Praying for the World, One Country at a Time

John Knox prayed, “Lord, give me Scotland lest I die.”

Paul wrote, “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:2-3).

Jesus prayed, “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word ... I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours” (John 17).

All three ached to reach the lost, but notice how specific their concerns were – for Scotland, for kinsmen and for those whom God had given to Jesus. Their burdens were tangible. I think there’s something to that.

Years ago, I came across a book called Operation World by Operation Mobilization. It’s formatted for daily use, giving readers specific demographics and prayer points for every country in the world. It’s the best resource I’ve seen when it comes to praying for the nations.

I have an old edition (5th edition) of the book, so I need to purchase an update (the most current is the 7th edition), but I just opened my copy to March 11 and the country to pray for today is Botswana (in Africa). Again, this is old information so I won’t list particulars, but it lists the country’s economic condition, political positions, social problems, religious breakdown, church problems, and it provides seven specifics to pray about.

Over the years, I’ve worked my way through this book twice. It’s been a while, so I need to make it a priority again soon. But if you are looking for something specific to pray about during your devotional time, how about praying for the nations – one by one for a year? (No, there aren’t enough countries to pray for one all 365 days, but the book includes various islands and territories, and it also includes days to pray for items such as Christian literature, relief and development, medical mission work, etc.).

Doing so will give you a view of the world from a kingdom perspective.

T.S. Mooney: It was Time to Pray

If you have ever fallen for the lie that your prayers are ineffectual, then you need to hear about a man named T.S. Mooney.

Alistair Begg told a story on his radio broadcast Truth for Life this week about Mooney, a man who never married, but made an enormous impact for the kingdom through prayer. Mooney, who was a banker by trade, taught a boys’ Bible class for fifty years in Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

Fifty years. Let that sort of commitment sink in.

Begg asked him one day about his plan and purpose for the boys.

“My plan for the Bible class has always been to give every boy a Bible in his hand, a Savior in his heart and a purpose in his life,” Mooney said.

Mooney prayed for each boy routinely, keeping up with them as they grew up. Begg said that when he visited Mooney in his apartment one day, Mooney had photos of men who went through his class as boys hung all over his apartment. Sprinkled all over his walls were photos of judges, surgeons, teachers, mechanics, plumbers and all sorts of other people – all of whom were influenced by Mooney’s teaching and prayers.

Mooney died in 1986. But he left quite a legacy, even in his death. Begg described Mooney’s posture on the day he died and entered heaven.

“The housekeeper found him in the morning – fully dressed and kneeling over his bed,” Begg said. “He had gone into the presence of Jesus on his knees.”

His housekeeper called for help and the headmaster and one of the men who had gone through his Bible class years prior showed up. As they pulled Mooney back from the bed, they found a little black book alongside his Bible. “They looked down to find their names amongst the list of many names,” Begg said. “It was morning. It was time to pray. And he was praying.”

Can you imagine a better way to die?

And can you imagine how those two men felt when they looked into Mooney’s little black book and realized he had been praying for them?

Sort of makes you want to start your own little black prayer book, doesn’t it?

Luther’s Remedy for Joyless Prayer

Martin Luther’s barber, Peter, had a question about how one should pray.

It says something about Luther that his barber would be willing to ask him such a question, doesn’t it? Apparently, they spoke about spiritual matters while engaged in a common earthly matter – which is often the best way.

Here’s Luther’s response, written in 1535:

Dear Master Peter: I will tell you as best I can what I do personally when I pray. May our dear Lord grant to you and to everybody to do it better than I! Amen.

First, when I feel that I have become cool and joyless in prayer because of other tasks or thoughts (for the flesh and the devil always impede and obstruct prayer), I take my Book of Psalms, hurry to my room, or, if it be the day and hour for it, to the church where a congregation is assembled and, as time permits, I say quietly to myself and word-for-word the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and, if I have time, some words of Christ or of Paul, or some psalms, just as a child might do.

You can find the rest of his response in multiple books, including one called “Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writings” published by Augsburg Fortress. Google has indexed his entire response as well.

Luther’s humility is admirable, isn’t it? He wants his barber, and everybody else, to exceed him in prayer. He admits to being cool and joyless in prayer. And he admits to being distracted. Can you relate? Me too.

I love how he didn’t depend on himself to jumpstart his prayer life. He didn’t try harder, or make promises to himself that he couldn’t keep. Instead, he turned to the Psalms, the Ten Commandments, the Apostles Creed, various New Testament passages, or the church to get back on track.

The Book of Common Prayer and The Valley of Vision have been the two most common resources I have used when my own prayer life needs a boost. Although, I have to be careful about falling into the trap of believing my prayers must sound so eloquent that I do not leave room for the most basic cry: “Lord, help me.”

What do you do to get back on track when your prayer life has been cool and joyless?