In Jesus' Name预览

Go Into All the World

Before He left this earth, Jesus gave His disciples a commission: “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone” (Mark 16:15, NLT). As the Body of Christ, it’s our calling to go all throughout the world and tell everyone about Jesus. But did you know the Great Commission isn’t only fulfilled through traveling to far-off countries?

In his book Hope for the Troubled Heart, Billy Graham recounts the story of a missionary and his family who lived in a mission camp and received distressing news of an impending attack by a group of thieves. They prayed for protection, and nothing happened that night. A few months later, a man was brought into the mission hospital, and he wanted to know if the mission camp had soldiers on duty that specific night a few months before. The man said he was a member of the gang of thieves who had intended to rob and kill the missionaries, but they were afraid of the 27 soldiers surrounding the mission camp. The missionary returned home, retelling his unusual story, and a member of his church said, “We had a prayer meeting that night, and I took the roll. There were 27 of us present.”

That missionary was completing his kingdom assignment to spread the gospel, but so were the 27 church members. You don’t need a passport to fulfill the Great Commission. Through the fervent prayer of the people at home, that missionary and his family were able to safely continue carrying out the call God had for them in reaching people in a distant nation!

You, too, can live out the Great Commission through prayer. You can “go into all the world” from the four walls of your home, during your drive to work, as you clean the house, as you mow the lawn ... as you live your daily life ... all through prayer.

The Apostle Paul told Timothy: “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them” (1 Timothy 2:1, NLT). Think about those words ... “all people.” Paul didn’t say, “Pray for your friends” or “Pray for the people you know” or “Pray for your family.” Paul wanted to make sure that Timothy knew he should be praying for all people.

Now, there’s no shame in praying for yourself. Nor is there anything wrong with praying for your family and friends. God wants you to pray for those things, but He also wants to expand your vision. He wants you to focus on the nations as well.

Jesus emphasized this broad worldwide scope of prayer when He told us to pray: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” One of our prayer mandates is to intercede for the whole earth—to pray for God’s will to be done in the lives of people everywhere.

We must be prayer warriors who live and fight with God’s heart for all people. Jesus “gave His life to purchase freedom for everyone” (1 Timothy 2:6). As God’s children, we can fight for the nations through prayer, showing people all over the world the freedom He has purchased for them. We can see His kingdom manifested in the earth through prayer.

Ask God to show you how you can expand the scope of your prayers. He might put a specific country on your heart. He may have you pray for the world as a whole. He might draw your attention to a specific need in a specific region. Open your spirit, listen for His direction concerning the nations and then boldly fulfill the Great Commission through prayer. Revelation 5:9 (NLT) tells us that He shed His blood to ransom “people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” Let’s seek God for a global harvest. Let’s go into all the world from our knees.

To get nations back on their feet, we must first get down on our knees.
~ Billy Graham

Prayer

Father, I want to see people of every tribe, language and nation come to know You. I pray for all people. I pray for the nations. I believe that Your kingdom is being revealed all over the earth! Give me Your direction concerning what You want me to pray. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Activation

• Focus your prayers today on the nations.
• Ask the Holy Spirit whom He wants you to pray for. It could be an entire continent, a country or just one person.
• Partner with other believers who share your burden for the same country, place or people group and pray together.

Memory Verse

O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you. Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:1–3 (NLT)