A Prayer for the Families of Missionaries

God our Father,

You have brought us into your family by adoption, through your everlasting love.

Christ our brother,

You are not ashamed to call us your siblings, despite our constant shameful behaviour.

Holy Spirit, our guarantor,

You remind us of our position in the family of God, and of the inheritance that belongs to us because of it.

Our God, you are not a stranger to family.

Father, you know what it means to lose a son,

Jesus, you know what it means to be scorned by siblings, and to care for a mother.

Your Spirit works in us the same care, the same burden.

We pray for the families of missionaries:

For those left behind we pray that

through tears they may find peace,

through heartache they may find hope

through grief they may find life.

Use the pain to awaken them to the urgency of their own need before God; to turn to him for the first time, or to fall on him again for comfort. Show them them the Father’s heart, which sees sacrifice for future reward as far greater than holding on to what is.

For those leaving/who have left, we pray

that they may understand well, praying for those left behind, as Christ did for his own disciples,

that they may love well, caring for those left behind in practical ways, as Christ did for his own mother,

that they may speak well, and have the words to express motivations that are hard ot understand,

that they may learn to maintain good contact, while being present where they are,

that they may rest well, entrusting their loved ones into your care.

We pray for families as they serve together overseas.

Give them grace to hold one another up in times of stress.

Keep each member of the family close to you, thereby close to one another.

As they look out for the needs of many, help them to always first see the needs of their spouses and kids.

Keep marriages strong, spouses talking, praying and laughing.

Give singles a place in families of others, having left family behind that they may find a hundredfold overseas.

Help children to adjust to constant changes, to learn what it means to be a pilgrim, part of God’s family of nomads, and to grow up to follow you more closely because of it.

As we rejoice in being your family by Spirit, help us to show such care to our families by blood.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen