How to Pray for Missionariesনমুনা
For New Ministry Opportunities
On days 1, 2, and 3 of this reading plan, we focused on Bible passages that support the personal needs of missionaries and their families.
Yesterday, today, and tomorrow we are focusing on the mission of the missionary. Paul wrote to the church in the city of Colossae, whom he had never visited. They had received the gospel from one of his converts during Paul’s missionary visit to nearby Ephesus. He told them to “pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains” (Colossians 4:3).
Paul was under house arrest in Rome, yet he was looking for new opportunities, even in that restrictive context, to advance the gospel.
In the preceding verse, Paul instructs his prayer supporters to “devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Colossians 4:2). That command is for us too. Dawson Trotman, the founder of the Navigators organization, asked himself these questions, “Why are we doing what we are doing?" And "Why are we doing it the way we are doing it?”
Pray for field missionaries and their organizational leaders to see the new opportunities that God has placed before them. Pray for the Lord to show them new methods to do their ministries and for new partners with whom to do ministry together.
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About this Plan
How do we get beyond simply praying, “Lord, bless those missionaries"? The New Testament actually tells us what to pray for missionaries. In fact, the authors of the New Testament were missionaries! Pastor Sean Christensen, World Team missionary and Bible professor, guides us through five missionary prayer requests that Paul asked for and one that Paul and John mentioned. This plan is useful both individually or in a prayer group.
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