Our world sometimes feels like a place on fire.

War, disease, starvation, unrest. These things have become familiar. Inescapable.

And with our modern technology, we know more than ever. We hear the stories of hurting and lost people living the on the other side of the planet. We see their suffering and the cruelty of the people who put them there. We see the hopelessness. The lostness. Our world is full of refugees, dictators, drug lords, orphans… and lots of regular people going about their business, desperately hoping that someone knows what they’re doing.

Our world is broken.

And we feel helpless to change it.

But even if we never get the chance to go on a missions trip, speak hope to a hurting person, or make any visible difference to the world around us, we still have the ability to bring our world in prayer before a powerful God.

And while our world will still be broken because it is ravaged irreparably by sin, our prayers can be used by God to bring people to the knowledge of a world beyond this one, an eternal life that matters even more.

So as we talk to God about His heart for this world, here are 8 things we can remember to pray for:

1. That the Gospel will be spread on every continent, in every nation, and to every people group. People need to hear the good news of Jesus, about the eternal life and forgiveness He offers through His death and resurrection. Even if we ended every war and fed every person, it would be worth nothing if people didn’t have salvation in Christ.
2. That the leaders of the world would come to know Christ. In 1 Timothy 2, it tells us, “that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority…” and verses 3 and 4 tell us that this is good in God’s sight because He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” God wants every person on the planet to come to Him and to know His forgiveness. We should be in constant prayer for the leaders of the world, that they would make wise decisions and, more than that, that they would come to know Jesus as their Savior. God wants every person saved, forgiven, and changed — even the cruelest, most bloodthirsty leaders. God wants every person saved and forgiven... Even the cruelest leaders Click To Tweet
3. For the missionaries serving both in your country and around the world. People who are dedicating their lives to ministry are fighting tough spiritual battles. Pray that they would know God’s peace and His strength, and that He would keep working through them as they follow Him.
4. That each person would see how they can best love their neighbor, like Jesus talked about in Mark 12:31. If we want to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, we will be doing more than just feeling pity for people in hard situations. We have so many opportunities to help provide in some way for neighbors, people in our community, and even people in other parts of the world. James 2 talks about how, if we have faith in Christ, it will naturally manifest itself in the work we do. Then, in verses 15 and 16, he says: “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?” Let’s pray that we and others around the world will look for how Jesus is calling us to practically help others.
5. That Christians would be brought out of their lukewarm state. In Revelation 3:15-16, God was talking to a church that was no longer passionate about the things of God. He says, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” Imagine the difference it would make in this world if all Christians around the world lived passionately for God, putting His will and His glory above everything else!Imagine if all Christians around the world lived passionately for God! Click To Tweet
6. For courage to face problems and hardships head on, not avoiding them or doing what is convenient. Whether this is at a national level, a local level, or even a personal level, we need to be in prayer for an extra measure of courage for people who are working to fix some of the world’s problems. They are big, scary, and sometimes seemingly unfixable. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t get to work on some of them anyway.
7. That we would see hard times as opportunities to press into God. As we see horrible stories and feel heartbreak for the people around the world, let’s pray that those moments of pain, those hardest moments, will become chances to depend more fully in God and to trust more completely in His promises. Despite what it may look like, the Bible assures us that God cares deeply about all people and His heart is broken by suffering. And the Bible promises that, no matter what happens, God is still good. Let’s pray that people would see that.
8. That God would call and equip more people to share His everlasting hope with others (keeping in mind, that person might be you!). In Luke 10:2, Jesus said, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” There are people desperately waiting to hear about the hope we know in Jesus. They are eager to know their Savior. They just need someone to tell them. We should be in prayer that God would keep our eyes open to the opportunities He is giving us in our community and praying that He would continue to send out laborers into the harvest fields around the world.

We need to be praying that God will keep sending laborers into the harvest. Click To Tweet
In a world that seems to get darker and more dangerous every day, our little selves seem pretty powerless. But we serve the God who sees every need and holds the world in His hands. He wants to see us bringing every problem, from the small to the unthinkably big, before His throne.

Linking up on Grace & Truth and Faith Filled Friday!