HeartCry Prayer Guide

Articles

Dec 29

All content of this post has been taken from the HeartCry Missionary Society page here. I praise the Lord for this organization, and I hope that you're blessed as I have been. %%

An Appeal for Prayer

At HeartCry, we believe that the greatest need on the mission field is the proclamation of the Gospel and the instruction of believers in the Scriptures. One of the greatest sources of the maladies that plague the mission field and the church at large is the lack of sound theology.

Having said this, we can now turn our attention to the absolute necessity of prayer. James Fraser (1886-1938), who was a missionary to the Lisu people of China and one of the most respected men in the history of modern missions, said the following:

“I used to think that prayer should have the first place and teaching the second. I now feel it would be truer to give prayer the first, second, and third places and teaching the fourth.”

James Fraser dedicated his life to the teaching and translating of the Scriptures until he died of cerebral malaria at the age of fifty-two in Baoshan, Yunnan, China. No one would ever doubt his dedication to the Scriptures and to their proclamation, and yet he recognized the absolute essentiality of prayer in every missionary endeavor. His sentiments are the same as those of countless men and women who have served at home and on the foreign field.

“It is possible for the most obscure person in a church, with a heart right toward God, to exercise as much power for the evangelization of the world, as it is for those who stand in the most prominent positions.” – John R. Mott

“In no other way can the believer become as fully involved with God’s work, especially the work of world evangelism, as in intercessory prayer.” – Dick Eastman

“The man on his knees has a leverage underneath the mountain which can cast it into the sea, and can force all earth and heaven to recognize the power that is in Christ’s Name.” – M.E. Andross

“The man who mobilizes the Christian church to pray will make the greatest contribution to world evangelization in history.” – Andrew Murray

“I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach.” – Charles Spurgeon

“Prayer is the secret of power.” – Evan Roberts

The HeartCry Calendar

At the beginning of each year, HeartCry publishes an annual prayer calendar in order to aid our donors in praying for each HeartCry missionary and staff member. The calendar can be hung on the wall in a visible place in your home or office. It can also be used in family devotions or in the context of home schooling. If you are not currently receiving the quarterly magazine and annual prayer calendar, please sign up for free.

The HeartCry Website

The HeartCry website is designed not only to inform, but also to mobilize God’s people in prayer. If you go to “The Field” on our menu bar, you will find our interactive map and a list of the continental regions in which our missionaries are laboring. Click any of the regions to gain access to the individual countries and the HeartCry missionaries who serve there. You may want to pray systematically through the regions, countries, and missionaries; or you may prefer to pray for a certain region of the world for which you are especially burdened. In any case, by all means, pray for the mission field and the missionaries who labor there. There is no need for delay; the fields are white unto harvest!

Guidelines for Prayer

The following is an outline prepared to help you pray biblically according to the Great Commission. Each petition is based on Scripture. This will enable you to pray with confidence, knowing that each petition is a perfect reflection of God’s will as it is revealed in His written Word.

Pray that the Gospel might be proclaimed to all the nations:

That the earth might be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14).
That all peoples still sitting in darkness might see the great light of Jesus Christ and His Gospel (Matthew 4:16).
That the Gospel of the kingdom might be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations (Matthew 24:14).

Pray for the Kingdom:

That the Name of God might be great among the nations from the rising to the setting of the sun (Malachi 1:11).
That the Name of God might be hallowed, reverenced, and praised by every nation, people group, and individual (Matthew 6:9).
That God’s rule might advance into the entire world and that every nation, people group, and individual might joyfully submit to His will (Matthew 6:10).

Pray for a larger missionary force:

That the church might catch a vision of the lost multitudes and be moved with compassion by the Spirit of God to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 9:37-38).
That God might send out more and more laborers into the harvest field (Matthew 9:37-38).
That the churches and believers that stay might dedicate themselves to sending out missionaries in a manner that is worthy of God (III John 1:5-7).

Pray for missionaries:

That God might open up doors for the Gospel to be preached in all places and to all peoples (Colossians 4:3).
That God might grant boldness to the missionaries so that they will have the courage to proclaim the Gospel in every opportunity (Colossians 4:3).
That God might grant wisdom to the missionaries so that they will clearly proclaim the true, biblical Gospel without mixture of error or false doctrine (Colossians 4:4).
That God might grant grace to the missionaries so that they will be wise in the way that they speak and act toward outsiders (Colossians 4:5): (i) To live in a manner that adorns the Gospel and makes it attractive (Titus 2:10); (ii) To behave in such a way that Word of God not be maligned (Titus 2:5); (iii) To hold fast the Word of life as blameless and innocent children of God without reproach in a crooked and perverse generation (Philippians 2:15-16); (iv) To shine like stars in the universe (Philippians 2:15), and like a city set on a hill (Matthew 5:14).
That God might grant grace so that the missionary will not forsake cultivating his relationship with God and conformity to Christ through his daily devotions in the Word of God and prayer (Psalm 1:1-3; Luke 18:1).
That God might open the eyes of the missionary to know what is the hope of His calling, what is the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward all who believe (Ephesians 1:18-19).
That God might grant grace so that the missionary will be constantly abiding in the Vine (John 15:4-5), laboring according to the power of God that mightily works within him (Colossians 1:29), and bearing fruit that will remain (John 15:7-8, 16).
That God might grant grace so that the missionary manages his own household well, with love, biblical instruction, encouragement, order, and discipline. Pray that salvation might be the mark of his entire family (I Timothy 3:4-5; Ephesians 5:22-6:4).
That God might protect the missionary, his family, and his labor from the temptations of the evil one, doubt, and discouragement (Ephesians 6:12; I Peter 5:8-9).

Pray for the conversion of the nations:

That God might call out a people from all nations for His own Name’s sake and glory (Ezekiel 36:22-24). This is the chief end of missions – that God might be glorified in those whom He has saved.
That God might purify His people from all their impurities and from all their idolatries (Ezekiel 36:25).
That God might remove the heart of stone from His people and give them a heart that is responsive to Him and His Word (Ezekiel 36:26).
That God might put His Spirit within His people and cause them to walk in His statutes and be careful to observe His commands (Ezekiel 36:27).
That one day a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and tongue might stand before the throne in worship of God and the Lamb (Revelation 7:9-10).

More Quotes on Missions and Prayer

We have included here a few more encouraging and challenging quotes regarding the role of prayer in the Great Commission:

“The evangelization of the world depends first upon a revival of prayer. Deeper than the need for workers; deeper far than the need for money; deep down at the bottom of our spiritual lives, is the need for the forgotten secret of prevailing, worldwide prayer.” – Robert Speer

“The missionary church is a praying church. The history of missions is a history of prayer. Everything vital to the success of the world's evangelization hinges on prayer.” – John R. Mott

“When we rely upon organization, we get what organization can do; when we rely upon education, we get what education can do; when we rely upon eloquence, we get what eloquence can do. And so on. But when we rely upon prayer, we get what God can do.” – Dr. A. C. Dixon

“Without prayer, even though there may be increased interest in missions, more work for them, better success in organization and greater finances, the real growth of the spiritual life and of the love of Christ in the people may be very small.” – Andrew Murray

“Prayer is action. By it we step out in advance of all other results . . . Praying is an activity upon which all others depend. By prayer we establish a beachhead for the kingdom among peoples where it has never been before. Prayer strikes the winning blow. All other missionary efforts simply gather up the fruits of our praying.” – David Bryant

“Prayer alone will overcome the gigantic difficulties which confront the workers in every field.” – John R. Mott

“Satan trembles when he sees the weakest Christian on his knees.” – William Cowper

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Keith Fong