Isn’t anyone praying out there?

Prayer is the air cover that enables missionaries to take ground, says Marty Davison, who explains how faithful prayer support provides vital protection and strength for missionaries on the front line.

“It’s like hell on earth here. Isn’t anyone praying?” That’s what I shouted down the phone to a friend not long after arriving in the Amazon as a missionary.

His reply really impacted me and has stayed with me ever since.

“Yes,” he said. “We’re praying. Imagine how much worse it would be if no one was!”

During my time in mission, one thing I’ve learned again and again is that a prayer guard is essential. It’s the shield that makes everything possible.

I often think of it as being like air cover during a military operation. Having air supremacy means you can take ground because you are covered.

When I first started in my role as Elim UK’s International Missions Director, I had to go to an Islamic country after the tragic death of the son of an Elim Global pastor. Having prayer cover over every detail – flight connections, baggage arrival, protection and wisdom – is paramount. Knowing that support can be mobilised at the sending of a WhatsApp message brings enormous reassurance.

In my role there are also many times when I’m flying into countries and situations where I don’t know all the details or where I need to be spiritually sharp. Here, I need to hear and discern what God wants me to say or do. Sometimes I’ll be going in with a word and it’s important that God’s word is communicated clearly in a way that those listening can receive.

Over the years there have been so many times when I’ve been reminded that people are praying or standing in the gap for me as a missionary, too. There is no greater intercessor than Jesus, but the Holy Spirit often reminds me of these individuals who are praying.

In the early days before I headed out to the Amazon, for example, God dropped a name in my head – ‘June Freudenberg’. I had heard of her because she had come to Northern Ireland to minister in some Elim churches. She was Prayer Coordinator at Kensington Temple and part of Prayer for Parliament.

I decided to ring her.

“I’m going to Brazil as a missionary and I’m getting married,” I said. “God has put your name in my head!”

From that day on, she became one of the people faithfully praying for us.

Some years later, while on furlough in Northern Ireland, a man stopped me after I’d spoken at my home church at the time, Carryduff Elim (I was a dentist and was sent out from there as their missionary dentist).

“Marty,” he said, “every time I brush my teeth, I pray for you.”

Conversations like these changed my perspective. They reminded me that even when missionaries feel alone they’re often being carried by people who are quietly praying at home. Instead of wondering whether people were praying, I began thanking God that they were.

If you’ve ever wondered how you can support mission, don’t underestimate the power of prayer.

You may never travel to the places our missionaries serve, but your prayers travel there every day.

If you’d like to join our weekly prayer emails or Tuesday 7am prayer Zoom, we’d love to hear from you. To join the Zoom, we’d need a reference from your pastor before a link could be sent, but it’s a really good way to begin to pray for our missionaries.

Also, this year, we will once again be joining together at City Church Cardiff – at 6pm on Sunday 1 November – to pray with our brothers and sisters in the persecuted church around the globe. This prayer night will also be livestreamed on Elim’s YouTube channel.

Together, we can stand with and support those who are serving faithfully around the world.

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.