And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
—Acts 13:3
The supreme question of foreign missions is, How do we multiply the number of Christians who will individually and collectively wield this force of intercession for the conversion and transformation of men? Every other consideration and plan is secondary to that of wielding the forces of prayer.
We take for granted that those who love this work and who bear it in their hearts will follow the scriptural command to pray unceasingly for its triumph. With unceasing devotion and intercession, God’s people need to approach Him with an attitude that refuses to let God go until He crowns His workers with victory.
Missions have their root in the love of Christ, which was proved on the cross and now lives in our hearts. As men are so earnest in seeking to carry out God’s plans for the natural world, so God’s children should be at least as wholehearted in seeking to bring Christ’s love to all mankind. Intercession is the chief means appointed by God to bring the great redemption within the reach of all.
Pray for missionaries, that the life of Christ may be clear and strong, and that they may be people of prayer, filled with love, people in whom the power of the spiritual life is obvious.
Pray for Christians, that they may know “the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles [the unsaved]: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).
Pray for the teaching of God’s Word, that it may be in power. Pray especially for pastors and evangelists, that the Holy Spirit may fill them to be witnesses for Christ among their fellowmen.
Pray, above all, for the church of Christ, that it may be lifted out of its indifference, and that every believer may be brought to understand that the one purpose of his life is to help to make Christ King on the earth.
Our gracious God, our eyes are focused on You. Will You not in mercy hear our prayers, and by the Holy Spirit reveal the presence and the power of Christ in the work of Your servants? Amen.