Wycliffe staff members serving in prayer ministries have two key desires. Firstly, we are working to encourage the development of a prayerful, spiritually-alive community of Wycliffe staff. Secondly, we urgently desire to help churches in Canada pray effectively for Bible translation and language development ministry. Wycliffe staff are part of the church in Canada, and the face of Wycliffe to many local churches. As Wycliffe staff exemplify a prayerful life and share the vision for prayer, we believe that more individuals and churches in Canada will pray for the ministry of Bible translation.
Why should the Canadian Church pray for Bible translation ministries that serve many indigenous communities around the world? Because both translating Scriptures and transforming lives are a spiritual ministry—and a vital part of fulfilling Christ’s command to take His good news to every nation. This work requires more than good linguistics and good translation. It requires more than paying for equipment and distributing Scriptures in the mother tongue. It requires more than building the capacity of a community so they can run a literacy program. It requires that Christians stand in the gap for all aspects of the ministry, so it can advance and be fruitful.
There are many factors that can cause a translation ministry to be impaired—sickness, death, lack of electricity, computer crashes, team conflict, lack of money, lack of community interest, spreading of false rumours, persecution, etc. Prayer makes a difference. Prayer can help to protect the people, the work and the equipment.
In Matt 28:20, Jesus said, “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” The commands of Jesus are in the Scriptures—so every church community and every language should have access to the Scriptures. The church in Canada can help to fulfil this goal by praying, by giving, and by going. All three are very important in this global commission.
We desire to support Wycliffe Canada’s field partners by united, fervent, sustained and strategic prayer. They include staff serving with Wycliffe’s key field partner, SIL International. Additionally, many national Bible translation organizations—often formed by local Christians—work with minority language communities to provide God’s Word for their people. Imagine the impact on their work if hundreds of individual Christians, as well as numerous Christian communities here in Canada, came alongside one or more of these field partner organizations in faithful, committed prayer. Is this part of your calling?
Bible translation is so much more than a task—it is a ministry that results in transformation by God's Spirit and through the prayers of the church. Your prayers are vital—please join us in praying for language groups that still need the life-transforming Scriptures in the language that serves them best.
Key requests:
Pray that translation teams will continue to innovate and make progress, despite restrictions caused by the current pandemic
Pray that our field partner organizations will grow in their capacity to recruit, train and fund local believers to serve in Bible translation, literacy and other language-related ministries.
Pray for God’s protection and abundant provision for translation teams around the world.
Pray for transformed lives and communities through the ministry of Bible translation.
