HLPC is in the middle of our “Missions Week.” We are devoting back to back Sundays as well as our MidWeek to an emphasis on reaching our community and the world with the gospel. In addition we will be having a ladies dessert and coffee on Thursday night along with a “men of all ages” breakfast this Saturday. We want to be excited and encouraged about being a part of God’s mission.
One crucial part of that mission for us must include prayer. I remember many prayers offered as a child growing up in the church that simply included the phrase “God bless the missionaries.” While I never want to disparage prayer, that kind of prayer seems much too vague and inadequate.
We need to pray intelligently and intentionally for missionaries- those here and those abroad. Missionaries, particularly those in foreign countries, face some unique challenges. They live in a different culture and often must learn a different language. They spend long periods of time away from family and miss many of the common joys we take for granted. Lastly, they often stress over raising and maintaining their financial support.
One useful tool to help us pray specifically for the needs of HLPC missionaries is the helpful prayer guide that has been prepared. I hope you’ll get and use one of the laminated copies our missions’ team has provided. Twice monthly, you’ll pray for our missionaries by name. You can pray for them as families and also pray that God would use them to advance His kingdom.
Please get a prayer guide and use it. Put one on the kitchen table and pray at meals with your family. I think this is a far superior practice to simply praying, “God bless the missionaries!”