This prayer is for anyone who is serving God far from home, whether overseas, in a difficult city, or among a people group that is not their own. You can pray it when you hear a missionary’s update, on the morning a support letter arrives, or during a weekly prayer time with your church. Read it aloud as written, or use it as a starting point and speak your own words where your heart is fuller.
Christian Prayer for a Missionary
Father, thank You for the men and women You have called to go where the good news has not yet taken root. We ask You to go before them into every unfamiliar street, every clinic, every classroom and every village meeting. Give them language when their tongues stumble, and patience when the work moves slowly. Guard their health in climates and conditions that wear down the body, and keep their children safe in schools that feel strange to them.
Lord, many of the people they serve are carrying griefs we cannot see. Open the hearts of those who listen, and soften the hearts that are closed. Let our missionary be a faithful witness whether a seed sprouts this year or a decade from now. When they are lonely, remind them that You have not left them alone, and when they are discouraged by the work or the wait, meet them with fresh strength. Protect their marriage and their family from the strain of distance and danger, and give them friends who will pray with them and carry their burdens. We trust You with their finances, their visas and their future plans, knowing that nothing about their calling is hidden from You. Keep them close to You above all else. Amen.
A Shorter Version to Pray in a Moment
Lord, I lift up our missionary to You right now. Go before them today and give them wisdom in every conversation. Protect their body, their family and their heart, and let them feel Your nearness in the hard hours. Open the hearts of the people they serve, and let Your word take root in ways only You can see. Thank You for their faithfulness. Amen.
Scriptures to Pray Alongside
Matthew 28:19-20
19 Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
(WEB)
Pray that your missionary would hold tightly to the commission Jesus gave, trusting that the words of this promise go with them into every nation they enter, and that His presence is never withdrawn from the work.
Romans 10:14-15
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in him whom they have not heard? How will they hear without a preacher? 15 And how will they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Good News of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!”
(WEB)
Thank God for the people who were willing to be sent so that others could hear. Ask that the beautiful feet of your missionary would carry the message with boldness and that the sending would never be forgotten.
Isaiah 52:7
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
(WEB)
Speak this verse over the missionary’s daily travel and labor. Pray that their steps would be recognized as good news by those who have waited a long time for someone to bring it, even when the welcome is slow.
Ephesians 6:18-19
18 With all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints: 19 on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the Good News…
(WEB)
Ask God to give your missionary words when they need them most. Pray that they would be bold in sharing the gospel and that they would be supported by a steady stream of prayer from home.
Psalm 121:7-8
7 The LORD will keep you from all evil. He will keep your soul. 8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in, from this time forward, and forever more.
(WEB)
Pray this as a promise of protection over the missionary’s going out and coming in. Ask that the Lord would guard them from harm on roads, in weather and in every season of their long assignment.
How to Pray This Prayer
Choose a regular time to pray for your missionary, such as during your morning coffee or on the drive to work. Keep a list of their specific needs beside your Bible, including the names of their children, the city where they live and any upcoming trips, surgeries or language exams. Writing a few words each week helps you notice how God is answering over time.
Invite others to pray with you, whether a small group, your children or a prayer partner in another city. Consider sending a short message after you pray to let them know you are standing with them. A simple phone call or card that says “we prayed for you this morning” can encourage a missionary far more than you might expect.
A Blessing to Close
May the Lord bless the one who is sent and keep them in the palm of His hand. May He make His face shine upon them in dark seasons and give them peace where the path is uncertain. May the people they serve come to know the love of Christ through their faithful witness, and may the God who called them meet them with joy at every step.
