Prayer for the World – Prayercast

The speaker at my Perspectives course posed a very interesting question in class on Sunday. He asked:

“If God answers all of your prayers from last week, would YOUR world change? Or would THE world change?”

Wow, right? Did anyone else feel that? It was the feel of conviction breathing down my neck. And it made me realize how largely selfish my prayers are. Up until recently my prayers have been focused on mine and my husbands circumstances – I’ve been praying for God to help US, and bless US, and take away OUR pain and OUR struggles and OUR anxieties. And while I’ve started to pray for my family as well, it’s still all very selfish of me. Very rarely do I pray for people or things outside of my own personal bubble.

One thing we’ve done in Perspectives that I’ve really enjoyed, however, is that each week we pray for a different country via Prayercast. From the website, “Prayercast exists to fuel a global movement of prayer for the sake of the lost.” The Bible tells us a few things about praying for the nations. For example:

Isaiah 56:7 “My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”

1 Timothy 2:1-2 “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgiving, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in godliness and dignity.”

And not only are we to be praying for the nations, but we are to be spreading the Gospel to all nations: “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14 (emphasis mine), and making disciples of all nations in The Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Our sole purpose in life is to spread the gospel of the Lord to all the nations – and a huge part of this should include praying for a spiritual revival throughout the world – which brings us back to Prayercast. For each country featured on the website you find a summary of the country, some prayer points, and a short video. They’re pretty powerful – and it’s a sobering reminder that our world is in dire need of prayer. It’s also a visual reminder, which for me puts things in perspective and makes it easier for me to pray. I’d like to get better at praying for others instead of focusing on myself – I’d like to get to the point where if God answers all my prayers from last week, THE world will change.

My challenge to you today is this: will you join me? Will you take a few minutes, check out the prayercast website, and pick a country – any country. Then, take some time to review the facts and watch the video, then spend some time in prayer for that country.

Imagine what a difference it could make in the world.

I’ll close by sharing a video that really struck me when we watched it. In addition to nation videos, Prayercast also has a series of “Special videos” that don’t necessarily focus on a country. This one is for the Muslim nations – primarily the Middle East and North Africa. Having spent several years living in the Middle East, this video spoke to my heart.

(If the above video doesn’t work, watch it on the Prayercast website here)