PRAYER POWER UNLIMITED

J. Oswald Sanders

Praying for Missionaries

Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest (Matt 9:38, KJV)

“Brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified” (2 Thess 3:1). This moving plea from the first and greatest missionary, whose great gifts and spiritual endowment may well have made him less dependent than others, indicates the importance he laid on the intercessions of his friends. Note in the following verses the juxtaposition of the hard-pressed missionary’s extremity with the part he expected intercession to play in his deliverance.

“We were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life …, [but God] delivered us … you also joining in helping us through your prayers” (2 Cor 1:8-11). He believed intercession could be instrumental in delivering missionaries from the plotting of their enemies and opponents. “Finally, brethren, pray for us … , that we may be delivered from per from perverse and evil men” (2 Thess 3:1-2). He believed that closed doors could be made to swing open on their hinges as urgent prayer was made to God. “Praying at the same time for us as well, that God may open up to us a door for the word” (Col 4:3).

As Northcote Deck wrote:

What benison, what benediction would you bestow on isolated missionaries through your prayers? There is nothing more profitable, more priceless that you can ask for us than that, in spite of physical weariness and infirmities and the care of many churches and multiplying converts, we may be enabled to remain on our knees. For there is a praying in detail that has to be done if infant churches are to grow and prosper. And this detailed praying can be done only by those on the field. Only we know the names, the lives, the temptations of the converts … And we? We fall asleep upon our knees! … But we earnestly desire “through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,” that we might be given enough spiritual energy to make full proof of this vital ministry. But we need our help.¹

This plea from a veteran missionary is an echo of that of Paul, and it is re-echoed from thousands of hearts around the world.

REASONS FOR DEPENDENCE ON PRAYER

Because you prayed —
God touched our weary bodies with His power
And gave us strength for many a trying hour
In which we might have faltered, had not you,
Our intercessors, faithful been and true. CHARLES B. BOWSER

The question might well be asked: Why are missionaries so dependent on the prayers of friends in the home churches? The following reasons may be advanced:

1. God has placed the missionary enterprise on a prayer basis. This is God’s method of working to achieve His worldwide purposes. For example, Jesus taught us to “beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest” (Matt 9:38). He taught also that success in spiritual work is the outcome of prevailing prayer.
2. We are members of the body of Christ, and each member is dependent on the other members. God does no intend us to operate independently or in isolation.
3. The very nature of missionary work makes prayer essential. Our representatives in the front lines are not primarily overcoming cultural prejudices and superstitions, but are engaged in hand-to-hand conflict with the prince of this world and his followers. It requires spiritual weapons to overcome an invisible spiritual foe, and prayer is the weapon God has provided (Eph 6:12, 18).
   
   It has been pointed out that in this spiritual warfare, the Lord refused to deal with flesh and blood, or with the secular powers of His time. His one objective was to deal with the spiritual forces behind the evils around Him. In the woman with a spirit of infirmity, He saw not merely a disease, but satanic bondage. He described her as the woman “whom Satan has bound” (Luke 13:16). To the woman, He said not, “You are healed,” but, “You are freed from your sickness” (Luke 13:12, italics added).
   
   Behind every idol there lurks an evil spirit, and this explains the implacable hostility of God to idolatry in every form. The missionary task is to deal with this enemy through intercession based on the victory of Calvary, and thus free the captives.
4. The missionary is very human in his reactions to testing circumstances such as loneliness, climatic conditions, unfamiliar culture, linguistic limitations, absence of stimulating Christian ministry and fellowship, discouragement, separation from home and loved ones, plus the incidental pressures of the work. This factor makes the prayers of friends doubly necessary.
   
   Not all missionary situations impose great strains, but the missionary calling lays one open to many more of these than would be the case in a normal situation of home.
   
   In Archibald the Arctic, Bishop Fleming states that throughout the whole of his missionary career in the Arctic, he was always cold, always hungry, always lonely. What blessing and support prayer can bring to such valiant souls working under such conditions.
5. Missionaries are usually great in the minority and tend to be overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task. They need the reinforcement of prayer support from the home base.

Joshua and his army were down in the plain, locked in battle with the ruthless Amalekites. On the hill was Moses with his two lieutenants, Aaron and Hur. Moses was engaged in intercession, of which his uplifted rod was the symbol. There was no obvious connection between the two groups. Moses was far removed from the tangible enemies, yet it was he who, through prayer, controlled the swaying tides of battle (Exod 17:8-13).

The poet Cowper captures the story in four lines:

When Moses stood with arms spread wide,
Success was found on Israel’s side.
But when through weariness they failed,
That moment Amalek prevailed.

