WHO MAKES THINGS HAPPEN
When I first went to the mission field, I had studied the Bible in seminary, strategies, and training in disciple-making, ambition, and readiness to share the good news. While important before going into the field, I was quite confident and relied heavily on what I knew to make things happen, so I didn’t resort to prayer other than asking God to bless my laborers. Little did I know, it didn’t work that way. God wanted me to depend on Him daily and walk with Him during every part of the process.
As an infant, I needed my parents. I was utterly dependent on them for everything. I didn’t realize this fully until I had children of my own. Even as a boy, I needed my mother and father, but something changed in adolescence when we thought I could do everything on my own or I wanted to prove that I could.
Relationally and spiritually speaking, I am still a child who is growing in daily dependence on my Father. I find that I need to depend on God more on the field than my home country where things are easier and familiar. The mission field constantly causes my faith to be stirred and tethered to One who ultimately makes things happen.
BIBLICAL REFLECTION ON DEPENDENCE
The mission is a divine undertaking, and your greatest asset is not your skill, but your utter dependence on the Almighty God who sends you through unceasing prayer.
God designed us to be dependent. Dependence on God is not an option. God created every human to be dependent by design, not as a flaw, but as an integral part of our relationship with Him. He formed us from the dust of the ground and breathed His very breath into us (Genesis 2:7), signifying that our life and existence originate entirely from Him. Furthermore, we were made in His image (Genesis 1:27), implying a relational capacity and an inherent need to reflect and rely on our Creator. Our dependence is foundational to our being, as Acts 17:28 affirms: “For in him we live and move and have our being.” We are not self-sufficient, but designed to thrive in constant reliance on the One who made us and sustains us.
Pray is foundational to missions work. Prayer isn’t just a helpful add-on or afterthought; it’s the absolute core of the global mission. Without fervent and intentional prayer, all our efforts – no matter how well planned or how hard we work – just won’t have that divine oomph or signature stamp (James 5:16b). Prayer is what directly links pioneers and their work to God’s wisdom, strength, and provision (Philippians 4:6-7). It’s how we acknowledge that God is King and His authority is absolutely essential for His kingdom to move forward (Matthew 6:10; Ephesians 6:18; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5; Acts 16:14; Acts 10:1-6). So, making prayer our first and primary work at every single step of missions, from the starting plans to the daily grind of ministry and follow-up – it’s imperative if we want to see real progress (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
5 Conditions of Prevailing Prayer by George Müller
1. Entire dependence upon the merits and mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ, as the only ground of any claim for blessing. (John 14:13-14; John 15:16)
2. Separation from all known sin. If we regard iniquity in our hearts, the Lord will not hear us, for it would be sanctioning sin. (Psalm 66:18).
3. Faith in God’s word of promise as confirmed by His oath. Not to believe Him is to make Him both a liar and a perjurer. (Heb. 11:6; (Heb. 6:13-20).
4. Asking in accordance with His will. Our motives must be godly: we must not seek any gift of God to consume it upon our lusts. (1 John 5:14; James 4:3).
5. Importunity in supplication. There must be waiting on God and waiting for God, as the husbandman has long patience to wait for the harvest. (James 5:7; Luke 18:1-8).
What other Scriptures or biblical aspects come to mind when you consider “dependence on God”? Take a few moments to look up 1-2 of these verses and journal what the Lord highlights for you.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9
THE IMPORTANCE OF DEPENDENCE
Charles Spurgeon once made this remark: “I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach.” Prayer is not compartmentalized as one duty of ministry; it shapes every aspect of every ministry. Our part in the mission depends upon prayer.
Dependence on God is vital for pioneering people in the mission field because it’s where their limitedness meets God’s limitlessness. Prayer is the intersection between our inability and God’s ability. When facing overwhelming challenges like persecution or lack of resources, relying on God means trusting Him to provide what we cannot, ensuring that any breakthrough or success is seen as His work, not ours. Dependence on God is truly leaning on God to make the impossible possible.
Spiritual Fruitfulness: True, lasting fruit in ministry comes from abiding in Christ, not from human effort. Our natural inclination is to rely on familiarities or our abilities. Dependence on God strips away pride and self-sufficiency, reminding us that apart from God, we can do nothing of eternal value (John 15:5).
Resilience and Endurance: The mission field is fraught with challenges, disappointments, and spiritual attacks. Dependence on God provides the peace, strength, and perseverance needed to continue and thrive (Isaiah 40:31).
Authentic Witness: A life lived in visible dependence on God is a powerful testimony to the unreached. It demonstrates that the God you proclaim is real, active, and trustworthy.
Sharing the Load: Carrying the weight of ministry on your shoulders leads to exhaustion. Casting your anxieties on the Lord and relying on His provision prevents burnout and despair (1 Peter 5:7).
Divine Guidance: Living and serving in a foreign place continually takes us out of our comfort zone and wheelhouse. We need divine guidance to shape our daily decisions, interactions, and very survival. Dependence means constantly seeking God’s wisdom and direction in complex and unfamiliar contexts (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Changing Hearts: We cannot change another person’s heart. Our role is to faithfully share the Good News, but it is the Holy Spirit who ultimately convicts and changes a soul.
