Resources to cultivate prayer
“I am convinced — and I believe on the authority of God’s Word — that there is nothing more powerful and more effective we can do to impact lost and unreached masses around the world for all eternity than to pray.” — Chris Ruge, director of Prayercast and Mission Network News
Whether or not you have the chance to go on international mission trips or contribute vast financial resources to global missions, you have access to the most powerful Great Commission resource there is: prayer. Here are five ways to advance the gospel through prayer with your family, church or Christian school.
Consider incorporating a Prayercast video into your weekly church or chapel services. It can be a powerful way to "lift up your eyes and look at the fields" that Jesus says are ripe for harvest (John 4:35).
If you aren’t a church leader, holidays and national or global events are good times to ask your church to feature a Prayercast video during a church service. To start, email your pastor today and ask if your church would announce the Ramadan Prayer Challenge (Mar. 10–Apr. 10) and show the 31 second invitation video on a Sunday morning.
2. Open prayer meetings with Prayercast
Begin a prayer gathering at your church or school and open each meeting with Prayercast’s weekly feature. If you teach a class or lead a prayer group, consider starting your time together with a Prayercast video to help launch you into knowledgeable, heartfelt prayer for the nations.
“I teach 6th grade World Geography in Savannah, GA and am working to pray for a different area of the world each month. Your resource seems like a great fit for what I'm looking for!” — Prayercast viewer
3. Pray the news
What if we considered every news story a prayer request? Mission Network News does exactly that. Play our brief daily broadcasts at missionnews.org (or on your favorite podcast player) at a family mealtime or during a class at your Christian school. Learn what God is doing in the world and pray along!
4. Take a prayer walk, starting with a Prayercast video
Watch or listen to a Prayercast video and then pray for the featured nation or topic as you walk. If you go on an international mission trip, watch that nation's video with your team and then walk around the city as you unite in prayer. Pray that God would draw your heart toward the people you pass.
If you live in the Chicagoland area, consider taking a group to the city to walk around a neighborhood during Prayercast’s Chicago77 campaign, Feb. 5 to Apr. 24, 2024. Every 24 hours, Prayercast leads us in strategic prayer for one of Chicago's 77 communities. Sign up to receive email reminders.
5. Pray around specific events or holidays
As a church, Christian school or family, use Prayercast videos around specific events like Day of the Persecuted Church, Sanctity of Life Sunday, or Election Day to help focus on God’s heart for a certain topic or country.
Pray around international days like Sanctity of Life Sunday in January using Prayercast’s Unborn Face video. Ask your church to play Unborn Face during a church service next January.
"Last year you permitted our church to use your prayer videos for our church worship service for the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Thank you so much." — U.S. Pastor