Prayer is a key part of the Christian life. But for many of us, whether we’re new to the faith or have followed Jesus for some time, it can often feel intimidating. How do we know what to pray for? Early followers of Jesus had the same question.
“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples’” (Luke 11:1, New International Version).
Jesus then guided them through a prayer, which we commonly know as The Lord’s Prayer, to communicate with their Heavenly Father. This prayer gave Jesus’ disciples both direction about how to pray and what they should pray for. Today, there are many guides and resources out there to help Christians like you and me focus our prayers.
At Jesus Film Project, we want to equip believers with the tools they need to share the gospel message with everyone, everywhere, with a special focus on those countries with the least access to the gospel. This includes global prayer guides to help Christians pray for nations around the world that are largely unreached with the message of Jesus.
Did you know that nearly three-quarters of all the world’s unreached people––3.6 billion people––live in 12 countries? Many people in these least-reached countries have never heard the gospel message.
Each of our eight global prayer guides contains facts and a short description of one of these countries. You’ll also find specific prayer requests from Christians living there.
Whether you’re praying alone, with your family, or with your church community, these guides can help you inspire and grow your heart for these least-reached nations to hear about Jesus.
Here are five ways you can use these global prayer guides:
1. Use Them in Your Personal Prayer Time.
During Jesus’ time on earth, He often set aside time to be alone and to pray to his Heavenly Father. As a teacher, He might have encouraged His followers to pray like this or showed them how to do it. Instead, the Son of God set the example for Christians to seek quiet and solitude to come to the Lord in prayer by modeling it Himself. Then, He instructed his disciples in the way they should pray.
Using a prayer guide can help direct your prayers and keep you focused on specific needs during these quiet times with the Father. Each of our global prayer guides has seven specific prayer requests—one for each day of the week.
Here are a few ways you can divide them up:
- Pray for a different request each day of the week
- Pray for all the requests every day for a week
- Focus on one request each week until you have covered each request
How or when you pray for each request in the guides is up to you. What matters is that you are lifting these needs to the Lord. Our God is faithful and hears every one of our prayers.
2. Pray with Your Small Group or Bible Study.
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25, NIV).
The author of Hebrews instructed early Christians to gather together and encourage one another in their faith. When we gather together and pray with one another, we put this instruction into practice.
Praying in a small group is a great way to nurture your own prayer life and create connections with other believers. It also provides the chance to pray for the needs of others.
If you are leading a Bible study or prayer group, consider downloading and sharing our global prayer guides with the members of your group or Bible study. The guides can help your small group pray with purpose. Divide the prayer requests between your group members so that each person focuses on a specific need, or you can all agree to pray for one request each day.
Talk with your small group and agree on how you will pray for the requests in the guides. Then, you can come together to lift up each least-reached nation represented in prayer.
3. Unite Your Church Through Prayer.
Have you ever considered praying with your church as a whole? You might think this is only possible with a smaller congregation, but it could work well with any size church if the prayer requests are available to everyone. A prayer guide is an excellent tool to help unite your church in prayer.
Many churches dedicate specific times or seasons to praying for missionaries serving in ministry abroad and those around the world who don’t yet know Jesus as Savior. Why not suggest one of those prayer times focus on least-reached nations? If your church’s leaders agree, it could shake things up in a good way and provide something fresh for everyone to be a part of.
It’s also a great way to unify your church under one goal or mission for a season. And unifying your congregation in prayer can be an effective way to build a sense of community. That unity is pivotal to a healthy church.
Use our global prayer guides to lead your congregation in prayer times that are more strategic and focused. The members of your church can pray for these requests at home with their families, or you can pray over the requests as a church family.
You might dedicate a service to lifting up the needs of least-reached nations or devote a specific portion of a service to guided prayer. Many churches open their doors early so members can pray before service begins. All of these provide opportunities for your congregation to unite and engage in guided prayer.
4. Guide Your Family in Prayer.
Leading your family in regular, dedicated prayer times can help bring your family together. If you have children, praying with them is a great way to help them develop their own habit of prayer and teach them how to regularly talk to the Lord. It’s also a great way to model prayer.
Our global prayer guides include a coloring page to encourage younger children to consider cultures in other countries. It may even prompt a discussion about children in other countries: Do they pray? What language do they pray in? Do they know God?
Using the prayer guides with your family can also spark meaningful conversations about people around the world who don’t yet know Jesus. It can help introduce your children to the concept of the Great Commission and how believers are working to reach people from other countries with the story of Jesus.
5. Use them as Part of a Mission Trip.
One of our staff members recently signed up to participate in a short-term mission trip to Thailand with his church. He shared these prayer guides and encouraged the group to prepare for their trip by familiarizing themselves with the country and praying for those they would serve.
Using the guide allowed the team members to focus their prayers and prepare their hearts for their time in Thailand.
If you are part of a short- or long-term mission, using a country-specific prayer guide is an excellent way to help your team members intercede for those they will serve.
Want to join us in prayer?
Prayer is a powerful way to join God’s mission, even from afar. Whether you’re praying alone, with a group, or as part of a larger initiative, a prayer guide can help you stay focused and pray with boldness and faith.
Are you ready to make an impact through prayer? Download our global prayer guides and start praying for the least reached nations.You can also visit our prayer page, where you’ll find information on the specific needs of a different least-reached country every month.
