Unsure where to start with praying for mission partners you don’t really know? You’re not alone, but even the weakest of prayers is incredibly powerful.
As a Crosslinks staff team, we have the privilege of gathering twice a week to pray for our mission partners. I’ve just joined the team, so I’m often faced with prayer points for people I haven’t met yet or ministries I’m unfamiliar with. It’s a humbling experience! Here are five things I’m learning along the way.
You can pray for people you don’t know
It sounds obvious, but even if you’ve got no real idea who you’re praying for, you can lift them to the Lord and he knows who they are and what they need. A prayer which basically consists of reading out the bullet points they’ve provided word-for-word doesn’t feel very impressive or effective, but our heavenly Father loves to hear our prayers and involve us in his work through them.
Of course, over time you hope to get to know your mission partners better through their prayer letters, church visits, prayer meetings and so on. But God has chosen to work through our weakness (1 Corinthians 1:27), so seemingly weak prayers are ok!
We all come before the same throne of grace
Not only that, but I was reminded recently that as we pray we come before the ‘throne of grace’ (Hebrews 4:16). Not the throne of prayers graded from one to nine, or the throne of disappointment in our lack of eloquence. No, we come before the throne of grace. What an invitation! And what a comfort when we’re weak. There is grace for all of us, from a God who always welcomes us back with open arms.
Mission partners are not immune to suffering
Do you know who else is weak? Mission partners. Yes, they’re gifted and bold and doing great work. But, sadly, they’re not immune to the ordinary struggles of life, from bereavement to persecution. Their perseverance and self-sacrifice are a huge encouragement, but we shouldn’t forget they sin and the Christian life is hard for them too, with all the spiritual battles we face only magnified by being far from home and in an unfamiliar culture. They need our prayers, and if you’re not sure what to pray for them then praying for their walk with Jesus would be a great place to start.
It all comes down to Jesus
At the end of the day, these are ordinary people with one common goal: sharing Jesus with the people around them. In many ways, they could be anywhere in the world doing that, but they happen to be doing it in Zambia, or Argentina, or Belgium. Much like you and I are aiming to share Jesus in our own contexts. And as you pray for that goal to be accomplished in Thailand, a brother or sister there is praying for people to know Jesus in South Africa, and someone there is praying for gospel fruit in Ireland, and so on. We’re all united in this common purpose, as ordinary as we all are.
The gospel is changing lives today
The great news is the gospel we’re sharing is bearing fruit all over the world. As I read our mission partners’ prayer letters, there are so many encouraging stories of lives turned around by Jesus. Whether it’s a prisoner turned pastor, or a child neglected at home but shown the love of Christ in a Christian school, the gospel is far from just words on a page or a comforting idea of the past. God’s word is going to God’s world and it does not return to him empty (Isaiah 55:11). Your prayers play a part in that.
So be encouraged that prayer is powerful, and please make use of our prayer diary – even if you’re not sure who all the people named within it are!
Dan Reid, Communications Lead
Photo credit: Dejan Valek