Pray for the Nations
It’s natural that America should be the focus of the National Day of Prayer. But that’s not all it’s supposed to be about.
In 1983, after a campaign to revive the National Day of Prayer and setting a fixed date for it, President Ronald Reagan’s proclamation included this aspiration: “We pray it may one day bring renewed respect for God to all peoples of the world.”
As you pray for our nation today, would you please also pray for all nations?
Most of the world’s population has little or no access to the salvation Jesus died to offer to all people. Estimates vary on just how many people that is, but all those estimates are in the billions.
PeopleGroups.org, a ministry of the International Mission Board, estimates there are 4.2 billion unreached people worldwide. The Joshua Project puts the number at 3.06 billion people.
To put those numbers in perspective, try to picture the county you live in having no churches. Then think about your state without a single church. Now imagine the entire region you live in, without a single church. At some point, it becomes very difficult to fathom.
But even the smallest estimate of the number of unreached is greater than the combined population of North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Australia.
Prayer should definitely be a part of our response to those needs. Indeed, our response to those needs should be bathed in prayer. As we pray, let’s be open to hearing what God wants us to do and be responsive to Him.