Aligning Wills: When we pray, we aren’t approaching God as a mere “cosmic vending machine” for Him to dispense a simple answer to prayer in the field. We approach God who made heaven and earth, who is sovereign, whose precious providence reaches far beyond our comprehension. We aren’t aligning God’s will to ours; we are seeking God to align our will to His will when reaching the lost. (Matthew 6:10)
Reveal God’s Glory and Power: When we are weak, we get to see firsthand Christ’s power (2 Corinthians 12:9). The mission to the unreached is often overwhelming. God deliberately places us in situations where our human limitations become evident so that when breakthroughs occur, it is clear that He is at work. When we face impossible situations and God provides, His glory is unmistakably displayed, not ours.
Foster Intimacy: Dependence is meant to draw us closer to God. Just as a child relies on a parent, our reliance on God builds trust, deepens our relationship, and creates a bond of love and joy. (Hebrews 7:24–25)
Cultivate Faith and Humility: We are prayerless people because we are prideful people. Dependence requires humble faith that says to God, “We need Your help!” As we lean on God and see Him act, our faith grows fuller, enabling us to trust Him more in future situations. If we do not pray in humble faith, then we will be ensnared by pride.
Timothy Keller said, “To pray is to accept that we are, and always will be, wholly dependent on God for everything… The only person who dares wake up a king at 3:00 am for a glass of water is a child.” Pioneers are children who serve in challenging environments and experience moment-by-moment dependence on God in ways that are often tangible and immediate.
PRAYER ACTION
Consider the Scriptures you cling to above. Consider dependence. Write a prayer for the kind of person you want to be who is dependent on God and others.
BUILDING A PRACTICAL MINI-THEOLOGY OF DEPENDENCE
Take some time to prayerfully draft your practical mini-theology of “dependence” by responding to these questions:
Why did God make us dependent? Interdependent?
example: God is… We are the kind of people who… It is most like us/me to… We/I will… We/I hold to…
What does it look like to lean on God? Talk to God? Listen to God?
How does prayer make things happen? What happens when we don’t pray?
Once you finish share your responses with your mentor. Ask for feedback. Adjust your draft as needed.
Additional Resources for Going Deeper:
A Prayer Life That Nourishes Your Relationship to God
The Delusion of Independence, by Paul Tripp
Lead with Prayer, by Ryan Skoog
Creative Prayer & Intercession, by Tricia Blackford
George Müller of Bristol, by Authur T. Pierson
A Praying Life, Paul E Miller
WAYS WE DEPEND ON GOD IN THE FIELD
In the Muslim culture of the city where I live, prayer is not an anomaly. The mosques call people to pray five times a day. Men and women talk about prayer and perform prayer. The relationship I seek to have with God through Jesus Christ opens the door to a kind of prayer that causes neighbors to wonder. I talk to God like I know Him intimately. I call Him my Father. I bring the little details of my day before Him. I trust him to act in my life. And I can bring Him into any conversation—anytime, anywhere.
Once, while praying, I was struggling with the grammar of my new language. The person that I was praying for kept finishing my sentences for me. Two things were happening simultaneously, I was depending on God to God for help to be understood in prayer and I was praying for my friend who needed to depend on the Lord who sees and hears. When I looked up, I could see that my friend was visibly moved, despite having corrected my poor grammar.
Consider these practical scenarios where dependence on God through prayer is vital in the field:
Language Acquisition: When the local language seems insurmountable, dependence means praying for divine help in learning, for open doors to practice, and for the ability to communicate the gospel. Workers in the mission field pray for “ears to hear” and “tongues to speak” in a new way.
Making Disciples: Dependence means praying specifically for God to reveal and connect you with individuals or families whose hearts He has prepared to receive the Gospel (Luke 10:5-6). When faced with hardened hearts or seemingly unfruitful efforts, missionaries depend on God for spiritual breakthroughs. They pray for conviction of sin, open eyes to truth, and the Holy Spirit’s power to transform lives, knowing this is only something God can do.
Spiritual Opposition: Encountering spiritual darkness, witchcraft, or deep-seated idolatry requires absolute dependence on God’s power to break spiritual strongholds through persistent, fervent prayer (Mark 9:29).
Provision of Resources: Whether it’s financial support, housing, visas, or essential supplies, dependence means trusting God to provide for every need, often in surprising ways like unexpected donations, local generosity, or creative means that only He could arrange. (Philippians 4:19)
Safety and Protection: Operating in volatile or hostile environments necessitates constant prayer for divine protection for yourself, your family, and your local contacts. One also depends on God for physical protection from harm, health in challenging climates, and spiritual shielding against unseen forces. (Psalm 91:1-2; 2 Thessalonians 3:2).
Discernment and Wisdom: When making critical decisions about strategy, partnerships, or personal conduct in culturally complex situations, dependence means seeking God’s wisdom above all else (James 1:5). Consider praying the Bible, especially the Psalms and the many prayers scattered through the New Testament letters. These can give the words needed and confidence to pray according to God’s will.
spreading the fame 