9 Ways to Pray for Those You Don’t Know

God desires for us to pray for one another. 1 Timothy 2:2 instructs us to pray for those in authority. You may feel led to pray for your children and future generations. Or, perhaps you pass someone on the street and the Lord prompts you to pray for them.

But it can be challenging to pray for those you don’t know.

Paul had never met the Colossians, but he heard about them, and he prayed diligently for them:

“So ever since we first heard about you we have kept on praying and asking God to help you understand what he wants you to do; asking him to make you wise about spiritual things; and asking that the way you live will always please the Lord and honor him, so that you will always be doing good, kind things for others, while all the time you are learning to know God better and better.”

— Colossians 1:9-10 TLB

Paul’s prayer for the Colossians serves as a great example for us to follow when praying for those we do not know, especially the Bibleless.

When You Pray for Those You Don’t Know, Ask God to:

1. Help them understand his will.
2. Give them spiritual wisdom.
3. Grow in their desire to please and honor God.
4. Teach them to bear good fruit.
5. Help them understand who God is.
6. Fill them with his strength.
7. Give them great endurance and patience.
8. Fill them with his joy.
9. Teach them to give thanks, always!

Would it surprise you to learn that more than 170 million people do not have a single verse of Scripture in a language they easily understand? Many who seek God’s Word read the Bible in their second or third language, often the trade language of their country.

Imagine how difficult it might be to know and experience the love of God without Scripture. It’s sobering and exciting at the same time to have a chance to pray for people groups all over the world to receive God’s Word in the language that speaks best to their hearts!

Now that you’ve prayed through Colossians 1:9–10 for the Bibleless, we invite you take the next step. Download this prayer guide to pray more specifically for languages around the world that still lack Scripture.