Day 5: Unreached Peoples

30 Days of Prayer for Global Awakening

Verses for contemplation: Romans 10:9-15

A “people group” is an ethnic population bound together by common language, culture, religion and/or other features which set them apart from the peoples around them. An unreached people group (UPG) has little or no way to hear the Good News about Christ.

In the map below, the red areas are nations where Christians are persecuted. The number to the right of the nation’s name indicates how many UPGs still need a Christian witness among them. Most of those nations do not allow missionaries. How will these 3.37 billion people hear about Jesus? Let’s pray!

Most of the world’s 7,425 UPGs have been cut off from the Gospel by one or more of these factors:

• Language barriers, such as
  • The Bible or other Christian materials have not yet been translated into their language.
  • There are no Christians who speak that language, no Christian witness among them.
• Illiteracy or no access to internet, radio, etc.
• Geographic barriers that make UPGs difficult to access, such as high mountains, deserts, jungles, rivers, ice and snow, lack of roads, etc.
• Anti-conversion laws — governments forbidding someone of one religion to choose another and/or forbidding Christians to share their faith.
• Government restrictions against churches, missionaries, Christian materials, evangelism
• Tribal, religious, family or other social opposition
• Spiritual warfare (2 Corinthians 4:4)

Prayer starter:

Father please have mercy. More than 40% of the world’s population has yet to hear the Good News about Christ. Some unreached people groups are forbidden by law to convert to another religion. Others are isolated by rough terrain and lack of roads. Many languages still have no Scripture, and some don’t even have a writing system of their own yet. Many millions of people, especially in Asia and the Middle East, have never met a Christian. With no Bible and no witness, they live and die in total darkness. Speak to them in their dreams. Call out missionaries who will learn their languages and cross barriers to share the Gospel with them. Give them access to the internet and connect them to Christian websites. Guide them to underground churches and brave believers willing to risk their lives to lead the lost to faith. Make a way for the Bible to be translated into every language and made available in a form they can easily understand. Lead persons of peace from UPGs to learn another language, hear the Word, and then take the Gospel back to their people. Perform signs and miracles and wonders to show them You alone are God and You alone are good. Expose the hatred and violence of religious extremists and give every heart a hunger for the God of Love. Tear down every idol and barrier. If the enemy has blinded the lost to Truth, then take the plaster off their eyes and show them Christ. May those not called by Your name seek You, find You and at last be known as Yours. Open the way for every tribe, tongue, nation and heart all across the globe to experience Your infinite love, hear Your Good News and choose You as Savior.

Parallel Prayer: Our 30 Days of Prayer for Global Awakening coincides with Ramadan. March 11-April 9, Muslims throughout the world are fasting and seeking God. Let’s pray they find Him! Take a look at the map at JoshuaProject.net and click on a country marked in red by our own map above. Look for the red dots that indicate unreached peoples, and you will likely see that most are Islamic. Pick several of those unreached Muslim groups in whichever countries God leads you to, and write those people group names down in your journal. Purpose to pray for them today, that as they fast and pray this month, Jesus will reveal Himself to them and they will be saved.

Lord, please tear down every wall the enemy has built to keep Muslim UPGs from hearing the Good News in a way they can easily understand. Show up in their dreams and visions, telling them the truth of who Jesus is and inviting them to be saved. When the imams reach for the Quran to read it in front of those gathered to pray, place a Bible there in its place. You have done that before during Ramadan, Lord. Do it again now. Push out the enemy’s forces, fill the places of prayer with Your presence, and speak to them in miraculous ways to convict them of sin and convince them of Your truth. Break the chains that bind them. Set them free to know You. Give Muslims a hunger for You so desperate they will search for You with all their hearts and find You. Jeremiah 29:13..

Dinner and a Prayer: Each day during these 30 days, we will share with you ideas for special family prayer times, including a suggested menu to go with that day’s prayer theme. Today’s suggestions:

Do you know missionaries working with an unreached people group? Cook a recipe from that UPG for dinner, and have family members research their customs, beliefs, etc. Talk about what some barriers to the Gospel might be, and then pray for that people group and the missionaries who work with them. If you don’t have a connection with a UPG, you can go to JoshuaProject.net and click on one or more of the countries on their world map. Look for the red dots. Then search the internet for recipes by those people groups, and pray for them at dinner. Here are some suggestions: Yemen carrot rice, kutabi (Azerbaijani Savory Pancakes Filled with Greens and Herbs), Balinese grilled coconut and turmeric chicken, Bedouin tea, zalobiya (fried Kurdish pastry)

As you research today’s topic for prayer, type in a word below, like “unreached” or the name of a people group or country and see where God leads you.

Search

You can also go to Joshua Project to discover unreached peoples, and Open Doors and Voice of the Martyrs to see where the Gospel is restricted.

If you would like to plan ahead for international meals, see the “Dinner and a Prayer” section at the bottom of our 30 Days page or in the back of your 30 Days of Prayer for Global Awakening, Vol 2 book.

For suggestions on how to have an even fuller experience this coming month, check out our 30 Days and So You Think You Can’t Fast pages here at the Prayer Wall.

For deep devotional Bible studies for missionaries and ministry teams, like Dare to Become a Kingdom Culture Leader, and for workbooks like A Strong and Courageous Life (Chinese/English) to use in Bible study groups with seekers and Christians, visit MoreThanAConquerorBooks.com.

More books for all ages from MoreThanAConquerorBooks.com:

Mikaela Vincent and her husband are missionaries who live by faith, trusting in God to provide for their needs as they pray for and share Christ with the nations. If you would like to help their ministry through giving a donation, shopping at Mikaela’s online bookstore, praying for them or inviting them to speak at your church, retreat or other event, click the buttons below:

Any proceeds this author receives from the sale of the deep devotional Bible studies and other MoreThanAConquerorBooks.com books mentioned in this post go to shining Christ’s light in the darkness and seeing the nations come to Him. 

Thank you for your support! If you have any questions or want to help with this ministry, please contact Mikaela.