You might also find some of the following resources useful
- Operation World website
- Give 5 minutes of every day throughout 2012 to pray for the nations. Read about a different nation each day and pray whatever comes to mind.
- Buy a copy of the ‘Operation World’ book and leave it beside the TV. Whenever a nation is mentioned, look them up, learn a little, and pray a quick prayer.
- Gather with your family or a few friends and spread a large world map onto the floor.Each pick a nation that you don’t know a lot about. Use Operation World to find some info, and then pray for a few minutes
- ‘Pray for the World’ prayer stations
e.g. ‘Pray the News’: Read some newspaper articles (alone or with friends). Write or draw your prayers for that situation onto Post-it notes and stick them onto the article, or directly onto the newspaper with felt tip pens - Register your prayer rooms in the United Kingdom and Ireland
- More Than Gold exists to enable the UK Church to engage with the 2012 Games.
- Download the More Than Gold Prayer Guide, full of Creative Resources
- The 2012 Games provides a unique opportunity for UK churches to play their part in outreach, hospitality and service.
- Watch the More Than Gold DVD ‘Get Ready to Run,’ with ideas for Church Leaders to use the Games as a catalyst for mission & outreach.
God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. John 3v16 (CEV)
God loves the whole world. God loves the people of the world. All of them. God sees and knows every single person, knows every action, every word, every thought. And God loves every single person so much that he gave Jesus into the world.
During 2012, people from all over the world will be coming to the United Kingdom and Ireland for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. And many millions more around the world will be watching the sporting events on TV screens large and small.
In response to these sporting events, and in response to the people from every nation coming to our islands, we want to fill the year with prayer for all the nations of the world. Throughout 2012:
- We pray that God will open our hearts to receive and welcome the nations of the world who are coming… whilst also recognising that people from every nation already live in our cities and local communities, even down our streets.
God, help us to love the people of this world just as you do. Help us to see the people of the world who live in our communities, and help us to reach out to them with your love. Restore in us a generous heart of hospitality.
- We pray that God will open our hearts to receive his commission to go into all the world, to take the good news of Jesus to every nation.
God, help us to love the people of this world just as you do. Restore in us, your Church, an adventurous heart of mission – call us once again, and send us into all the world.
What can you do to not only pray these prayers, but to become part of the answer to them as well? How can you reach out with love and hospitality to people? How can you begin to ‘go’ into all the world with the good news of Jesus?
As part of our ‘Kingdom Come, 2012’ year of prayer across the United Kingdom and Ireland, we’d like to encourage you to pray for the world. Here are some tips that Carla Harding offered in a recent article on the 24-7 Prayer International website entitled, ‘How to pray for your nation’ (click on the link for the full text):
- Stop, look and listen. Someone said that every Christian should have a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. Read, watch and listen carefully to the news. And listen carefully to what God says too.
- Get informed. What we read in the newspapers and see on the TV news isn’t all the news there is. Look for other sources of reliable information to help you pray. See our resources and downloads section below for a few suggestions.
- Keep it simple. The world’s issues may seem complex, but our prayers can stay simple. Just begin with what’s in your heart, with the anger and sadness, the hopes and dreams.
- Start with sorry. “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sins, and I will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7v14 (NIV)
- Speak positive, pray blessing. Where there’s war, pray peace. Where there’s fear, pray love. Where there’s division and hatred, pray reconciliation. This is part of what it means to pray, ‘Let your kingdom come!’
- Pray for your enemies. Jesus tells us to do this. It’s easy to pray against things and against people, but let’s pray for God’s mercy and generous justice. “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Matthew 5v44 (NIV)
- Pray for leaders. In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he urges “that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for all people – for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” 1 Timothy 1v1-2 (NIV) We should pray for all leaders. Even the ones we don’t agree with. Maybe especially those ones.
- Join with others. Find friends to pray with regularly, to agree with. There’s power in our agreement, and it builds our faith to join our prayers together.
- And don’t stop. Don’t give up. Don’t quit when nothing seems to change. Keep praying.