I prayed that God would help me to pray better for missionaries, much like I prayed that He would help me to pray better for Unreached People Groups--a prayer He has answered multiple times and continues to answer. Already...I'm amazed at the scriptures that apply to prayer for missionaries!
Here's what I have, so far:
SEND
From Matthew 9:37-38: Heavenly Father… The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few so please raise up many workers and send them into your harvest field.
From Acts 26:17-18: Go with them, Jesus. Be with them constantly…. for You are sending them to the lost, to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus.
MESSAGE
From 1 Cor 2 Help the missionaries not to approach the lost with human wisdom or persuasive words, but with words taught by the Spirit and with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.
From 1 Cor 3:10 Help them, by God’s grace, to lay a foundation of Jesus Christ and then to build on it.
From 2 Cor 4:2 God, help them not to distort your word.
From 2 Cor 5:20 They are Christ’s ambassadors; it’s as though you are making your appeal through them... so speak through them to the Lost.
From 2 Cor 10:3-5 Though the missionaries live in the world, the weapons they fight with are not of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. Help them to demolish arguments and every pretention that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.
From Ephesians 6:19-20 Lord, whenever the missionaries speak, give them words so that they will fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel, for which they are ambassadors.
From 2 Thessalonians 3:1 May the message of the Lord spread rapidly and be honored.
CONDUCT
From 2 Cor 4:2 Help them to renounce secret and shameful ways, and not to use deception.
From 2 Cor 9:12 Help them to conduct themselves in the world with integrity and godly sincerity, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace.
PERSECUTION
From 1 Cor 4:12-13 Help the missionaries… when they are cursed, to bless; when they are persecuted, to endure it; when they are slandered, to answer kindly.
From 2 Cor 1:9-10 Help the missionaries not to rely on themselves but on you, God, who raises the dead. Deliver them, and may they set their hope on you, that you will continue to deliver them.
From 2 Thessalonians 3:2 Deliver them from wicked and evil people.
PERSEVERENCE
From 2 Cor 1:21 God, help the missionaries to stand firm in Christ, for you anointed them, set your seal of ownership on them, and put your Spirit in their hearts.
From 2 Cor 4:7 Although they might be hard-pressed on every side, may they not be crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
From 2 Cor 4:16-18 Help them not to lose heart. Though outwardly, they might be wasting away, may they inwardly be renewed day by day. Encourage them with this reminder… that their light and momentary troubles are achieving for them an eternal glory that outweighs them all. Help them to fix their eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
From 2 Cor 12:10 May they, for Christ’s sake, delight in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and difficulties. For when they are weak, they are strong.
From Galations 6:9 Let them not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time they will reap a harvest if they do not give up.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Use these scriptures to pray for missionaries, and be on the lookout for more scriptures to pray. God will reveal them to you!
