How to Pray for the Missions Force

Exodus 12:22-23 New International Version (NIV)

22 Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. 23 When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.


In the passage of scripture just quoted, we see God's instructions to Moses at the time of the first Passover.  They were to slay a lamb for each family and put it on the doorposts of their house. The Angel of Judgement would Pass Over each house with the blood of the lamb on the door.  Thus there was salvation and protection by this blood.  There was also freedom by this blood.  After the judgement, Pharaoh let Israel go.  They left Egypt and moved forward to their destiny and mission, ultimately (40 years later) entering the land of Canaan and executing on their mission (Joshua 1:8).

Years ago I read that Ying Kai, the leader of a massive church planting movement in China, made applying the blood of Jesus in prayer a part of his daily prayer for his team. Although many people are confused by the terminology, I grew up in a tradition that made much of "Pleading the Blood of Jesus" in prayer.  While understanding that this is not some kind of magic mantra in word form, the concept of Pleading the Blood is a valid thing to do in prayer. In fact, I believe that applying the blood of Jesus in prayer is a powerful way to pray for missionaries and indigenous workers in the missions enterprise.  

The concept of this kind of prayer is simply this:  everything that we are asking God to do for the missionary is rooted in the person and sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord on the Cross of Calvary.  Whether something directly provided in the Atonement, or something that scripture links to the Cross merely by example, all blessings for which we pray are rooted in the work of Jesus in his Ultimate sacrifice on the Cross.  

So in Applying or Pleading the Blood of Jesus, I am asking that God will do something for the missionary or worker that finds its root or finds an analogy in the Cross of Christ.

Thus, I suggest praying these 7 things for Missionaries.  You can pray all 7 each day for the person you are focusing on, or select 1 thing per day each week to focus your prayer on. The purpose is not to tell you how to design your prayer pattern, but rather to point out 7 key needs that missionaries have and that should be a part of our prayers for them.

Here are the 7 Requests.  I will list scripture references beside each thing.  I suggest that you look up those scriptures and  see the linkage between that request and the Cross or shed Blood of Jesus.  

Pray for each Missionary and worker to experience:

1.  Salvation/Forgiveness-Unbroken Fellowship with God
    Romans 5:9; 1 John 1:7,9

2.  Provision of needs
     2 Corinthians 8:9; 9:8

3.  The full work of the Holy Spirit
     Galatians 3: 2, 5, 13-14

4.  Angelic Ministry
     Hebrews 1:14; Psalm 91

5.  Healing (Spirit, Soul, Body)
     Isaiah 53; Matthew 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24; Psalm 103:3

6.  Marriage and Family 
     Ephesians 5:22-33

7.  Advance of the Gospel
     Luke 10:2; Ephesians 2:10


Basing our prayers in the Cross of Christ and the Promises of the Word of God will allow us to pray accurately for missionaries and Kingdom workers!

Next time we will look at how to pray for Unreached Peoples and Places!

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