Pastor Art Snow • February 25, 2022

How to pray for missions

Getting Started, Take our blinders off.

As Americans we too often live our lives with blinders on, you know only seeing what effects our nation, our immediate surroundings, our communities. A beautiful thing happens when the blinders come off and we realize there are 195 nations in the world and Jesus died to save every one of them. 

Before I tackle the question of how to pray for missions, allow me to begin with the end in mind. In the book of Revelation there are two beautiful verses that describe what the throne room looks like.

And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Rev 5:9

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying,

“Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, Rev 7:9-10

Ah yes, every tribe, every tongue, and every nation are around the throne worshipping God. But first they must hear, and that is where missions comes into play. I belong to a denomination (Foursquare) that happens to have a wonderful missions department and is globally focused. We have 100,000 churches in 147 countries, but still so many have never heard the good news of Jesus Christ. 

A beautiful thing happens when the blinders come off and we realize there are 195 nations in the world and Jesus died to save every one of them.

7 Tips on Praying for Missions

So, let’s begin my simple list of ways to pray for missions. First: Buy a globe for your home or office as a daily reminder that the world is filled with many wonderful places, most of which you probably have never been.

I have loved globes from childhood, I can remember each of my classrooms having one in school and spinning them then randomly stopping it with one finger and imagining what Nicaragua might be like or Singapore. It is also a great way to teach your children the countries of the world. 

Getting a globe helps you to visualize the world beyond yourself, taking the first step to seeing the people in this world with your heart, and being able to pray for them.

Second, get a list of the counties of the world and keep it beside your prayer closet or wherever you spend time talking to God.

I keep a list of all the nations our denomination is in and the missionaries that are deployed in each nation in my prayer area. Not only can I pray for each nation, I can also pray specifically for each missionary, and their children. 

Third, make it personal, instead of just praying for a nation, find out something about the Christians living there, what are some of the leaders names, what opposition are they facing, what are the challenges to the Gospel? Besides just praying for Cote d’lvoire find a way to support a child there or participate in an effort to dig a well for fresh water for one of the villages. Get some skin in the game. 

Fourthly, utilize the many apps & websites available for your phone or tablets that focus on missions. Two of my favorites are the Foursquare Church texting line, they send out daily prayer requests by text to those who subscribe, this takes the guess work out of praying. Today we were asked to pray for God to give a creative vision to leaders in Nepal, and Pakistan to multiply disciples, and to speak blessings over the pastors and churches.

Another app I really like is Unreached of the Day by the Joshua Project. You are provided daily with an unreached people group, its profile, a summery of the nation and its placement on the map. Todays people group was the Chechen people in Austria. Population 26,000 with 0% Christians, their primary language is Chechen and the dominant religion is Islam. This app is a must for those serious about seeing the throne of God, surrounded with people from every tongue, every people and every nation. 

Sixth, give. There is no better way to pray for missions than giving to the field. There are so many ways of giving. You can give through agencies, through your local church or maybe directly to someone you may know on the mission field.

We have good friends, Mike and Bee Arter, who minister in Thailand who we support, this makes it more personal when we send that monthly offering. My wife and I faithfully tithe our income to our local church and make a monthly donation to missions, it has just become a part of our giving lifestyle. Consider making a monthly commitment to the harvest field. 

Seventh, go. There is absolutely no better way to pray for missions than actually getting on that plane and experiencing the field for yourself. It will change how you see the world, it will make you appreciate America more and it will give you the “missions bug”,  you will want to go back again and again. It is easier to pray having had the experience than to just have read about another’s experience. 

There is absolutely no better way to pray for missions than actually getting on that plane and experiencing the field for yourself.

Well there you have it my seven tips for praying for missions. Before I close let me mention one final thing, there are domestic as well as foreign missions. There are many opportunities in our own back yard to pray for and to lend a hand, it may be soup kitchens, or missions that care for the poor, it may be organizations that help settle refugees. What a privilege we have to pray for both our backyard and the uttermost parts of the earth.

In prayer the battle is won, in service the spoils are gathered. 

Pastor Art Snow | February 25 2022

Edited and Adapted for Web Use by: Eric Muñoz Jr.