Pray for the Entire World

Yesterday, I mentioned that David Platt ended his book Radical with the challenge to partake in a one-year experiment. The plan includes five components, which will provide pratical ways for you to live boldly, radically, for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The first step is to pray for the entire world.

If you are like me, you have trouble praying for your closest family members and friends on a daily basis. At least something more than, "God, please be with so-and-so," or, "Father, please guide and direct them," or maybe even, "Jesus, make Yourself known in their lives today." I think what Platt has in mind is a little bit more earnest than that. So, how I am going to pray for the entire world when I can't even manage serious prayer for the people I actually see every day?

Platt suggests using a wonderful resource, the book called Operation World.

Each day you read about a different country and learn what the specific prayer needs are for the people there. I used this book when I taught 5th grade. Every morning we would skim over the facts about the country for the day, find it on the map, discuss the prayer requests, and then pray for God to be made known in that country. Since I became a stay-at-home mom, all my school stuff got put away in boxes in our storage area downstairs. It's past time for me to go dig out that book, brush off the dust, and start using it once again. I think it would be fun to get a huge black and white world map as well. We could post in somewhere in the house. Then, as we pray for a country, we could color it in and watch our world grow more beautiful throughout the year. Kind of symbolic of what can happen as we pray for the entire world: God will hear our prayers and act; the gospel will spread; people will come to know Jesus, and they will experience life abundantly.

While praying for the entire world can seem quite overwhelming at first glance, if you break it down and just take it one day, one country, at a time, it's really not that hard at all.

Plus, Platt explains, as you pray for people around the world, you will develop a heart for the nations. As you learn about people who don't know about Jesus, you will be motivated to share the gospel with them, or make it possible for others to do so. This is where it gets radical. You move from "simply" praying for the entire world, to actually going into all the world.

Right about now, my mom is going to pick up the phone and call me to see if we are planning on moving overseas and taking her precious granddaughters with us. Not yet...

We are certainly open to leaving the United States and serving God wherever He leads us. While we are more than willing to go, we haven't felt like God is calling us to pack up and move out this instant. (Insert huge sigh of relief from the grandparents.) He hasn't shown us that path yet, and so we just keep following Him one step at at a time. If He does lay a specific place or people group on our heart, we will walk through any door He opens. (Now all the grandparents are praying that He wants us right where we are, forever.)

Once again, this is where the rubber meets the road, where the going gets tough (pun intended). And as they say, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going."

But it's not safe. What if something happens to you? What about your children? They're so young; you don't want to put them in any sort of danger.

Life won't be easy. You'll have to give up the things you are used to here in the States. What about doctors? What about safe drinking water and electricity and paved roads?

Lots of reasons not to go. Excuses, really. But "reasons" is more politically correct.

Platt takes all those reasons, excuses, and turns them back on the people who question the practicality and safety of going.

It's not safe. Jesus never said following Him would be easy, let alone safe. In fact, He promised hardship, persecution even, for those who believe in Him. And what if something does happen to you, or your children? If you don't go, if you don't take the gospel to the nations, then it's guarnateed something is going to happen to the people who never hear of Jesus. They will spend eternity in hell. Now that's dangerous!

Life won't be easy. What's more important, our personal comfort now or people's eternal destiny? If giving up electricity and running water and paved roads, or whatever else, means that people come to know Jesus, then I think the "sacrifice" is worthwhile. Platt shared multiple stories of missionaries who not only gave up modern conveniences, but risked their very lives, to share the gospel. Many did indeed die. Take Jim Elliot, for example. However, their deaths were not in vain. As a result of their sacrifice, others gained life, eternal life, as they trusted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Well, Kellah woke up from her nap, so I guess I will have to stop here. And later today, I'll have to find that book so we can start using it tonight. As we begin to pray for the entire world, and start living more radically for Jesus, who knows where our journey will take us?