"To get nations back on their feet, we must first get down on our knees."
(Author Unknown)
Have you noticed that missionaries almost always say that their greatest need is prayer? Perhaps you sometimes
think that is just what they are supposed to say—the standard missionary speech. The real issue is the money,
right?
The truth is, that without prayer, the money is useless. God works through the prayers of His people to meet the
needs of His servants. Missionaries quickly learn that if they have committed prayer warriors, they need not worry
about the rest.
From time to time, we hear stories of prayer partners awakening in the middle of the night to pray for a missionary,
only to discover that at the very same time, half a world away, that very missionary was in urgent need of prayer.
The missionary may have been facing ministry challenges, encountering an armed burglar, leading a neighbor to
Christ, or going through a personal trial. Whatever the situation, night or day, your prayers do make a difference.
Missionaries would be the first to say that they do not belong on a pedestal, nor do they want to be. They have
not stepped into a higher level of favor with God. Becoming a missionary does not confer deep spirituality or victory
over sin. Missionaries continue to struggle with all the same things that were issues for them before. They must
also minister cross-culturally, care for their families, handle paper work, and keep up communications with their
supporters. They often find that the sharpest darts of the Evil One are reserved for them. Sometimes they even
return from the field deeply wounded. It is not difficult to believe that their greatest need is prayer.
Your ministry of prayer is important! And God will use you in partnership with the field missionary to bring His
Kingdom on earth.
"Prayer does not enable us to do a greater work for God. Prayer is a greater work for God."
(Thomas Chalmers)
