lasting joy has come from thee.
Help me to serve thee well and thus repay,
Thy loving kindness I receive from day to day.
Knowing that thou art near, and I may seek thy help through daily prayer.
I’ll walk in confidence that I will see thy Spirit touch the lives of seeking men through me.
If there be trials, Lord, to help me grow,
If thou wilt guide me I will conquer, this I know!
I will go and do the things which the Lord commandeth,
for I know that He giveth no commands to His children,
except He prepare a way, except He prepare a way.

Prayer for Missionaries

O almighty God, Lord of the harvest of souls, we ask You to guide and bless all who have gone forth to
preach the gospel. Endow them with the gifts of generosity and concern. Send your Holy Spirit on them,
that He may strengthen them in weakness, comfort them in trials and direct their efforts. May He open
the hearts of their hearers to receive Your message. Let Your revelation enlighten all minds for the
salvation of souls, and let Your love heal every heart and body for the happiness of each person. May all
people consciously acknowledge You and serve You by living the teachings of Your Son. We ask this
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Praying for a Missionary

Prayer can be said to “tip the scales” in the Kingdom of God and the advance of the Gospel. Global
Teams holds prayer to be so vital that we require new missionaries to have a minimum of TEN daily
intercessory prayer partners before they are allowed to leave for the field.

Here is a way to pray meaningfully for your missionaries every day, even when you don't have new
requests. By following this simple plan you can stay alert and keep from falling into a rut, ready for God
to use you as you pray. Remember, it really does make a difference whether you pray or not. God wants
more than just the missionaries' own prayers. Even Paul the Apostle was helped because of the prayers
of many. (2 Cor. 1:11). So keep at it. God will enrich your own life and accomplish great things in answer
to your prayers.

Sunday

Pray that God would make His Word fresh to your missionaries every day. That He would draw them to
prayer and meet them in a special way. Ask the Lord to help them live and serve in the power of the
Holy Spirit, not in their own strength. Pray that they will recognize their own sins and improper attitudes
and confess these to God. They are involved in heavy spiritual warfare. Ask God to help them use the
weapons He provides. They need continually to renew their vision for the work.

Monday

Pray that your missionaries will have the wisdom and emotional strength to do their work well. Ask the
Lord to help them come up with creative ways to meet the challenges of their ministry. They are living
and working in a foreign language and culture. Ask God to grant them patience with themselves and
others, also for a good sense of humor to laugh with others at their mistakes, yet to learn from them.

Tuesday

Pray for loving, supportive family relationships: husband-wife, parent-child, siblings. Ask God to give
them warm, happy experiences. Pray that hardships will pull them together. Pray that single people
would find rewarding friendships and contentment. As your missionaries serve in cross-cultural ministry,
ask God to give them a deep and genuine love for people and wisdom to know how to express it.

Wednesday

Pray that administrators, within the mission organization, as well as in the country of ministry, will make
good decisions, provide wise counsel and be encouraging. Pray for unity and spiritual vitality in the
organization. The field personnel depend on colleagues who serve in the "home office." They are a vital
part of the whole team but their work is often difficult because people do not view them as doing "real"
mission work. Ask God to meet their needs. Pray that all missionaries, wherever they serve, will have a
servant attitude towards fellow workers and the local people.

Thursday

Intercede for good health and for wise decisions concerning treatment of health problems. Pray for
safety in travel and all areas of everyday life. Ask God to protect them. Pray that computers and other
equipment will function well. Some missionaries have financial needs that add stress to their work load.
Pray for adequate prayer and financial support.

Friday
 Missionaries could not serve without faithful friends and churches at home praying for them and
providing necessary funds. Ask God to bless these important partners and to give them great satisfaction
and joy in their role. Pray for strong bonds and mutually helpful relationships between missionaries and
the home team during field time and furloughs. Pray for great understanding of each others roles in the
mission task.

Saturday

Pray the God would prepare the people to receive His Word. Ask Him to raise up spiritual leaders from
among local believers. Pray that new believers will feel responsible to reach out to family, friends,
community, and beyond. Ask the Lord for a deep moving of the Holy Spirit in every community. And do
not forget to pray that God's Good News will reach those who have yet to hear.

Adapted from "Prayer Tools for Far Away Friends" by Wycliffe Bible Translators. Used with permission.

What are some prayers for missionaries?

Our prayers for missionaries should always be that they stand in God's armor and that their service as servants of God be not in their own strength but in the grace and
strength of the LORD. We can pray for the missionary's protection from evil and that their daily needs be provided.

Here are some specific, practical areas of missionaries' lives to pray for:

 Solid family relationships. The tasks of full-time ministry, often in a foreign culture, can cause a strain on the relationships within a family -- husbands and wives,
parents and children. Pray that the Lord would strengthen these family bonds and draw them close together.

 The well-being of family members from whom they are separated. When missionaries leave their homes to serve God on the mission field, extended family remains
behind, and children sometimes leave their parents for schooling. Pray for the health, safety, and encouragement of these family members.

 Strength in the "inner man" (Ephesians 3:16). Loneliness, discouragement, despair -- these struggles occur in the lives of missionaries, and sometimes frequently.
Pray that their hearts are encouraged and strengthened.

 Provision of physical needs. Missionaries depend on others for their financial support, and at times, that can be burdensome. Pray that God would supply their every
need (Philippians 4:19).

 A strong personal walk with God. Pray for daily faithfulness to spend time in God's Word in the midst of ministry busyness. Ask God to protect and strengthen them
spiritually and cause them to grow in their relationships with Him.

 Good physical health. In foreign lands, good health care can be hard to find. Pray for physical strength on a daily basis and long-term good health.

