Praying for the countries of the world
Pray for the Nations, Around the Clock
Morning moves west around the earth every hour. Pray with it: for the countries where the day is just beginning, for one nation today, and for every people to know Jesus.
From where the sun rises to where it sets, the name of the LORD is praised.
Psalm 113:3 (BSB)
Nation of the day
Where morning is breaking now
Countries where it is 5 to 9 a.m. right now. Pray for them as they start the day.
Where night is falling
Countries where it is 9 p.m. to midnight: pray for rest and safety.
How to pray for the nations
Pray for leaders
Paul asks for prayers “for kings and all those in authority”, so that people may live in peace. Name the president, prime minister or king, and the local leaders too.
Prayer points →First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone— for kings and all those in authority—so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity.
1 Timothy 2:1-2 (BSB)Pray that every people will praise God
The psalm asks for all the peoples to praise Him. Ask that the good news of Jesus be heard and believed in the country you pray for.
Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.
Psalm 67:3 (BSB)Ask for workers
Jesus told His disciples to pray: “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.” Pray for missionaries, pastors and ordinary believers there.
Prayer points →Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.”
Matthew 9:37-38 (BSB)Remember the persecuted
In many countries following Jesus costs a job, a family or freedom. Pray for courage, for protection and for the church to hold firm.
Prayer points →Remember those in prison as if you were bound with them, and those who are mistreated as if you were suffering with them.
Hebrews 13:3 (BSB)Pray for the place where you live
God told the exiles in Babylon to pray for the city where He had sent them. Start with your own town and country.
Prayer points →Seek the prosperity of the city to which I have sent you as exiles. Pray to the LORD on its behalf, for if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
Jeremiah 29:7 (BSB)Pray for the peace of Jerusalem
The psalm itself asks it of every reader. Pray for peace for Israel and its neighbors, and for Jews and Arabs to know the Messiah.
Prayer points →Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you prosper. May there be peace within your walls, and prosperity inside your fortresses.”
Psalm 122:6-7 (BSB)Pray with the end in view
John saw a multitude “from every nation and tribe and people and tongue” before the throne. Every country you pray for will be there.
After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
Revelation 7:9 (BSB)
Bible verses about the nations
Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession.
Psalm 2:8 (BSB)All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him.
Psalm 22:27 (BSB)“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted over the earth.”
Psalm 46:10 (BSB)Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.
Psalm 67:3 (BSB)All the nations You have made will come and bow before You, O Lord, and they will glorify Your name.
Psalm 86:9 (BSB)Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.
Psalm 96:3 (BSB)From where the sun rises to where it sets, the name of the LORD is praised.
Psalm 113:3 (BSB)Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol Him, all you peoples! For great is His loving devotion toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Hallelujah!
Psalm 117:1-2 (BSB)Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.
Isaiah 45:22 (BSB)He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”
Isaiah 49:6 (BSB)For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
Habakkuk 2:14 (BSB)For 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 presented in My name, because My name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of Hosts.
Malachi 1:11 (BSB)And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:14 (BSB)Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20 (BSB)But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:8 (BSB)And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign upon the earth.”
Revelation 5:9-10 (BSB)After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
Revelation 7:9 (BSB)
Every country, with its time now
Questions
What does the Bible say about praying for the nations?
Paul urges prayers for everyone, “for kings and all those in authority” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). The Psalms ask that all the peoples praise God (Psalm 67:3), Jesus told His disciples to ask the Lord of the harvest for workers (Matthew 9:38), and Revelation 7:9 shows people from every nation before the throne.
How do I pray for the nations?
Take one country at a time. Thank God for its people, pray for its leaders, ask Him to send workers and strengthen the church there, remember Christians who suffer for their faith, and pray that many will come to know Jesus. This page suggests one nation each day and shows where morning is breaking now.
How can I pray for the nation where I live?
Pray for your leaders by name, for justice, peace and honest work, for your neighbors and for the churches near you. God told the exiles in Babylon to pray for the city where He had sent them (Jeremiah 29:7). The prayer points for the nation have twenty more ideas.