In the fluctuating battle, the key to victory lay in the hands of the three octogenarians (an encouragement to old believers who are no longer fit for front-line service). Not arms, but the weaponless hands of prayer, controlled the issue. The seeming inactivity of prayer on the hill proved to be a greater test of spiritual stamina than fighting in the valley. It was Moses who tired, not Joshua.

The incident teaches us, too, that there is a cumulative effect in prayer. The focusing of many prayers on one life or on a situation can change defeat into victory.

How should we go about the work of intercession for missions so as to make the maximum contribution? Some suggestions follow for those who desire to become effective intercessors.

1. First and foremost, make a firm resolve and deliberate decision, not without first counting the cost, to set aside time for regular intercession. Let only the most urgent happening break into this routine.
2. Ask the Lord to guide you to a special field of interest. Gather all the information you can, and take an intelligent interest in a few missionaries and missionary situations. Endeavor to become literate in missionary matters.
3. Seek a personal link with some missionary for whom you can exercise a special prayer ministry as a prayer companion. Correspond with him and follow details of the work in prayer. Experience will enlarge your interests and guide your intercessions.
4. Have a prayer list in which you note the names of missionaries, perhaps praying for different continents on different days of the week. Scripture Gift Mission issues a helpful booklet, The Remembrancer, as a help to systematizing the prayer life.
5. Obtain literature on the places for which you desire to pray so that you have an intelligent grasp of strategic points on which to focus prayer. Learn what you can about the national people, leaders, and churches.
6. Do not become discouraged if results in the work for which you are praying seem meager. Is that not really a reason for praying more earnestly?
7. Leave yourself open to God for Him to lay special prayer burdens on your heart. Such prayers can be mightily effectual.

FOR WHAT SHOULD WE PRAY SPECIFICALLY?

It has been asserted that there has never been a significant outpouring of the Spirit on the mission field without the previous outpouring of the human spirit to God in prayer. Every new Pentecost has had a preparatory period of burdened supplication.

Our prayers should be strategic and focused, dealing with the great central issues involved in the missionary enterprise as well as with the personal details of the missionary and his needs. Too often we are mainly occupied with trifling issues that are at the circumference, while major issues are neglected. A balance should be found. Here are a few strategic subjects:

1. That spiritual revival and quickening may come to the national churches, and especially to the key leaders.
2. That international affairs may be so overruled that the work of the Gospel may not be hindered. Satan is working very powerfully in the political realm, but Paul encourages us to believe that the prayers of God’s people can significantly influence the course of world events from the prayer room.
3. That unresponsive individuals and groups may experience deep conviction of sin and respond to the Gospel. There are certain places where the adversary has a stronger grip on the hearts of the people than in others, e.g., Pergamum is spoken of as the place “where Satan’s throne is” (Rev 2:12-13). Only persistent prayer can wear down this opposition.
   Because you prayed —
   God touched our lips with coals of fire,
   Gave Spirit-fullness and did so inspire
   That, when we spoke, sin-blinded souls did see;
   Sin’s chains were broken;
   Captives were made free. CHARLES B. BOWSER
4. That the spiritual tone of missions and missionaries may be kept high, and that their policies may be sufficiently flexible to meet rapidly changing conditions.
5. That national leaders may be gripped by the vision of their churches reproducing themselves and reaching out across cultural boundaries into the regions beyond.
6. That the home churches may increasingly rise to their responsibilities in prayer, support, and reinforcement
7. That God would thrust out new workers to maintain and extend the work.

PRAYING FOR PERSONAL NEEDS

There is, in addition to what we could call strategic praying, the necessity to pray for the personal needs of the workers whom we send out. Elsie Purnell has written an article concerning the problems facing the missionary mother, for whom prayer is needed.² If we are to pray for such with insight and feeling, we should endeavor to think ourselves into their position and pray accordingly.

According to the article, “Many a missionary mother is frustrated over the conflict in her mind between her duties to their family and to ‘the work …’ She can find a multitude of Scriptures about her duties as wife and mother, but none specifically about a mother involved in missionary work.” What priorities is she to observe? Must one be sacrificed for the other? “Pray that the missionary mothers on your prayer list will be able to resolve this conflict and feel satisfied.”

The missionary woman is often facing financial problems. On furlough she will fit into the low-income bracket. She will not have the things her friends and family and neighbors have. Pray that she will learn to adjust to this situation, and that her feelings about material things will not drain her emotional strength.

