When we think about the billions of people in the world who have never heard the name of Jesus, it can feel overwhelming. We know that prayer is powerful, but where do we start when praying on such a vast scale?

1. See

Often, we tend to pray about the things directly affecting our own lives. Of course, this is not wrong – prayer should be a continual conversation with God.

Nothing is too small to bring to Him in prayer. But nothing is too big either.

As we lift our eyes to see people groups in our world who have limited access to the Gospel, we’re more likely to pray for them.

One practical way to do this is to read. The Joshua Project and Operation World both have excellent resources available online. Discover specific prayer needs for each people group at joshuaproject.net and operationworld.org.

2. Safeguard

In regions where Christ is least known, often those who decide to follow Him will face persecution. Pray for protection and perseverance for these new believers, who often live in places where there is no known church.

Turning from another religion to follow Jesus can be one of the sources of this persecution. If you’d like to pray for Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist background believers throughout the year, join ‘The Prayer Room’ Facebook group via the link below. 

Join the Prayer Room

3. Send

In Luke 10:2, Jesus told His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” This verse is often quoted in relation to mission. But the verse has a second part: “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.”

When we see a need for more people to engage in mission, Jesus says our first response should be prayer. Not cajoling using human wisdom, but trusting in the wisdom of God and praying for His Spirit to be intervening in people’s lives.

Being involved in this is exciting and humbling. But as you pray, be open to the possibility that you might be the one God is calling to these places and people that He so loves.

To get started, explore our prayer page for different resources to fuel your prayers for people groups around the world. 

Get started here