By Tom Shanklin

My wife and I have made it a practice to pray together each morning. We pray for one another, for our family, for the partners of our ministry, and for our nation. We conclude our time of prayer by praying for one of the the nations of the world. Sometimes it’s a country that’s in the news, but other times it’s a nation that we seem to “pull out of the hat,” but actually the Holy Spirit is guiding us in our prayers.

After we pray, I like to look up the nation we have prayed for and learn about their economy, their politics, and most importantly, the spiritual condition of that particular nation. For example, one morning I was prompted to pray for Algeria and when I researched a bit, I found that Algeria is .28 percent Christian with much persecution of Christians. Oftentimes we are led to pray for countries that are under-evangelized, and in great need of a Christian witness. We pray for the governments of these countries, according to 1 Timothy 2:

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” 1 Timothy 2:1-5, KJV.

After praying for those that are in authority in the government, we pray for the Christian leaders and the body of Christ in that nation. We pray for the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers that are ministering in that nation, that they would have wisdom, courage,  spiritual strength, prosperity, health, and that their families would be blessed.

On the even dates of the month, I choose the nation. On the odd dates, Susan chooses. Today, I was prompted to pray for Bhutan. Actually I thought I was praying for another nation which is in the middle east, but it turns out Bhutan is in Asia, near Napal, India and China. As we were praying, Susan prayed for Scriptures to be provided in their own languages.

Afterwards, my research revealed that Bhutan is a very repressive Buddhist society. The price for becoming a Christian is very high, including loss of citizenship, medical benefits, jobs, and more. Church buildings are not allowed, except in rare instances. The Christian population is estimated at 2 percent, most of which meet in homes. I also found out that the New Testament is available only in the national language, but translations for the 35 indigenous languages are almost nonexistent. It’s always encouraging to me to research these nations, and to see how the Holy Spirit is prompting us and guiding us in our prayer for the nations.

The best information that I have found on the spiritual demographics of the nations is Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation. I highly recommend it to everyone who is serious about making a difference by praying for the nations. It’s available on Amazon.com.