One of the gems I brought back with me from Thailand is a book entitled "World Prayer". It is a collection of insights on the powerful role of prayer in missions. I was just so thrilled to see it on sale at Santisuk English School that I snatched it up along with other books on world evangelization as they are so very hard to come
by in our local bookstores.

In praying for missionaries, we find ourselves constantly slipping back into the generic "bless them" kind of prayer. Will Bruce's "Why and How to Pray for Missionaries" offers excellent pointers that will help us pray more effectively for those already in the field.

The author exhorts us to remember these 15 important areas:

1. The missionary is invading enemy territory. Prayer therefore must be directed against the works of the enemy and for the missionary to be on the alert, equipped with the Lord's weapons to do spiritual warfare.
2. The missionary faces many frustrations, from language disparities to dealing with a strange culture and its customs. The unfamiliar food, climate, even the lack of privacy are also contributory factors. But most of all, it is the lack of results that brings them down. Prayer must be offered for the missionary to be flexible and able to graciously deal with all these in obedience to Philippians 4:6.
3. The missionary has need of self-knowledge. The pressures on the field is sure to bring to the surface whatever pride of race, prejudice, selfishness and lack of selfdiscipline that still lurks in the heart. Prayer for the missionary to be wholly yielded to the Holy Spirit and for the Spirit's fruit to be more evident in his life is essential for effective ministry.
4. The missionary faces loneliness. This is not just limited to the single missionaries but even to married ones as well. Living in a foreign land, away from all those who love and accept us is always very hard.
   Prayer for them to experience God's fellowship in new and satisfying ways would go a long way in meeting this need.
5. The missionary must remember the meaning of being a missionary and that is to do God's will and be the servant of all. Pray for them to have Christ's humility as they minister.
6. The missionary's need for stability, whether spiritually, mentally and emotionally should lead us to pray the he grow in maturity in these areas and that he will get his selfworth and true identity in Christ, not on what others say about him.
7. The missionary's insights need to be sharpened, for the heart-needs of his fellow missionaries and to the locals he is ministering to. He also needs us to pray for wisdom into what methods God wills for
   him to use to best accomplish his assigned task.
8. The missionary needs good interpersonal relationships with his family members, his teammates and the locals if the work of God is to go unhindered. We ought to pray for the oil for the Holy Spirit to make the way smooth as well as His agape love to prevail in this area.
9. The missionary's need to be filled with the Spirit should lead us to pray for the missionary to develop a deep and abiding relationship with the Lord that he may constantly be refreshed in his labors.
10. The missionary's health problems can cause him to be disqualified from doing more work. Pray for his physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being that he may continue to glorify God with his life.
11. The missionary's travel constantly exposes him and his family to a lot of hazards. Prayer for safety is much needed.
12. The missionary's children can both be a great blessing and a cause for concern. Much prayer for their upbringing, health, protection and spirituality should be sent up to God's throne.
13. The missionary's constant need to show love if not done in the Lord's power will always come short. Pray for God's love to overflow from the heart of the missionary as he ministers.
14. Share the missionary's burden for more workers, both national and foreign. We, in the home front, should pray to the Lord of the Harvest to thrust out more laborers in the light of millions perishing without Christ and the closing of doors in some fields of the world.
15. The missionary's own intercessory life must be safeguarded from distractions. Pray that his communion with the Lord will be the topmost priority in his ministry. We are to love the lost as God does and we can demonstrate that love by praying for His servants in the wide fields of the world.
    The battle for men's souls in these unreached corners does not solely belong to the missionaries. It is ours too. Let us join in their labors in much prayer.