How to Pray for Missionaries
Dear Brethren in Christ,
Greetings from Madrid. As a family we want to ask you for your prayers for us. With Gods help and your support we continue to break ground in this country. 1999 is here with its challenges, dreams and opportunities to see the power of God in our midst.
Ephesians 3:20-21 is a portion that encourages us and we want to meditate on it this year. HE IS POWERFUL, and He can do tremendous things for his glory this year. Thank you for your prayers for us. Without them, we are consumed; with them we go forward, penetrating the enemys territory and walls are broken down, the Word preached will bear fruit, and, above all, we will stand in the frontlines.
Pray for divine protection. Protection from thieves, dangerous drivers, sicknesses. In many places, protection from terrorists and kidnappers. Many times, the missionary is in greater danger than he mentions in his prayer letters. The new missionary needs protection from attacks on his faith and his calling. Many missionaries are tempted to leave it all and return to their home country.
The missionary needs the protection of God for his marriage and family. Several couples have returned to their country wounded, bitter, with feelings of failure, and worse yet, some of them have divorced. What does it profit a missionary if he gains a whole country and loses his family? The family is key to the missionarys work.
The missionary needs protection of the precious gift called time. May God protect us from being so busy in the work that we forget to take time to listen to the voice of God, pray, meditate on the Word. The missionary needs protection from losing his first love, the spirit of worship, the joy of serving the King of Kings and of cultivating a freshness in his spiritual life. There are times when the missionary feels empty, exhausted, tired, powerless, and he ministers in the power of the flesh.
Furthermore, there are many things that threaten the spiritual life of the missionary when he experiences failure, opposition, when others fail him, when he pays attention to the distorted philosophy of what is ministry and service for God. The missionary needs protection from inner battles. The battle of ambition, of searching for power and fame. The battle of pride, of not being able to handle success. May God protect the missionary from those attitudes that destroy spiritual life: competition; instead of cooperating with his colleagues, he competes with them. Criticism, to wound his companion in the battle instead of the enemy. Vanity; we cannot exalt ourselves and Christ at the same time. Revenge, resentment, lack of forgiveness. We need for God to protect us from divisions, jealousy, false witnesses, considering ourselves better than other fellow workers, from thinking that if Im not here, the work will not go ahead, from misunderstandings among ourselves.
Protection from falling into sin. In many countries the missionary encounters many temptations. Recently, the Swiss company, Svensk Export Strategy did a survey to find the country with the greatest sin, among the 19 most industrialized countries of the world. Spain came out number one. The United States was second and France took third place. In the interview they looked for the seven contemporary sins: smokers, alcoholics, drugs, night life, gambling, gluttony and prostitution. This is the real world in which we minister.
Protection in our relationship with national believers. That we might work as a team and not give place to the devil. Protection from not throwing in the towel. In countries that are resistant to the Gospel, such as Spain, one can easily fall into discouragement, weariness, unbelief and frustration. Many missionaries come from places where there is much fruit. In this country one must prepare the soil, then plant, then water, and then trust that God will give growth. The goal of every missionary is to glorify the Lord and finish well the race to which he has been called.
Thank you, many thanks for praying, for success in missions depends upon the prayers of the people of God. We pray that Divine Protection will be upon you this year of 1999. May God bless you and give you a year of many victories there in your ministry.
You can write and encourage Tony at 75662.1562@compuserve.com
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