What God Has Done
Celebrating 30 Years of Wycliffe’s Bibleless Peoples Prayer Project
Men and women in the Bible made it a practice to remember God’s mighty acts. In Genesis 28, Jacob set a stone upright as a monument to his heavenly vision of the Lord. In Joshua 4, the Israelites constructed a memorial so that future generations might recall God’s miraculous leading. And Jesus, during the Last Supper in Luke 22, took bread, broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying “Do this in remembrance of Me.”
Each completed Bible translation is, in its own way, a memorial, a reminder of God’s faithfulness. Since its beginning in 1942, Wycliffe has assisted in the translation of more than 780 complete New Testaments and 27 complete Bibles. Today, Wycliffe and its partners are involved in over 1,475 active language programs. We celebrate this progress! Yet, the mission to urgently reach Bibleless peoples in all the major regions of the world continues.
For Wycliffe an annual day of worldwide prayer serves as a corporate reminder of God’s hand in the past, present, and future of Bible translation. Each November 11, our staff intercedes globally on behalf of the Bibleless, asking God to make His Word accessible to the approximately 2,000 language groups yet to have the Scriptures in their own language. And though we will pray in unity across the world this November, did you know that a diverse group of people of all ages, places, and backgrounds takes up this call to prayer daily?
In 1982, Wycliffe formed the Bibleless Peoples Prayer Project with the resolute goal to recruit men, women, and children to prayerfully lay the foundation for a translation program to begin in each of these specific people groups. Over the years the prayer program has benefitted from the intercession of more than 50,000 participants. And this month, as the Bibleless Peoples Prayer Project celebrates its 30th anniversary, we remember God’s faithfulness to answer prayer, and we celebrate what great things He has done, is doing, and will do.
- Current estimates suggest around 350 million people speaking almost 2,000 languages may have a need for Bible translation to begin. Ask God to move mightily and open doors for Bible translation projects to begin among these communities. Pray for the people, prayer, and funding resources needing to accomplish this good work.
- Praise God that the number of active prayer partners participating in the Bibleless Peoples Prayer Project grows steadily each month. Currently, there are more than 16,000 participants. Ask God to raise up even more people to commit to this prayerful passion.
Coming on Day 2: Praying for the Dubu
This post is a part of a 20-day series celebrating the 30th anniversary of Wycliffe’s
Bibleless Peoples Prayer Project. To commit to pray for a Bibleless people, sign up here.
In Jesus Name, Amen.