During Jesus’ earthly ministry, He interacted with all kinds of people. On one occasion as He was teaching and healing, Jesus turned to His disciples and said, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:37-38)
The fact that more than 6,000 people groups still have no access to the gospel today can seem overwhelming to even the most strategically-involved believer. Yet the simple solution Jesus offered to His disciples remains true for us today: “Ask the Lord of the harvest for more workers!” This is something we can do in our homes, churches, and communities. Let’s teach our children to pray as Jesus taught His disciples to pray–by asking God to provide for His work.
Scripture is filled with examples of what God did to pursue the nations. In the Old Testament, we find more than 500 uses of the Hebrew words “goy/goyim,”which mean “nation/nations,” and refer to non-Israelite peoples, or Gentiles. We can use God’s Word to pray for His work to be accomplished among the nations (goyim) of our day! Grab your Bible and be prepared to ask God for exactly what it says in His Word–that the nations would come to praise Him!
In Malachi 1:11, God promises, “My name will be great among the nations (goyim), from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations (goyim).” We can take God’s promises and turn them into a prayer like this: “God, You say in Your Word that Your name will be made great in all the nations in all the earth! We pray that Your name will go forth in the places where it is not yet known. We pray that You would send Your workers to these places, so that all the nations will bring offerings and praise to You alone. Amen.”
We can use the Psalms to ask God to bless all the nations with the knowledge of the grace of His salvation. In Psalm 67, change phrases to reflect a personal conversation with God. For the “peoples” and “nations” (goyim), substitute a specific people group that is on your heart [see brackets for suggestions].
1 May God [God, will you] be gracious to us and bless us
and make his [your] face shine on us—
2 so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations [insert people group].
3 May the peoples [insert people group] praise you, God;
may all the peoples [of them] praise you.
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples with equity
and guide the nations of the earth.
5 May the peoples [insert people group] praise you, God;
may all the peoples [of them] praise you.
6 The land yields its harvest;
God, our God, blesses us.
7 May God [God, will you] bless us still,
so that all the ends of the earth will fear him [you].
Here are more passages you can use to pray Scripture back to its Author, asking God to fulfill His promise to gather people from every “tribe, tongue, and language” before Him in praise: Psalm 86:9-10, Psalm 96:1-8, Isaiah 49, and Revelation 7:9. God has been pursuing the nations since the beginning of time. He is faithful to fulfill the promises He has given concerning them, so we can boldly come to His throne and ask these things.
About the Author: Alicia Bennett is fueled by a passion to see God’s name made known to all the nations. Alicia is a teacher, mobilizer, and mom empowering the youngest generation to take up the mantle of faith and run the race well. She has written and taught dozens of children’s mission lessons to illuminate what the Bible says about God’s heart for all tribes, tongues, and nations. Connect with her on Instagram @mobilizermom.
