Pray for Papua New Guinea

Today we kick off our March series, “So That the World May Know…,” by learning how to pray for Papua New Guinea. An island nation in Oceania, it is a kaleidoscope of people, languages, and cultures in a nature enthusiast’s paradise. A brief peek at Papua New Guinea (PNG for short) reveals it is no wonder that the national motto is “Unity in Diversity.”

Pray for Bible Translation

Currently there are about 7 million people living in PNG. The culture is dominated by tribal living and culture. Eight hundred languages are spoken there, with several having just 1,000 speakers. Troubles plaguing the nation are tribal fighting, gang violence, political corruption, and the rise of HIV. Certainly, the people need the truth of God’s Word to bring light to this darkness.

Almost 500 PNG languages still need a translation of the scriptures, despite the incredible effort there by many Bible translation organizations. Pray against impediments to Bible translation, so more people may access God’s Word.

Pray for New Believers and Disciples

Despite the majority of PNGers claiming Christianity as their religion, the practice of many is a mixture of Christianity and animism. As the number of Bible translations increase, more people are learning the truth of salvation through Christ alone. Ask God to grow the Believers in their knowledge of God’s Word and faith in Christ Jesus. Pray that their faith will spur them on towards a life of following Jesus, bringing the transformative work of the Holy Spirit to their tribes and communities.

Pray for Unity

As much as the national motto indicates unity, the fractions created by tribes and language barriers are problematic for this nation. Pray for the Believers and missionaries that despite denominational and organizational differences their union with Christ will bind them together as they work to tell others about Jesus. Jesus prayed, “I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me” (John 17:23).

As Believers become more unified, may their actions spill over into the communities where they live. Pray that the people of PNG would lay aside what divides them, so they might work together for a brighter future for their country— that “Unity in Diversity” might be realized.