I went on my first mission trip when I was 18 years old. That trip took me 500 miles into the interior of Mexico. On the way back Ol’ Montezuma got his revenge on me with an awful case of “wilderness diarrhea”. I would not wish that on my worst enemy. My first International mission trip came when I was 20 years old when our team hopped over the Atlantic to England. 14 years later, I have averaged one international trip per year. During this span of 16 years, I have read the Bible over and over and asked the Lord for his prayers for the nations. A couple of years back, I felt like the Lord gave me 4 key topics as it pertains to missions that I need to pray for daily in my prayer life. I thought I would share these with you.
1. Pray for the Peace of Israel & the salvation of the Jews – (Psalms 122:6 + Roman Chp 9-11) When you think of the nations, I believe it’s critical to give the first fruits of your prayer to Israel and the Jewish people. The Lord instructs us to pray for Israel and also provides critical understanding in the book of Romans about the great role Israel and Jewish people will play in the end times and global revival.
2. Pray for the sending of Harvesters – (Matthew 9:37-38) In this passage we see that there are areas in the world where the harvest is plentiful. Not necessarily every area, but there are areas where it is “prime for the picking” so to speak. I personally ask the Lord each day to call, equip and send thousands of harvesters to where the abundant harvest is. I think in just seeing the growth of Modern Day, we can see that this is indeed happening.
3. Pray for the Orphans & Widows – (James 1:27) We know that pure religion is taking care of orphans and widows. A major part of taking care them is praying for them. I include in this prayer those children who are in foster care, shelters, being trafficked etc. I also include in this prayer the homeless and especially the moms that are raising their babies on the streets. I finish this prayer lifting up those families who have lost terminally ill kids or those families that are currently battling through “terminal” illness with their kids.
4. Pray for the Missionaries – Modern missions in a sense started with Paul some 2000 years ago. Today we have hundreds of thousands of missionaries serving around the globe. Many of these people have left their comforts of home for a foreign land. If your reading this, you probably personally know people who are Christian missionaries. I promise you that they would covet your consistent prayers.
I try to pray these prayers every single day. I have been doing this the past 2+ years. It’s not a ritual for me as much as it is a focused guideline so I don’t “wonder” off in my prayers and end up not really praying. What I have found is that through the focus of these prayers the Lord has deepened my thoughts in this area and deepened my faith. I’m not suggesting this is a solve all, but it can serve as a firm foundation and a compass guideline for your prayer life in the realm of the nations and missions. Happy Praying!!
By: Marvin Slaton
If you would like to make a financial contribution to Marvin Slaton and his family, CLICK HERE!
