Stephen and Sarah Zuber, Alliance international workers to Paraguay, share the following teaching on evangelistic prayer, adapted from teaching by Armando Zuniga at their language school in Costa Rica.
Have you ever wanted to pray for an overseas worker but didn’t know what to say? General prayers are wonderful (please don’t stop!). However, God seems to especially delight in answering specific prayers. Why? My theory is that when He does, we are more likely to recognize His work and have the added joy of praising Him for what He has done. Here are some specific ways the Bible guides us to pray for our overseas workers.
Boldness: Don’t pray that we’ll do great exploits for God—instead, ask Him to bless us with confidence and character so He can work through us to make the most of the opportunities He provides. (See Acts 4:29–31.)
Laborers: Our primary strategy in The Alliance is not to accomplish extraordinary things ourselves (although we love when that happens); rather, it is to focus on planting healthy, multiplying church networks led by local leaders who go on to accomplish far more than we ever will—even generations after we have left. This can happen only as God raises up national workers in Alliance fields where the harvest is plentiful. (See Luke 10:2.)
Entering the Doors God Opens: Pray that God will bring to us those in whom He is already at work—who need and want what He has given us—and that He will bless them through us. (See Colossians 4:2–4.)
Protection: We have an enemy who doesn’t want people to have access to the good news of God’s love and who actively opposes His work through us. Ask God to protect us when we have drawn the enemy’s attention. (See 2 Thessalonians 2–3.)
Ministry Success: “Success” in ministry is nuanced—and is so much more than numbers on a spreadsheet. God is glorified and heaven rejoices over each new believer who trusts in Jesus. We have no power to save a single soul, but God does—and He answers prayer. Pray for Alliance workers by name (if possible) and that His Word will increasingly be honored through their ministries. (See 2 Thessalonians 3:1; 1 Timothy 2:1–4.)
To learn specific prayer needs of Alliance workers around the world, see the weekly Alliance Prayer Requests.