SCRIPTURE TO AID YOUR PRAYERS
Our most powerful prayers are led by the Holy Spirit in claiming God’s own promises in Scripture.
- We have this confidence in approaching God: if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him. — 1 John 5:14–15
- Therefore I (Jesus) tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. — Mark 11:24
- The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. — Romans 8:26
- The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask (deomai) the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out (ekballo) workers into his harvest field. — Matthew 9:38, Luke 10:2
- My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. — John 10:27
Scripture explicitly, implicitly and repeatedly reveals God’s will for His Kingdom to come, and His will to be done in the blessing of all people groups:
- … All peoples on earth will be blessed through you [Abraham]. — Genesis 12:3
- Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. — Genesis 18:18
- … and through your offspring [Abraham] all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me. — Genesis 22:18
- … through your offspring [Isaac] all nations on earth will be blessed. — Genesis 26:4
- … All peoples on earth will be blessed through you [Jacob] and your offspring. — Genesis 28:14
- The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. — Genesis 49:10 - For by now I [God] could have stretched out my hand and struck you [Pharaoh] and your people …. But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. — Exodus 9:15–16
- For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over … so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful …. — Joshua 4:23–24
- Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name. — 2 Samuel 22:50
- [May the Lord] uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day’s need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other. — 1 Kings 8:59–60
- Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. — 1 Chronicles 16:8
- Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. — 1 Chronicles 16:24
- Ascribe to the LORD, all you families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. — 1 Chronicles 16:28
- Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!” — 1 Chronicles 16:31
- He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity. …
Sing the praises of the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done. — Psalm 9:8, 11 - I will praise you, LORD, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name. — Psalm 18:49
- All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him. — Psalm 22:28
- I will perpetuate your memory through all generations; therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever. — Psalm 45:17
- … Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. — Psalm 47:1
- I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. — Psalm 57:9
- Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; — Psalm 66:8
- May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us—
so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. — Psalm 67:1–2 - May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you.
May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth.
May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. — Psalm 67:3–5 - … All nations will be blessed through him [the king], and they will call him blessed. — Psalm 72:17
- All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name. — Psalm 86:9
- Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. — Psalm 96:3
- Ascribe to the LORD, all you families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. — Psalm 96:7
- Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.” The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity. — Psalm 96:10
- Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness. — Psalm 96:13
- The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory. — Psalm 97:6
- The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. — Psalm 98:2
- … [The LORD] comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity. — Psalm 98:9
- Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. — Psalm 105:1
- I will praise you, LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. — Psalm 108:3
- The LORD is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens. — Psalm 113:4
- Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. — Psalm 117:1
- In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. — Isaiah 2:2
- Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. — Isaiah 2:4
- … The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him … — Isaiah 11:10
- In that day you will say: “Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. — Isaiah 12:4
- On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; … — Isaiah 25:6–7
- Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. — Isaiah 42:1
- I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles. — Isaiah 42:6
- It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth. — Isaiah 49:6
- This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “See, I will beckon to the nations, I will lift up my banner to the peoples; …” — Isaiah 49:22
- Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: Instruction will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations. My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to me and wait in hope for my arm. — Isaiah 51:4–5
- The LORD will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God. — Isaiah 52:10
- How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” The LORD will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God. — Isaiah 52:7,10.
- See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him—his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness—so he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. — Isaiah 52:13–15
- I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a ruler and commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations you do not know will come running to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor. — Isaiah 55:3–5
- And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. … Foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. … For my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. — Isaiah 56:6–7
- Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. — Isaiah 60:3
- For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations. — Isaiah 61:11
- I … am about to come and gather the people of all nations and languages, and they will come and see my glory. … I will send some of those who survive to the nations …, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations. — Isaiah 66:18–19
- … All nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. — Jeremiah 3:17
- … the nations will invoke blessings by him and in him they will boast. — Jeremiah 4:2
- LORD, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress, to you the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, Our ancestors possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good.” — Jeremiah 16:19
- … Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes. — Ezekiel 36:23
- [One like a Son of Man] was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. — Daniel 7:14
- He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. — Micah 4:3
- … [The king] will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. — Zechariah 9:10
- My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD Almighty. — Malachi 1:11
- Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. …In his name the nations will put their hope. — Matthew 12:18, 21
- And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. — Matthew 24:14
- Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, … — Matthew 28:19
- And as Jesus taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’?” — Mark 11:17
- And [before the events Jesus prophesied], the gospel must first be preached to all nations. — Mark 13:10
- For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, … Luke 2:30–32
- … and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. — Luke 24:47
- He said to Abraham, “Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.” — Acts 3:25
- For this is what the Lord has commanded us: “I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.” — Acts 13:7
- I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, — Acts 15:16–17
- I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen—that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles. — Acts 26:22–23
- God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen! — Acts 28:28
- For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” — Romans 10:12–15
- … Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. — Romans 11:25
- For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written:
“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing the praises of your name.”
Again, it says, “Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.”
And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; let all the peoples extol him.”
And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope.” — Romans 15:8–12 - … in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith. — Romans 16:25–26
- Through [Jesus Christ] we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. — Galatians 1:5
- Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you” … [God] redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. — Galatians 3:8,14
- He made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. — Ephesians 1:9–10
- Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. — Ephesians 3:2–11
- I have become [the church’s] servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. — Colossians 1:25–27
- Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. — 1 Timothy 3:16
- But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. — 2 Timothy 4:17
- Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath [to Abraham in Gen 22:16–18]. — Hebrews 6:17
- And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. — Revelation 5:9
- After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. — Revelation 7:9
- All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed. — Revelation 15:4
- And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. — Revelation 22:2
Invite the Holy Spirit to guide you in claiming these promises from God’s word as you pray
over the thirty-one Largest Frontier People Groups
- God blessed the first couple and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” — Genesis 1:28
- Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.
— Psalm 46:10 - Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. — Psalm 2:8
- It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth. — Isaiah 49:6 - The Lord is … not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. — 2 Peter 3:9
- Jesus said to his disciples, ““This, then, is how you should pray:
“ ‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
— Matthew 6:9–10 - But I (Jesus) tell you (my disciples), love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. — Matthew 5:44
- He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea. — Psalm 102:17
- The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. — Psalm 145:18
- “This good news will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” — Matthew 24:14