Growing up, were you the girl always drawn to a map? The one who collected dictionaries in other languages or kept logs of translated sentences in your notebook? Did you lean in when it came time to fulfill foreign language credits or take classes in geography or world literature?
Once upon a time, maybe you felt the tug to go on the grand adventure of serving the Lord overseas. You imagined packing your bags for an indefinite stay in an undisclosed location, picking up your tiny pin on the map and moving it from your hometown to a continent across the world.
For most of us, that hasn’t happened yet. But that doesn’t mean our hearts don’t soar when we read verses like:
- “I will praise you, Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations” (Psalm 57:9).
- “The LORD reigns! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coasts and islands be glad” (Psalm 97:1).
- “Let the nations rejoice and shout for joy, for you judge the peoples with fairness and lead the nations on earth” (Psalm 67:4).
When I was in high school, I picked up a worn copy of Let the Nations Be Glad by John Piper at Half Price Books. I bought it the year I was supposed to be graduating—the sticker is still on the cover. Because of the severe medical condition I suffered, I knew I wouldn’t be able to get on a plane that year, much less move to another country.
But as I read the book, I began to realize that God, in His kindness, provides other ways to be a part of what He’s doing across the globe. You may not be in a season of sickness that limits your travel plans, but maybe you’re a mom to little kids who aren’t easily uprooted. Or the caretaker of elderly parents. Or someone God has called to serve faithfully in your local context.
In the afterword of Let the Nations Be Glad!, Tom Steller wrote:
Not every Christian is called to be a missionary. But every follower of Christ is called to be a world Christian. A world Christian is someone who is so gripped by the glory of God and the glory of His global purpose that he chooses to align himself with God’s mission to fill the earth with the knowledge of His glory as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14).1
If the Lord has led you to experience freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ, you can’t help but want others to experience it too: that includes everyone from your next door neighbor to your community leaders to women across the world whom you’ll never meet—at least, this side of heaven.
One day the throne room will be filled with people purchased by Christ from every tribe and language and people and nation (Rev. 5:9). What if God were to use you as a tiny part of the redemptive story He is writing for their lives?
4 Ways to Pray for Women around the World
Is it possible to partner with what God is doing around the world right where you are today? Absolutely. God has called us to cry out to Him for all things—including for the name of Jesus to be proclaimed in every corner of the world.
In Let the Nations Be Glad!, Dr. Piper wrote that the “gospel will not be proclaimed in power to all the nations without the prevailing, earnest, faith-filled prayers of God’s people.”2
He also described our call to prayer this way:
God has given us prayer as a wartime walkie-talkie so that we can call headquarters for everything we need as the kingdom of Christ advances in the world. Prayer gives us the significance of front-line forces, and gives God the glory of a limitless Provider.3
With the faith of front-line forces, will you seek the Lord? Here are four ways to pray right now for women around the world who haven’t yet heard the gospel:
1. With Praise!
Psalm 113:4 says, “The LORD is exalted above all the nations, his glory above the heavens. Who is like the LORD our God—the one enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?” Praise God that He rules above all things, and that He draws near and saves (Psalm 34:18).
2. For Provision
In Matthew 9:37–38, Jesus told his disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.” Will you pray for God to raise up missionaries as well as believers within these countries who will speak the Word with boldness (Acts 4:29)? At Revive Our Hearts, pray for God to continue equipping our international teams with translators, writers, producers, and faithful servants to accomplish the task He has put before them.
3. For the Word to Speed ahead and Be Honored
Paul prayed, “Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you” (2 Thess. 3:1 ESV). The apostles needed God to prepare hearts to hear and to believe the gospel. It’s God who blesses the receiving of His Word. Pray for God to open the ears of those who will hear truth in their own language—those who encounter ROH resources in other languages, so that they may behold the beauty of Christ and seek to follow Him all of their days.
4. For the Message to Multiply
God is more than able to use the obedience of one faithful woman to transform cities and countries for Christ. Pray that as women turn to Christ, that they will not keep the message to themselves. Pray that God will plant them in healthy church communities and help them to share what they’re learning with their friends and family. May they become women who cannot wait to share the truth about Jesus with everyone they know, so that the truth is multiplied far beyond what we could ever ask.
Give Truth . . . In Her Language
Another way that you can partner with what God is doing around the world is through giving. It’s not always culturally acceptable to talk about money in this way, but giving to gospel ministry has brought me such joy over the years, how could I not mention it?
When as a teenager I was too sick to travel, I donated a percentage of my babysitting money to international organizations with a gospel-passion to spread the message of Christ globally. One of those ministries was Revive Our Hearts. My financial investment was small—but it was given to a big God, who was more than able to multiply my portion and use it for His mighty purposes. Every time a testimony was shared after a project was funded, it made my heart sing.
Fifteen years later, I still feel that way. That’s why I wanted to be the one to tell you about this year’s #GivingTuesday campaign. Today, December 2, Revive Our Hearts has the goal of raising $115,000 to fund biblically-rich resources for Vietnamese and Khmer-speaking women around the world. Every single donation made today will help women hear truth from God’s Word in their heart language.
Will you prayerfully consider giving to this campaign? Pray now and continue to pray—as the podcasts are created, as they’re published, and as women hear hope in their own language.
If you were once the little girl who loved to look at maps, print one out today and circle the countries where you are asking God to welcome millions more women into His kingdom. May the Lord continue spreading the message of freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ—until the whole world hears.
1 Tom Stellar, afterword to Let the Nations Be Glad! By John Piper (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1993), 228.
2 John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad! (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1993), 66.
3 John Piper, 41.
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