Begin Your Journey in Prayer for the Nations
God’s heart reaches far beyond our own needs, churches, and communities.
Throughout Scripture, we see His desire for peoples, tribes, languages, cities, and nations to know Him and experience His salvation, mercy, justice, and transforming power.
The Prayer for the Nations Pathway will help you enlarge your prayer life beyond what is familiar and begin interceding with greater biblical understanding for God’s purposes throughout the world.
Whether you already pray regularly for nations or are just beginning, this pathway will help you become more intentional, informed, and persistent in global intercession.
You do not need to know everything happening in the world before you begin.
Start with God’s heart, pray His Word, and allow Him to enlarge your vision.
What You Will Grow In
✦ God’s Heart for the Nations
Discover the biblical foundation for God’s love for every people group and His desire for the Gospel to reach the ends of the earth.
✦ Scripture-Based Global Prayer
Learn to use God’s Word as the foundation for praying for nations, leaders, churches, missionaries, and unreached peoples.
✦ Prayer for Unreached Peoples
Grow in understanding and compassion for people who have little or no access to the Gospel.
✦ Prayer for Missionaries and Christian Workers
Intercede for those serving cross-culturally, asking God for protection, wisdom, strength, open doors, and fruitful ministry.
✦ Prayer for Cities and Regions
Learn to pray strategically for cities, regions, cultures, and areas of influence.
✦ Prayer During Crisis
Develop a biblical response to war, persecution, disasters, instability, and humanitarian need without becoming overwhelmed by world events.
✦ Prayer for Leaders and Governments
Pray for those in authority with wisdom, humility, biblical perspective, and a desire for righteousness and peace.
✦ Persistent Global Intercession
Build rhythms of prayer that help you remain faithful to the nations over time.
The goal is not simply to know more about world events.
The goal is to become an intercessor whose heart increasingly reflects God’s love and purposes for the nations.
How to Follow the Prayer for the Nations Pathway
You may move through this pathway in order or begin with the area God has already placed on your heart.
You may want to:
- Choose one nation to pray for regularly
- Keep a nations prayer journal
- Pray over a world map
- Follow several missionaries or ministries
- Learn about unreached people groups
- Pray Scripture over current world needs
- Set aside one day each week for global prayer
- Pray with others for specific regions of the world
- Keep track of answered prayer
- Ask God to give you a deeper burden for a particular nation or people
Do not allow the size of the world’s needs to discourage you.
You are not responsible to pray for everything at once.
Faithful prayer for one nation, one city, one missionary, or one people group matters.
Your Prayer for the Nations Pathway
1. Discover God’s Heart for the Nations
Begin with Scripture.
Explore God’s desire for every nation and people to know Him and understand why global intercession is part of the calling of God’s people.
2. Pray for the Gospel to Advance
Ask God to open doors for the Gospel, strengthen churches, raise up leaders, and bring people into relationship with Jesus Christ.
Pray for places where access to the Gospel is limited or opposed.
3. Pray for Unreached Peoples
Learn about people groups who have little opportunity to hear the Gospel.
Ask God to send workers, open hearts, provide Scripture and Christian resources, and establish strong communities of believers.
4. Pray for Missionaries
Intercede for missionaries and Christian workers serving around the world.
Pray for their spiritual strength, families, health, protection, wisdom, relationships, and effectiveness in ministry.
5. Pray for the Church Around the World
Stand with believers in other nations.
Pray for churches to grow in biblical truth, prayer, unity, courage, holiness, love, and effectiveness in reaching their communities.
6. Pray for Persecuted Believers
Remember Christians who face opposition, discrimination, imprisonment, violence, or pressure because of their faith.
Pray for courage, endurance, protection, provision, and powerful witness.
7. Pray for Leaders and Governments
Pray for national and local leaders to govern with wisdom, justice, integrity, mercy, and concern for the people they serve.
Ask God to restrain evil and create conditions where truth, justice, peace, and the Gospel can flourish.
8. Pray During Global Crisis
When war, disaster, famine, displacement, or political instability occurs, learn to respond with focused prayer rather than fear.
Pray for protection of innocent people, humanitarian relief, wisdom for leaders, reconciliation, and opportunities for the Church to bring hope.
9. Adopt a Nation or Region in Prayer
Choose a nation, city, region, or people group that God places especially on your heart.
Learn about its history, culture, spiritual needs, churches, challenges, and opportunities.
Then begin praying faithfully over time.
10. Join Others in Global Intercession
Prayer for the nations becomes even stronger when believers pray together.
Join a prayer group, House of Prayer, church prayer gathering, or online prayer network and stand with others for God’s purposes around the world.
A Simple Way to Pray for Any Nation
When you do not know how to begin, pray through these five areas:
The People
Ask God to reveal Himself and draw people to Jesus.
The Church
Pray for believers and churches to become strong, prayerful, united, and courageous.
The Leaders
Pray for wisdom, integrity, justice, and peace among those in authority.
The Missionaries
Ask God to strengthen and protect those sharing the Gospel and serving the people.
The Next Generation
Pray for children and young adults to encounter God and become strong followers of Christ.
Let God Enlarge Your Heart
You may begin by praying for one country.
Over time, God may enlarge your heart for an entire region.
He may place missionaries, persecuted believers, unreached peoples, cities, or global prayer movements on your heart.
Remain open to His leading.
You do not have to become an expert on the world.
You simply need to become available to God in prayer.
Your Next Step
Choose one nation, city, missionary, or people group and begin praying for them consistently.
Ask God:
“Lord, what part of Your world do You want me to carry in prayer?”
Then begin there.
Pray God’s Word. Stand with the Church. Intercede for the lost. Bless the nations. Believe God for transformation.