What I Learned after Praying for Southern Baptist Missionaries for a Year
I started working for national WMU one year ago, which means I’m no longer “the new marketing guy.” In fact, after spending the past 365 days praying through WMU’s prayer calendar for our North American Mission Board and International Mission Board missionaries, I am now more convinced of Southern Baptist cooperation and feel more connected to our sacred mission than I ever have (and I will complete a master of divinity degree in May 2024 from one of our seminaries and have been a pastor of a Southern Baptist church).
But why is that? How is such a simple practice of praying for missionaries so transformative for someone like me who has been trained at one of our seminaries and who has pastored one of our churches?
I’m glad you asked. Let me explain. Supporting our missionaries in prayer helps us just as much as it helps them.
Praying for our missionaries has connected me to the Great Commission during a busy season.
When I started working for national WMU in May 2023, I was (still am) a husband and a father, I was a bivocational pastor (which ended in July 2023), I was finishing my master of divinity degree, and I was in the middle of an adoption. No, I do not recommend this path all at once, but the Lord has been kind to me and my family over the past year. We survived, and this busy season is coming to an end soon.
I am accustomed to being closer to the “front lines” of ministry — pastoring, evangelism, or discipling a brother one-on-one. However, the past year has not given me the time to pursue the kind of ministry I have previously done. Yet I don’t feel disconnected or further from accomplishing the Great Commission in this season of my life, despite being overwhelmed by seminary assignments and adoption paperwork. In fact, I feel very near to the work of the Great Commission.
Every day I pray for our missionaries, I understand that I have participated in a holy part of the Great Commission. From my desk in Birmingham, Alabama, I know God is answering my prayers in powerful ways, even in some of the darkest and most difficult missions fields.
After praying for our missionaries this past year, I learned this kind of prayer is not “busywork” to keep certain demographics “involved.” No, God has taught me prayer is the great work of cooperation every Southern Baptist church must commit to in order to participate in accomplishing the Great Commission.
Praying for our missionaries has strengthened my spiritual disciplines.
During the past year, I have become conditioned to read my Bible as though I’m about to pray for our missionaries. That may not sound groundbreaking, but let me show you how this practice has helped me read the Bible with fresh and relevant insight.
Recently, my Bible reading plan had me read Psalm 36. I’ve read this psalm many times, but this time I was struck by how verses 1–4 describe someone who one of our missionaries may be dealing with today. Can you imagine having to work with or live next to people who, as Psalm 36:4 (NIV) says, “do not reject what is wrong”? It would be incredibly difficult, but the psalmist doesn’t stop at verse 4.
While the deceitful character of the wicked abounds, the psalmist looks to God’s character. The contrast in verses 5–12 is striking. Although the wicked plot trouble, God’s steadfast love and faithfulness stretch further. The wicked do not reject evil, but God’s righteousness will not be moved.
Then a light bulb went off in my head! When the wicked succeed in this world, we need our eyes on the character of God so we don’t lose heart. And verses 7–12 are exactly what I should be praying for our missionaries today. I couldn’t even get through my Bible reading before I exploded with prayers for our brothers and sisters:
“How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings” (v. 7). Father, show Robert in California and Keith in Central Asia Your steadfast love is precious. Speak to them in Your Word today, and show them how they need Your promise-keeping love more than they need any material resource.
“They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights” (v. 8). Father, when the actions of the wicked create doubt and starve the faith of our sisters Melissa and Vera, who are serving among sub-Saharan African peoples, give them fresh revelation of Your character, and help them feast, drink, and be satisfied in Your house and from Your river.
“May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away” (v. 11). Lord, protect our brothers and sisters serving as chaplains from the arrogant and from becoming arrogant. Do not let the hand of the wicked drive them away from trusting Your steadfast love. In the name of Jesus, I pray, amen.
After praying for our missionaries this past year, I learned my time in God’s Word is helped by not only asking, “What does God have for me?” but also asking, “What is God saying that someone else needs today?”
Praying for our missionaries has changed the way I consume news.
The past 365 days have brought us the kind of news cycle that tempts Christians to anxiety or apathy. As a Christian who is trying to make sense of the headlines, I often feel the tension between “being informed but anxious” and “burying my head in the sand.”
One of the unintended consequences of faithfully praying for our missionaries over the course of a year is that I began to “dip into” the headlines and quickly “dip out” just to look for pieces of information that may relate to our missionaries. The earthquake in New York? The tropical storm in San Diego, California? A tsunami in Taiwan?
I should not be surprised by this anymore, but God’s Spirit often prompts us to pray for people at specific times because they need help at that moment. After praying for our missionaries this past year, I learned prayer for others is one of the best ways to distract my mind from the anxiety-inducing news cycle.
Praying for our missionaries has shaped the way I view my neighbors.
As I write this today, I am preparing to go to lunch with an old colleague. Let me preface: I now live in Birmingham, Alabama. We worked together in Tuscaloosa, a city about 50 miles to the west, more than five years ago, yet I have seen him five times out in public during the past year.
I didn’t think much of the first two or three times I saw him. However, I saw him a couple of weeks ago at Costco, and I realized these interactions have to be more than “coincidences.” I invited him to lunch, and I plan on asking him where he stands with the Lord. Update: He definitely knows he is not a Christian, but he is open to coming to church with me. Please pray he would take me up on this offer soon.
After praying for “divine appointments” for our missionaries this past year, I slowly but surely learned the Lord does the same for me, which brings me back to where I started.
I wish every Southern Baptist would take a year and learn what I have learned: supporting our missionaries in prayer helps us just as much as it helps them.
You can sign up to receive the prayer calendar here: tinyurl.com/signupWMU
If you want to help your church pray for our missionaries, visit wmustore.com for more information about WMU’s curriculum.
Zach Pratt is the marketing strategist for national WMU.
