I want to teach my children how to pray for missionaries, but at times I struggle to know what to pray beyond the general needs of safety and opportunity for the gospel, which is why I was thrilled to discover a list of specifics near the end of Randy Alcorn’s excellent novel Safely Home, a book about the persecuted church in China. Here is a quote from the main character, imprisoned for his faith in Christ, who instructs his American friend on what to tell people when he returns to the States.
Tell them if they wish to help, send us Bibles. And pray for us. Pray that those witnessing our suffering will see that Zhu Yesu [Jesus] must be real in order to sustain us. Pray that the rotten food will actually taste good to us. He has actually performed this miracle for me many times. Pray that the rags prisoners wear in winter will keep us warm. Pray that the beatings and torture will not weaken us, but strengthen us in our faith. And that the enemy will not overcome us and our families with despair and discouragement. Pray that the prisons all across China will become centers of revival , and that Christians in registered churches will be bold, and that house churches will be invisible to the police but visible to everyone else. Pray that our sons and daughters will not be ashamed of their fathers and mothers in prison. (354)
Any other thoughts on praying for missionaries, whether persecuted or not?