Prayer

Jesus prayed, told us to pray, and taught us how to pray. Paul told us: ‘devote yourselves to prayer’ [Colossians 4:2].

We should pray, we need to pray, and we need help to pray. You will find some resources, both encouragements to pray and prayers to pray below.

Global Mission Partners

Currently we have 16 Global Mission Partners who are sent out and supported by St Jude’s. St Jude’s has committed 5% of our expected annual giving income to support them, as well as regular prayer and contact with them. These Global Mission Partners are assigned to congregations at St Jude’s.

Here are some items you might like to consider when praying for St Jude’s Global Mission Partners:

MINISTRY

Some are doing direct gospel and Bible ministry: evangelism, discipling believers, discipling, supporting and training leaders and future leaders, leading or helping to lead local churches, and Bible translation. Pray that God would bring people to faith in Christ, grow mature believers and churches, raise up and train local leaders, and use the Bible to convert people, increase Christian maturity, and train people in ministry.

Others work in complementary roles: education, medical care and training, emergency aid, work skills, and conservation. Pray that God would bless their work and the people they serve, and the people they train. And pray that God would use their lives, their examples, and the words to commend the gospel, and bring people to faith in Christ.

SPIRITUAL GROWTH

Some Global Mission Partners are quite isolated from virtually all Christian spiritual resources. They may lack Christian books and periodicals and may have few opportunities for fellowship with other mature Christians. Sometimes the only regular preaching they hear is their own. Here prayer is needed for the God to be at work within his servants to help them to continue to grow and mature in their walk with Him.

RELATIONSHIPS

Relationships with fellow missionaries

Some of our Global Mission Partners are part of a major outreach, living in compounds with fellow missionaries from many different countries, denominations and mission organisations. The chances for personality clashes and other disagreements are many. Pray for mutual encouragement between the missionaries and contentment in their individual roles.

Family relationships

The intensity of mission life can place immense pressure on family relations, including marriages, with little opportunity for counseling or similar support. This can be aggravated by the fact that missionaries are often expected to be role models within their communities. Pray for God’s love and peace to be displayed in and through missionaries’ relationships both within their families and in their communities.

Relationships with home organisations

Some Global Mission Partners feel under pressure from supporters or administrators at home to “succeed”, by winning many converts or achieving some other kind of measurable goal. The pressure may be real or imagined, but can lead to tension, frustration, burn-out and even a spiritual crisis, as some missionaries start to question their service of God. Pray for guidance in their ministries that they would feel secure in God’s wisdom leading them in their work.

Relationships with the local people

All Global Mission Partners relate cross-culturally with the people they serve, including in the language[s] they speak. Serving in this way requires immense and constant investment in love and patience, in cultural awareness and emotional and intellectual intelligence, both in relating to and serving local people, and also in working with local colleagues and teams. Pray for the love, patience and energy required to live, talk, and work in another culture and language.

HOMESICKNESS

A common problem, along with culture shock. It can be aggravated for those Global Mission Partners who have sent their children elsewhere for their education. Remember these Global Mission Partners in prayer as they face some of the trials of their work so far from home.

PHYSICAL HEALTH

Living conditions can be quite rough in many locations, with only crude sanitation and medical facilities. Prayer is needed here for God’s protection and healing hand at work in these contexts.