The elders have asked the church to pray for our upcoming mission trip. It may seem like an odd question but why do we pray for mission trips? Do we pray because we think we have to; that it’s the right thing to do? Do we pray because we know someone on the team? Do we pray because might feel guilty if we don’t pray? Maybe a better question might be: do we actually pray? Too often we are guilty of saying “I’ll be praying for you” and we never actually pray. We get busy. We forget. We assume someone else will do it. So, if we pray, why do we pray?
To know why we should pray for mission trips, consider the apostle Paul and his prayer requests. Not what he prays for people, but what he asked others to pray for himself.
The first time, chronologically, that Paul asks for prayer is at the end of 1 Thessalonians. There, he simply says, “Brothers, pray for us” (5:25). He doesn’t elaborate on the details, but we know from Acts what is happening in his life at the moment he’s written this. Paul has been in prison then attacked by a mob (Acts 16–17). Not long after, he was publicly reviled for his gospel preaching and brought before a Roman tribunal (Acts 18). Before all of this, Paul and Barnabas had their “sharp disagreement” about Mark getting a second try at mission work; the result was a parting of the ways (Acts 15:39–41). The emotional and physical toll of such things likely weighed heavily on Paul and he felt his need for prayer.
Notice also that Paul assumed the believers he wrote to were praying for him and he attributed events in his life as God answering those prayers. Writing to the churches in Corinth and Philippi, Paul believed that his deliverance from suffering and danger came as an answer to prayer (2 Cor 1:10–11; Phil 1:19–22). Our enemy works to stop the spread of the gospel because he hates to see Christ glorified. When fear, doubt, and distress are not enough, he often uses pain, suffering, and even death. Yet Paul persevered because the churches prayed for him.
Finally, Paul asked for specific prayers for the advance of the gospel in his ministry. This is not to say the other requests were merely personal. Rather, Paul envisioned the details of what was needed for him to be faithful to his calling, and it was these details for which he asked the believers to pray. So, what did he ask them to pray for?
Deliverance from unbelievers and fellowship with the believers — “I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company” (Rom 15:30–32).
Opportunities for clear gospel preaching — “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak” (Col 4:2–4).
Boldness in gospel preaching — “pray . . . also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” (Eph 6:19–20).
Without opportunities for witness and without clarity and boldness in his witness, the gospel would not go forth as God desired. We can even read backwards and say that Paul was concerned that he might fail in being clear, being bold, and taking opportunities, which is why he asked Christians to pray for these things.
What can we learn from the apostle Paul’s list of prayer requests about praying for missions today? We pray because the need is great, the world is hostile, those sent are fallible, and God answers prayer. We have no guarantee of success or faithfulness if God is not at work. And Paul clearly believed that God is at work through the prayers of his people. So, why do we pray for mission trips? In short, we pray for mission trips because we God to act.
Yes, the people going on these trips will be praying. But, like Paul, they are seeking your prayers as well. Will we leave them alone in the midst of the dangerous designs of the enemy or call down the protection and blessings of heaven upon their work that God might be glorified in the salvation of sinners and the building up of the saints?
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