Pray for the World – A New Prayer Resource from Operation World
For those familiar with Operation World, a leading resource for praying for the nations, Pray for the World will be a welcomed addition to the Operation World family. Pray for the World is a concise, abridged version of Operation World, 7th edition (2010).
Prayer is a powerful force! Paul instructs the Thessalonians to pray without ceasing. Jesus told his disciples: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Luke 11:5-13 says this: “And he said to them, ‘Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, “Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him”; and he will answer from within, “Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything”? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'”
I love the way this passage expresses that God has promised to answer prayer. Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Even those who are entrenched in the sins of this world know how to provide for those they love. How much more will God provide the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?!
‘Pray for the World’ makes it practical to pray for the world.
Followers of Christ ought to be a praying people. Christ called us to reach the nations. We ought to see beyond our own social, political, and cultural contexts. This resource, Pray for the World, allows us to see the world’s prayer needs broken down by region and country. Pray for the World, like Operation World did before it, makes it practical to pray for the world.
There are various ways to use this resource in your home and/or church including:
- Pray through the world in a year
- Keep the book near your TV, radio, newspaper, or computer in order to pray for countries that you hear or read about.
- Use it in conjunction with missionary prayer letters, mission agency magazines, etc.
- Use it in a small-group or prayer meeting
- Use it during a worship service for corporate prayer
IVP also offers discounted boxes of 32 copies of Pray for the World. As a youth minister, I have toyed with the idea of getting a box for my youth group, and utilizing it in some way. If you have the resources to purchase a box, and you are a church leader, small-group leader, youth minister, etc. I recommend it! Since Pray for the World is an abridged version of Operation World, it is more simple and portable. This is a great resource to use to mobilize people to pray for the world.
