PRAYER: AN ESSENTIAL PART
1 FINALLY, BRETHREN, PRAY FOR US, THAT THE WORD OF THE LORD MAY RUN SWIFTLY AND BE GLORIFIED, JUST AS IT IS WITH YOU,
2 and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; FOR NOT ALL HAVE FAITH."
2 Thessalonians 3:1,2 (NKJV)
Apostle Paul in the above passage of the Bible was asking the Thessalonian believers to pray for them; both Paul himself and those who are working with him in the mission work (2 Thessalonians 3:1).
It is not a sign of weakness for a leader to ask the people he is assigned or ministering to, to pray for him (Ephesians 6:19; Colossians 4:3).
This shows that no one is all in all in the Body of Christ, we surely need one another (1 Corinthians 12:25-27).
We could see this example in the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, when He did ask His disciples who were with Him to pray and watch with Him at His time of low ebb, when He was about to go to the cross (Matthew 26:37-40).
Apostle Paul also did the same, asking others to pray for him, in a number of other places in some of his epistles (Romans 15:30-32; Ephesians 6:19; Colossians 4:3; 2 Thessalonians 3:1,2).
That said, even if your leader did not ask you to pray for him or her, as a mature believer, you should know that you have a responsibility to pray for your leaders and their families and other believers; both in the church you attend and other places (Ephesians 6:18; 1 Timothy 2:1-3,8).
Apostle Paul's prayer points:
a. That the Word of God might run swiftly and be glorified (2 Thessalonians 3:1).
b. That they, Paul and his team, might be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for it is not all people that have faith (2 Thessalonians 3:2).
The first prayer request shows us that whoever is going out for outreaches should pray ahead of his going and ask others to join in praying for him and the people who would be going with him. Prayer should be an integral or essential part of evangelism or mission work.
The second prayer point also shows us that someone going out for an outreach or a mission work is at the risk of being attacked by those who might be against what he or she is out to preach.
The person should not be afraid but should pray and cover all they will do with prayer.
a. Pray for the utterance to be given to whoever would do the preaching (2 Thessalonians 3:1).
b. Pray for the equipments that would be used in preaching and other things (Ephesians 6:19; Colossians 4:3).
c. Pray for protection from being harmed or attacked by the wicked people and the extremists, especially in the heathen lands or Islamic communities or country where there is no freedom of practicing whatever religion (2 Thessalonians 3:2).
d. Pray for safe and journey mercy, that the journey to and fro would not be disrupted. That there would be no accident and attack from the hoodlums—violent criminals and robbers:
"IN JOURNEYS OFTEN, IN PERILS OF WATERS, IN PERILS OF ROBBERS, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, IN PERILS IN THE CITY, IN PERILS IN THE WILDERNESS, IN PERILS IN THE SEA, IN PERILS AMONG FALSE BRETHREN" (2 Corinthians 11:26 NKJV).
The Scripture quoted above is one of the illustrations of Paul's experiences in his missionary journeys. In a cross-cultural mission work, where the outreach terrain is not familiar, you would need to pray on a number of things we had highlighted or mentioned above in the prayer points.
Peace.