2023 WGM Day of Prayer
JUNE 12, 2023 | 2.5 MINUTE READ
KATELAND VERNON, COMMUNICATIONS PROJECT MANAGER
This Year’s Focus
Every year, to celebrate the anniversary of WGM’s founding, we celebrate by dedicating an entire day to prayer. Why prayer, though?
WGM came to be after two missionaries sought the Lord in prayer in 1910. Our work in Kenya began because of the prayer of Asbury students in the 1940s. And to this day, prayer remains a pillar that shapes the very essence of WGM.
This year, we’re turning our prayers to people who don’t have access to the Gospel. In years past, we had an initiative called R.U.N. (Reached the Unreached Now). And today, we have vibrant partnerships with organizations like A Third of Us, helping us renew our focus on people without access to the Gospel.
This large group of the population is heavy on our hearts, so we’re asking God to make His name known among people who might never have heard His name before. We’re asking Him how we can take part in that work. And we hope you’ll join us.
Who are people without access to the Gospel?
Maybe you’ve heard this group referred to as “unreached” or “least reached” people groups. We’re using the term “people without access to the Gospel,” but those terms work, too!
The Joshua Project is a research initiative with the goal of identifying these people so that they may be reached for Christ. They define an unreached people group as “those who have no opportunity to hear the gospel at all. In most instances there is no church, no Bible, and no way of hearing about the love of God and His redeeming work through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ."
With the massive increase of refugees, we’re seeing people who live in places like Hungary (which has access to the Gospel and many churches), yet these refugees don’t have the Gospel in their own language. So, today we’re focusing on unreached people who may live in places you wouldn’t expect.
What people fit into this category?
According to the Joshua Project, over 3.36 billion people in the world do not have access to the Good News of Jesus. That’s more than 42% of the world’s population!
Check out this map to see how much access people around the world have to the Gospel.
How can I pray?
- Pray for the People
Our partner organization A Third of Us is dedicated to increasing awareness of people who don’t have access to the Gospel. Together, we’re working to reach more people with the truth and hope of Christ. - Interested in praying for unreached people groups with your family, team, or church? A Third of Us has a great prayer guide on their website that will help!
- Pray for Global Workers
Global workers who serve in areas with little-to-no-access to the Gospel face unique situations. Will you intercede with the Father on their behalf today? Here are some specific ways to pray: - Encouragement—it is difficult to reach these people groups due to cultural, political, and religious barriers.
- Perseverance—little fruit can be very discouraging over time and lead global workers to wonder if their witness is effective at all.
- Families—these environments can be very difficult for families, especially wives and children.
- Inspiration—finding ways to communicate the Gospel that are understandable to people groups without access can only come from divine inspiration.
- Discernment—that the Lord would lead these missionaries to those people in whom the Spirit has already been working, bringing them to a point of openness to the message.
- Prayer Guides
Prayercast has also developed several prayer guides you can follow as you seek God on behalf of people without access to the Gospel. Whether you feel a burden for persecuted people, people of a specific religion, or people from a region of the world, you can find a guide that will provide structure and accountability for your prayer time.
What’s next?
Want to keep praying for people without access to the Gospel, even after the WGM Day of Prayer is over?
Get our prayer guide by texting PRAYWITHWGM to 55498 to get this resource!
