Prayers for the Faithful
The Introduction
Ask any missionary what is their greatest need, and the answer will always be prayer. Yes, they could readily enumerate many other needs and practical things that may be more apparent. They are all over-extended and would like additional personnel to be called to join their team. They could use more financial resources to provide materials and support programs that would accelerate their outreach and make their ministry more effective. They yearn for more frequent communication from home and to just know that someone cares and is thinking of them.
But they would forego all of the above for a massive outpouring of prayer on behalf of them and their work. It doesn’t matter how much education and experience they carry to the field, missionaries recognize it is only the power of God that will enable them to survive and to communicate the gospel effectively. It is not the methodology and mission strategies they learn in orientation but only the power of God that can soften hardened hearts and enable the Holy Spirit to convict people of the truth of the gospel.
But it takes more than a humble missionary family pouring out their hearts to the Father. If they are to be witnesses to the ends of the earth and claim the kingdoms of the world as the Kingdoms of our Lord, the united hearts of God’s people must be joined in massive intercession to invoke and claim the promises of the Father on behalf of the nations and those sent from our churches in obedience to His call.
For some reason, God has chosen to limit His activity in the world to the prayers of His people. This is not because of any limitation in His power and sovereignty but because of His desire for us to be involved and join Him in His activity. C. H. Spurgeon linked the action of God with the prayers of His people. He said, “God will bless Elijah and send rain on Israel, but Elijah must pray for it. If the chosen nation is to prosper, Samuel must plead for it. If the Jews are to be delivered, Daniel must intercede. God will bless Paul, and the nations will be converted, but Paul must pray…Let me have your prayers, and I can do anything! Let me be without my people’s prayers, and I can do nothing.”
While there is power in prayer - and even more power in collective prayer - there is nothing more powerful than the word of God. In this book, Praying the Word of God for Missionaries, Mary Ann Bridgwater has linked these two powerful tools that God has made accessible to us. This is not simply a book of inspirational reading on prayer; it is a manual for engaging in spiritual warfare on behalf of missionaries around the world. It will be a guide for those to whom God has given a burden for a lost world. It will be a powerful tool to invoke the assurances and truths of God’s promises on behalf of those who need them so desperately. It will enable families and church members to move beyond the shallow, general prayers of “God bless the missionaries,” to claim the specific answers that are needed.
One does not have to wait for the periodic prayer letter to discern the needs of their missionary friends around the world. Every missionary needs us to pray for their health and safety and for the needs of their children. They need us to join them in expressing their desire for a closer walk with the Lord and to experience His power. They need wisdom and boldness as they plan their work and engage people with the claims of Christ. We would desire for them joy and fulfillment in their task and intercede that they might have new opportunities of witness; they would breakthrough strongholds and obstacles, and be able to claim victories for the glory of God on their field of service. All these, and others, clearly reflect the Father’s heart and desire for them. All we have to do is claim His Word.
Prayers for the Faithful compiles the verses that apply to every imaginable situation and need. It is wonderful to think that we are not petitioning the Lord for selfish desires or things that come from our own mind, but requests that reflect the heart of God and the will of the Father for those for whom we pray. It will be an exciting prayer journey as you follow these Scriptures, lifting them to the Father on behalf of those missionaries you may or may not know personally. God has assured us that He hears and answers those prayers that glorify Him and are according to His will. Missionaries will be blessed and empowered, and we will be blessed by faithfully partnering with them in what God is doing around the world through prayer.
Dr. Jerry Rankin
President
International Mission Board, SBC
