Paul urged the Ephesian church leaders to ‘keep watch over yourselves and all the flock’ (Acts 20:28). He saw the danger of ministry where the leaders neglect their own spiritual lives.
It can be as hard for Christian leaders to maintain a disciplined spiritual life as for anyone. Probably harder. The devil knows where to strike. So pray.
Pray that missionaries will ‘speak as men approved by God’ (1 Thessalonians 2:4).
That their conversation will be ‘full of grace’ and ‘salt’ (Colossians 4:6).
That they’ll preach ‘in season and out of season’ (2 Timothy 4:2), laying foundations ‘as an expert builder’ (1 Corinthians 3:10).
Colossians 1:9-12; Ephesians 3:14-21; Philippians 1:9-11 teach us about Paul’s faith and about God and his plans for his Church. Why not use them in praying for your friends and the Christians in their area?
We need to be concerned about our country, but we should also be concerned about our brothers and sisters throughout the world – as well as those who haven’t heard the gospel. So read the papers, listen to the news. (God may lay a particular country or ministry on your heart.)
Operation World (OM Publishing) covers every country and gives facts and figures about their religions, history and government. It makes excellent background reading, is available in Christian bookshops and is a tremendous resource. There are also children’s versions such as You Can Change the World and You Too Can Change the World.
Good political maps will show country boundaries, whilst your local bookstore or library should have something on the country you’re interested in. You can also get maps, books, tapes and videos from missions like OMF.
Encyclopedias and Atlases on CD Rom contain articles on countries’ geography, history and religions, along with maps, flags and photos. Browsing the web will give you further info on countries and missionary societies.
It’s good to have a wide interest in God’s world, but it’s hard to pray for all of it, so concentrate on one or two places, and pray about those. Imaginatively. Creatively.
‘We constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfil every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith’ (2 Thessalonians 1:11)
God has a part for you to play in mission, building his Church world-wide. No Christian worker, whether at home or overseas, can ‘go it alone’. Missionaries need the support of a team.
When you decide to pray regularly for someone, you join that team. Whether you pray, provide financial support, or work to plant churches, you are playing your part in world mission. As you pray, God uses your prayers to work out his purposes. Our prayers make a difference to the Sovereign Lord. They can make a difference in the world.
Jesus asked his followers to pray for workers to go out into a needy world. We need to pray that too. But let’s not forget them once they’ve gone. Continue to pray for these missionaries.
It takes discipline and commitment to pray for people who live in a place we know little about, who work in a language we don’t speak, who may eat breakfast while we’re going to bed, and who may not be back for some years. But they don’t stop being our brothers and sisters while they’re away.
Remember them. Pray for them every day. Your prayers count.