Loneliness can be an almost devastating problem, especially for the single woman. The article has this to say concerning the test the single woman faces: “While rarely discussed publicly, singleness can be the greatest problem facing some women overseas. Some single missionaries are happy and satisfied; others have recurring questions and battles.” Pray that they may find a solution to this problem in the more deeply realized presence of Christ with them.

Separation from children is probably the most traumatic of all the testing experiences that come to missionary mothers. If ever they need prayer support it is when the parting days come. Pray that they will know God’s peace and grace abundantly at this time.

If you are aware that a missionary has to face problems among his folks at home — problems such as serious illness, bereavement, breakup of marriage, children going astray — uphold him as he carries these added burdens.

PRAYER FOR PHYSICAL SAFETY

Prayer for the physical safety of missionaries is always appropriate and appreciated. There are endless testimonies of remarkable answers to such prayers for safekeeping. Here is one.

One night at midnight Mrs. Ed. Spahr was awakened and burdened for missionary friends Rev. Jerry and Mrs. Rose in Dutch New Guinea (now Irian Jaya) working among stone-age culture people. She was so burdened for him she prayed and next morning wrote a letter telling of it. Later it was learned that he received prayer letters from five prayer partners in five continents saying they prayed for him on that specific occasion.

By adjusting the dateline and time span it was seen that they all prayed at the same time — at that very time Mr. Rose was standing with his arms tied behind his back and a huge “stone-age” savage standing before him with a spear ready to pin him to the ground.

As five prayer partners on five continents prayed, another man in the tribe (there were no Christians in the tribe at the time) spoke to the man and he walked away. Dr. Spahr asks: “Could God have made him walk away without the prayer partners? God can do anything he wills, but would he? I don’t think he would have. I think it was His desire and will to continue the life of Jerry Rose on earth as a witness through his prayer partners.”³

Paul the intercessor admits us into the secrets of his own special burdens in the prayers he offers for the church that were the outgrowth of missionary work. They were very like churches in missionary lands today.

“I want you to know,” he wrote, “how great a struggle [agonia] I have on your behalf, and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face” (Col 2:1). This brings him alongside us; for, like him, we must often pray for people whom we have never seen.

STRATEGIC PRAYING

It is instructive to notice the things he asked for those young churches (Col 2:2) so that we can imitate him. He was not concerned for trivialities, but for deep spiritual needs. He asked (1) for spiritual strengthening, “that their hearts may be encouraged”; (2) for spiritual unity, “having been knit together in love”; (3) for spiritual certitude, “attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding”; (4) for spiritual insight, “resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself.” This is the crowning point of the prayer, for in the full knowledge of Christ, everything else is included.

The same letter introduces us to another mighty intercessor, Epaphras. “I do not know that Epaphras was an eloquent preacher,” said Joseph Parker, “but he was mighty in intercession. He threw his arms around his native church and toiled in prayer for them until his brow was bedewed with agony, and his whole face was lighted up with saintly expectation that he might see the descending blessing.”

He drew this picture from the brief glimpse Paul gives in Colossians 4:12, “Epaphras … sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly [agonizomenos] for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.” Prison walls could not restrain the flight and freedom of the soul of this concerned pastor. Denied personal contact with his flock, he could still exercise on their behalf the most potent of all ministries. His concern for their spiritual advancement found expression in prayer that amounted almost to agony, forthat is the word used. This was no mere passive and benevolent well-wishing. He took his praying seriously. The picture behind the word is that of a perspiring wrestler straining every muscle.

What a pale reflection of this are our tepid and languid prayers! How little most of us know of this conflict, this laboring, this travail in prayer that characterized the praying of these two men of God and has been repeated in the lives of many choice souls down the ages!

PRAYER

O God of all the nations of the earth, remember the multitudes of the heathen, who, though created in Thine image, have not known Thee, nor the dying of Thy Son their Savior Jesus Christ; and grant that by the prayers and labors of Thy holy Church they may be delivered from all ignorance and unbelief, and brought to worship Thee; through Him whom Thou hast sent to be the Resurrection and the Life of all men, Thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. FRANCIS XAVIER

QUESTIONS

1. See if you can match the prayers of Paul’s friends for him with actual answers.
2. Do you have regular and systematic place in your prayers for missionary work?

Note

¹N. Deck, “Praying also for Us,” Alliance Weekly, May 23, 1942, p 322
²E. Purnell, “Women Missionaries and How to Pray for Them,” East Asia Millions, February-March 1976, pp 157-59
³Challenge Newspaper (Auckland, N.Z.), April 17, 1976