The Lord’s people are often encouraged to pray for missionaries and the
presentation of the Gospel of Christ around the world, and rightfully
so. These laboring brothers and sisters face danger, discouraged, and
disappointment daily. They need our prayers.
Unfortunately, the prophet in his own country is often forgotten, or
overshadowed by the rightful care for those laboring abroad. Many
laboring saints in their home country are forgotten when it comes to
prayer. Thankfully, there are many who do pray, and many of them
are godly widows and widowers who use their available time wisely in
prayer.
However, there still remains an urgent need for prayer for home
workers. They face a variety of problems, not the least of which
is temptation. The adversary is very active in attempting to bring down
those desiring to serve the Lord, and who are in the limelight.
Obviously, he desires to defeat all Christians, but some are bigger
targets than others. In recent years we have lost some very active and
gifted brethren due to failure. This is not only sad and disappointing,
it is also discouraging to the Lord’s people, while adding to the load
of other workers.
None of us are above falling. “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” (1 Cor. 10:12)
Workers need to be alert to these attacks and understand the severity
of such a fall. If the apostle Paul would ask for prayer —“Brethren,
pray for us.” (1 Thess. 5:25)
— how much more should laborers covet the prayers of the saints and
fellow laborers. They, themselves, need to be crying out to the Lord
often to preserve them.
We need also to pray for their recovery, and for those who are
spiritual to work toward that end. Failure, while shutting certain
doors of service, does not render the restored saint useless. The
adversary would love to convince the fallen it does, and other saints
as well, but it is another of his lies.
Temptations in this country no longer wait for us to seek them, but
they are advanced upon all saints almost constantly. Due to
governmental breakdown in the area of prohibiting pornography, and
other immoral activity, temptation is at our door step, and even forces
itself into our homes by way of the phone lines and computers.
We need to be praying for the spread of the Gospel at home and abroad,
but we must also be praying for those individuals who are laboring in
many ways—teaching, shepherding, publishing, counseling, and
evangelizing. There is an urgent need for prayer for those laboring at
home!