Empowering Prayer and Support for Missionaries in Need

I love having visiting missionaries speak to my life group at church. There is nothing like an intimate setting for hearing from the heart of those serving the nations. A recent visit from a couple serving in a hard place reminded me of how precious these times were during my own missions career, as I watched their faces react to the pictures they saw and stories shared.

After the presentation, I was proud of the great questions several raised to our guests. They sought clarification and understanding to better grasp the situation into which this couple was heading. They had long moved past the “what do you eat” and “do you have cars” type of questions workers often get from a less seasoned crowd.

Questions inform prayers.

Not only does seeing an individual or couple put a face with a name, but in hearing their stories and prayer requests, Christians are better able to lift specific needs before the throne of grace. By hearing first-hand some of the challenges to come in this next term of service, the women in my life group can now serve up “pinpointed” prayers, much like amino-therapy targets specific cancer cells. No longer will these women pray, “God bless the missionaries,” as they now have ammunition in their prayer arsenal to lift to the Father who hears and responds.

After they received the information and responses from the workers, the women then gathered around them to lay hands on them and pray. What a gift this is for anyone in ministry, and it was such a blessing to this young couple. Women, sisters in Christ, now in their sixties, seventies, and eighties, were able to participate in God’s work through this couple by voicing prayers on their behalf. How could they not be encouraged by such an outpouring of the Spirit through focused prayers?

Blessed by giving.

Not only do these face-to-face encounters encourage the prayer lives of the church, but they also provide opportunities to bless those going with a tangible offering of love. I smiled as the woman who had been gathering the gifts jumped up quickly at the end of the presentation, so excited to give them a token of their love and appreciation. Sweetened with some chocolates, the generous offering was a reminder that it’s sometimes the smallest and inconsequential of groups that give the biggest financial blessings to those who serve.

And, what’s exciting is that the in-person gift is not the be-all-end-all of their giving in support of the workers. Many will continue to show their support by giving directly to their work online or through the church’s missions offering. There are few who work in cross-cultural service who are not thrilled to have extra help in meeting their monthly support or to buy supplies for the term to come.

Do not despise that which seems insignificant and small.

The Church is the Body of Christ, made up of many different members. Missionaries experience the blessing of seeing God use, not only every size of local church, but also every size of small group within those churches as partners for the task of reaching the nations for Christ. As front-line workers, we must never forget to honor and remain connected with all our partnering churches and Bible study classes, no matter how small.

Jesus saw the value in the widow’s mite (Luke 21), and we know that the prayer of the righteous person “has great power as it is working” (James 5:16).

The elderly woman in a wheelchair may be your greatest supporter in fighting the spiritual battle in the heavenlies for your work. The small church out in the country might provide the greatest volunteers to join you on the field. The one individual in the mega church may prove to be your connection for keeping your work in the forefront of their life groups and prayer ministry. See them as God sees them—co-laborers for the sake of the gospel. Stay connected with them, pray for them, and make sure to thank them.

Grace and Peace

If you missed the last Mission Monday post, click HERE, or check out these other posts on missions support: Give a Gift to Bless the Nations, Don’t Forget the Church, Antioch Stories, Watching Your Country from Afar, Who’s Got Mail?, and Telling Your Stories.