I understand that this blog is read by many women, not just missionary women.
So this is for the church, those of you at home holding the ropes.
We are very grateful to you for your faithful prayers and support.
I asked other missionary women in our private facebook group on their thoughts for this post,
"How to pray for the missionary wife,"
and this is a compilation of their responses.
How can you better pray for us?
1. Pray for our relationship with God.
We are human; we are prone to sin; we struggle just like everyone else. We have distractions that come into our life. Pray that we stay close to the Lord, spend time in His Word and in prayer.
2. Pray for our marriage.
Satan wants nothing more than to destroy our marriage, and hence destroy our ministry. Pray for us to have a strong marriage, for us to love, support, and encourage each spouse.
3. Pray for our parenting.
Satan also wants to destroy our children. Pray that we have much wisdom and guidance in parenting our children. Pray for God's faithful shield of protection on their lives.
4. Pray for our ministry.
Pray for souls to be saved. Pray for lives to be changed. Pray for doors to be open. Pray for God to use us according to His will. Pray also that we have wisdom in balancing our family and our ministry.
5. Pray for our health.
It seems we hear so often of missionaries returning to the States because of health issues. Pray for our health and our family's health.
6. Pray for our finances.
Many missionaries are struggling financially. Churches in America are struggling and in turn must drop their missionaries' financial support. Most missionaries are unable to work to bring in extra income. This adds stress to lives.
7. Pray for our homesickness.
Although we are happy and content where God has put us, we still miss our family and friends. Facebook can be a blessing, but we can often get homesick seeing our families post pictures of events that we are missing. Pray the Lord helps us keep our focus on Him.
8. Pray for our discouragement.
We often face times of discouragement. Please pray that we will be encouraged and not grow weary in well doing. As a side note to that, letters and packages from home always encourage us. Take a few minutes to write us, to remind us that we are not forgotten.
9. Pray for our safety.
Many of us live in dangerous areas. Pray for the Lord's mighty hand of protection.
10. Pray for our understanding of the language.
Language barriers can be very difficult. Please pray for us as we learn the language - for clarity of thought and understanding.
Do you have anything to add to this list? Please leave a comment.
This is a great list! I shared it on my Facebook page. Blessings to you!
ReplyDeleteA great post, and very needful things to pray for. As a missionary wife in a very remote area, I would add that you could pray for the mechanical/physical work that is involved in daily life. I know the devil has fought us more in the past few months, just by things breaking down and messing up mechanically, which in turn adds more stress to our everyday living, and in turn, can keep us focused on just surviving, taking care of the needs of our family, and we lose those opportunities to reach out to those around us.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post, the prayers of God's people are needed and not taken for granted by missionaries like our family!
This list is VERY good to know. I know for me, I think "what a wonderful spiritual life you must have, since your focus is on Jesus".. when you struggle with the enemy and the soul man, just like I do... eye opening.. Love you Deb :D
ReplyDeletesorry.. the above comment from Anonymous is Gail Marco lol
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips its easy for us to follow because you give us an ideas.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
Thank you. I plan on using this list for my next ladies meeting.
ReplyDelete