“Words fail to explain how necessary prayer is, and in how many ways the exercise of prayer is profitable. It is therefore by the benefit of prayer that we reach those riches which are laid up for us with the heavenly Father.”
-John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion
Why should we pray for the whole church?
For one, because God calls us to. If you read through the New Testament, it is impossible to miss the role of prayer in the advancement of Christ’s kingdom.
We see it in Paul praying for the churches in Thessalonica, Colossae, Rome, and Ephesus, and Philippi.
We see it in the early church in Acts devoting themselves daily to prayer.
We see it in Jesus himself praying that all believers “may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” (John 17:20-21).
In an act of grace and mystery, God invites us to join his kingdom-building work, in part through the practice of prayer.
To that end, this yearlong prayer guide was created to help you pray for every church, presbytery, agency, committee, MTW missionary, and RUF campus ministry of the Presbyterian Church in America. We believe prayer should play a central role in promoting the peace, purity, and mission of Christ’s church.
And since the New Heavens and the New Earth will be filled with a great multitude from “every nation, tribe, people, and language” (Rev. 7:9), we’ve also included every country in this guide as well. Though we can’t list the names of MTW missionaries serving around the world for security reasons, you can pray that God would use their labors to fill the earth with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.
May the prayers of the saints lead to the advancement of Christ’s kingdom.
