How to Pray for Those Who Have a Bible or New Testament
 In Their Native Language

(Courtesy of Wycliffe Bible Translators) 

Now that “the good seed” is available to be sown, pray, “prepared soil” in which it can be sown. Pray for hearts that “hunger and thirst” to know Him, to please Him, to have His help in meeting their felt needs. 

Books and literacy may not be cultural values. Pray the people will learn that books are a source of knowledge and listen to others read and want to learn to read themselves. 

·         Pray that those who can read will read aloud to those who still cannot, so that they too may profit from what God has said in His Word.

·         Pray that pride will not keep those who can read from reading aloud in public/church services through fear of embarrassment if they make a mistake.

·         Pray that readers will not stop halfway, before reading becomes fluent and fun, and helping others learn to read becomes a means of Christian service.

·         Pray that pastors and teachers will not fear losing status of control of teaching because those they teach can now read for themselves. Pray they will go from being merely interpreters from a national or trade language to being teachers of what the Scriptures mean and how there truth applies.

·         Pray that the people will learn the technicalities of using their bibles: how to find pages, chapters, verses, cross-references by numbers; how to read and locate places on maps; and how to study pictures and illustrations to learn cultural differences that help in understanding certain passages.

·         Pray that they will learn good bible study methods, to look to the Holy Spirit to help them understand, to compare Scripture with Scripture, to interpret meaning by context, and to go on from knowing the truth to living it.

·         Pray that the people will learn to base their witness and evangelism on Scripture, to make bible reading a priority in family life, to emphasize memorization of Scripture for ready recall in prayer, for mediation, for crisis situation, and for strength when facing temptation.

·         Pray that the people will not be unduly disturbed by alphabet differences or changes, variant renderings or revisions, and differences between dialect or other language versions but learn to obey what is clear and to reserve judgment and study what is ambiguous or unclear.

·         Pray that believers will use the Scriptures to find culturally appropriate ways of worship, witness, and conduct, and for discerning when practice is simply cultural (foreign of local) but not necessarily biblical.

·         Pray that believers, reading the Word, will get the big picture of God’s sovereignty, holiness, and greatness; of His worldwide, unprejudiced love and desire for all peoples to be saved and come to the full knowledge of His truth; and of their place as individuals and as a church in carrying the gospel to their own people and other peoples until Christ shall return.

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© 2010 Christian Missionary Pilots
Contact bkayter@sbcglobal.net