 Strong relationships with co-workers. Sadly, personality conflicts and relationship struggles happen among missionaries as they seek to work together to bring people
to Christ. Pray for unselfishness, kindness, and humility in these cooperative efforts (Philippians 2:3-5).

 Ability to speak accurately. Ask God to cause them to speak with clarity and precision as they declare God's Word (Colossians 4:3-4).

 Opportunities to relax. Servants of God are just like anyone else--they need a break sometimes! Ask God to provide them with recreation and rest.

 Wisdom in all they do. Pray for the wisdom to make good decisions in their personal lives, as well as their ministry lives (James 1:5).

In short, the model prayer that the LORD Jesus taught the disciples in (Matthew 6:9-13 is a good guideline for our prayers for missionaries. However, the key is not so
much what we pray but that we pray and how we pray. In other words, prayers for missionaries should be a part of our personal worship time. Our prayers should be
fervent, and come from a righteous heart that is in full relationship with God (James 5:16).

Effectual prayer is prayer in an attitude of fellowship and agreement with God's will. When we pray "Thy will be done" in specific areas of need, God not only changes
us but He uses our prayers for it is the power behind His armor. "Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in
your prayers for all Christians everywhere" (Ephesians 6:18).
Pray for Open Doors
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that
God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ,
for which I am in chains” (Colossians 4:2–3, NIV).

Open doors can’t be taken for granted. Many missionaries work in countries that are
difficult to access or in areas that are resistant to the gospel. But “open doors” include
more than just access to nations and people groups. Individuals’ hearts also need to be
open and receptive to God’s truth.

 Pray that God will open doors of ministry, blessing partnerships and friendships.
 Pray that those who serve will be led by the Holy Spirit and recognize open-door
opportunities.
 Pray that God will lead His people past barriers to hearts ready to receive His Word.

Pray for Boldness in Witness

“Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I
will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel" (Ephesians 6:19, NIV).

Missionaries are regular people who fear pain and rejection as much as anyone else.
When faced with opposition, they need God’s strength to help them stand firm.

 Pray that missionaries will have boldness to overcome the fear of embarrassment or
failure.
 Pray that the Spirit will provide them with words that communicate effectively in other
cultures and languages.
 Pray against evil forces that would seek to hinder the spread of the gospel.

Pray that God’s Word Will Spread

“Finally, dear brothers and sisters, I ask you to pray for us. Pray first that the Lord’s
message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes.…” (2 Thessalonians 3:1,
NLT)

Obstacles must be removed to allow God’s Word to spread rapidly and freely. Removing
obstacles implies resolute resistance in spiritual warfare. Just as Aaron and Hur
supported Moses’ arms in the battle against the Amalekites (Exodus 17:12), you can
strengthen the arms of missionaries through your prayers. •Pray for strength and
stamina as missionaries encounter antagonistic spiritual forces. (Ephesians 6:10–18)

 Pray that people will resist Satan’s plans to obstruct the spread of the gospel. (James 4:7)
 Pray that God’s Word will indeed spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes.

Pray for Protection

“Pray, too, that we will be saved from wicked and evil people, for not everyone believes
in the Lord” (2 Thessalonians 3:2, NLT).

In some countries, open doors may expose missionaries to the possibility of danger and
personal harm. Opposition to the gospel may include hatred and violence.

 Pray that God will keep Christian workers safe from those who seek to hurt them.
 Pray that God will change the hearts of those who are resistant to His Word.

Pray for Their Ministry

“Pray first that the Lord's message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it
goes...” (2 Thesslaonians 3:1, NLT).

Cooperation and partnership are essential to ministry and vital to the progress of the
work.

 Pray that the missionary’s ministry and attitude will be worthy of acceptance.
 Pray that colleagues and fellow believers will be supportive.

Pray for God’s Guidance

“So we have continued praying for you ever since we first heard about you. We ask
God to give you a complete understanding of what He wants to do in your lives, and
we ask Him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom” (Colossians 1:9, NLT).

Many missionaries travel frequently, both nationally and internationally. Their mode of
transportation varies from country to country and often involves stressful situations.

 Pray for clear guidance from God regarding travel decisions.

 Pray for necessary permissions to travel.
  Pray for protection and provision during their travels.

Pray for Refreshment

“We also pray that you will be strengthened with His glorious power so that you will
have all the patience and endurance you need. May you be filled with joy” (Colossians
1:11, NLT).

Missionaries deal with many of the same stresses you face in life such as overwhelming
workloads, relational conflicts and financial uncertainties. Often, however, missionaries
struggle with these issues alone, without the fellowship and support of other Christians.
Living and working cross-culturally adds an additional element that can challenge their
emotional, spiritual and physical vitality.

 Pray that God will provide opportunities for missionaries in lonely areas to spend time
with other believers.
 Pray that God will provide times of peace and relaxation to refresh His workers.
 Pray that God will encourage missionaries with the knowledge that people back home
care about their emotional well-being.

Partners in prayer
The apostle Paul was a missionary and a man of prayer. He prayed for those without
Christ, for the believers, and for the new churches established under his ministry. He
also asked the believers to pray for him:

“Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join me
in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to
you by the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:30, NLT).

Paul knew prayer would bring results:

“He will rescue us because you are helping by praying for us. As a result, many will
give thanks to God because so many people’s prayers for our safety have been
answered” (2 Corinthians 1:11, NLT).

In his letters, Paul gave specific prayer requests for which believers should pray. As a
prayer partner with those who are called to go, you too will have an impact that can
reach around the world. Paul’s prayer requests can serve as a tool for praying with
effectiveness and understanding.