When we watch the news, our hearts break for a world in need. But Christians are not powerless to help: we can pray. In fact, that's exactly what God tells us to do: "petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving [should] be made for all people" (1 Timothy 2 v 1-2). If we're serious about reaching our local community and the wider world with the gospel, the first thing we'll do is pray.
Trouble is, most of us don't know where to start. How do we pray meaningfully for people who we don't know and will probably never meet? Deep down, the issues seem too big, too emotionally disconnected, and we're not sure our prayers will really make a difference.
That's where this little book is designed to help. It will equip you to pray powerful prayers for the world around you—prayers that really change things, because they're based on God's word.
Each spread takes a passage of Scripture and suggests 5 things to pray for a local, national, or international issue. Because when we pray in line with God's priorities as found in his word, our prayers are powerful and effective (James 5 v 16)—and that's a truly thrilling prospect.
Use this book to:
• Guide your prayers during your personal quiet times
• Equip church members to pray meaningfully for your local community and nation
• Help you prepare expressive public intercessions for church
• Fuel your church prayer meeting
• Help you know how to pray in the wake of major world events
Use this book in any number of ways: work through it as part of your daily quiet time, or pick it up whenever a situation arises that is in particular need of prayer.
Other information
This popular series is designed to boost your prayer life by giving you fresh ideas of what to pray for. Each chapter takes a passage of Scripture and looks at how it can influence how we pray for a specific issue. Be excited by how our prayers really can change things when they are based on God’s word.
Melissa Kruger
Author, The Envy of Eve and Walking with God in the Season of Motherhood
We watch the news, read articles, and hear stories about difficulties in our world. The needs are so massive, the stories so heartbreaking, that often we don’t even know how to pray. Rachel Jones’s excellent new book, 5 Things to Pray for Your World, offers a needed guide to seek God’s help by praying God’s Word. We may feel powerless, but we have the ear of an all-powerful God. May we faithfully cry out to him for the world around us.
Sinclair Ferguson
Theologian and author
From Jesus' disciples to Martin Luther's barber and beyond, "teach us to pray" has been a frequently heard heart-cry. But the truth is we can only really learn to pray by praying. Here 5 Things to Pray for your World will help you. It takes an old idea, tested and tried throughout the ages – a prayer list – and turns it into a thought-provoking, vision-expanding, prayer-stimulating tool. It is small enough to fit into your pocket, but big enough to change your life. Simple, but brilliant.
“Immensely practical in a troubling world ”
If, like me, you cry when you read the news, you'll find this book extremely practical in helping you to respond in prayer to the things that happen both close to home and further afield. We've really no excuse not to be praying when there are resources like this to help us. Anyone could use this book, so if you're not used to praying it would be a great place to start. For those who are more seasoned pray-ers, it is full of Biblical ideas. We have also used these books to help us plan prayers for our church small group.
