First, remember God's priority for the nations.
Genesis 12: 3 "And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
Galatians 3:8 "In you (Abraham) all the nations shall be blessed."
Psalm 2:8 "Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession."
Matthew 28: 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, ..."
Revelation 5: 9 "You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals, For You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,..."
God made the nations, God cares for the nations, God seeks to redeem the nations, and God will give the nations as an inheritance to His Son.
But how are they reached? It begins here..."The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." Matthew 9:38 ESV
Dick Eastman says, "The degree to which prayer is mobilized is the degree to which the world will be evangelized."
The Greek word for prayer here in Matthew 9:38 is not the normal word; it is deomai, a much stronger word meaning to "plead desperately, to beg."
So as followers of Jesus, our hearts should care deeply for the nations. But how can we? Especially as a prayer warrior?
1. Get a map of the world (yes, a real map, not just on your phone) and pray over the map. Ask God to grant you a burden for a particular continent, then a nation on that continent.
2. Learn all you can about that country: government, history, language, culture, music, religion. Get names of current leaders, pastors, etc.
3. Watch for news and articles about that country and turn those points into prayers.
4. Seek out from the International Mission Board or other mission organizations of what type of presence Christians have in that country. Maybe reach out to a missionary or pastor to let them know God has led you to pray for that country and seek requests from that individual "on the ground."
5. Get a flag from that country and keep it on your prayer altar. Get some music from the country and play to hear their "heartbeat."
6. Ask the Father for His plans and purposes for that nation. What is He doing there? Pray for that nation to become a "gift to the Son."
Rees Howells, one of the most notable men of prayer God used powerfully during World War II, wrote: "A prayer warrior can pray for a thing to be done without necessarily being willing for the answer to come through himself, and he is not even bound to continue in the prayer until it is answered. But an intercessor is responsible to gain his objective, and he can never be free till he has gained it."
7. Be willing to go to that country to simply walk and pray on site. I remember when I went to a Middle Eastern country in 2000, the missionary pointed out four ladies from South Korea who were there walking the streets and praying. From South Korea? (Yes, this is one of the most powerful missionary-sending nations of the world and it was all birthed out of prayer.). Women? Alone? Yes, no men; just four women there praying on site. Anybody and everybody can GO!
Would God call you to go to Worcester, Massachusetts with us to do prayer walking? It is the second largest city in New England and we are partnering with the Pleasant Street Church in downtown. What an opportunity. Learn more here.
Maybe you would go a week before we go in June to prepare the ground spiritually? Maybe God would call you to go another time to simply pray. Obey and go!
Let's be believers following Jesus with the nations prominent in our prayers and our going. One more blog post next Monday about the nations.
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