And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
– Revelation 5:9–10
This is why we pray every day on this podcast and why we as followers of Jesus need to, must, and should pray continually for the spread of the gospel to every tribe, every language, and every people in every nation.
Revelation 5:9–10 reminds us Jesus offers his salvation to every people, tribe, and tongue.
Why? Because Jesus was slain by his blood. He ransomed people for God, not just generally, but specifically from every tribe and language and people in nation. In other words, Jesus died for people from every nation, every tribe, every language, and every people to experience his salvation, to experience his rescue, his ransom, he shed his blood and love for all the peoples of the world, not just people who look like you or me or think like you or me.
And not just for a lot of people that look like you or me, like yes, us and every other type of person in the world from every ethnic group in the world. That’s just why Jesus told his disciples before he left the earth. I’m leaving you here to do one thing, make disciples of all the nations. Follow me and lead others to follow me among all the ethnic groups. That’s the word there that’s translated in nations, ethnic and other words, make disciples of every tribe and language and people and nation.
Revelation 5:9–10 encourages us to reach the unreached.
This is why we pray for unreached people groups continually to be reached with the gospel. If there are people for whom Christ has died, whom Christ loves, people who he loves so much, he gave his life for them, then we’re going to pray that the good news of his love would spread to them and then follow by saying, God, here’s my life.
Use me, my resources, however you want to get the gospel to them. This is what it means to be a follower of Jesus. You’re a follower of Jesus—a disciple maker for the nations. You’re passionate about the nations. You want the nations, every tribe, people, language, and nation to be reached with the good news of God’s love and it drives you on a daily basis. Sin. So we pray, yes, Jesus, you are worthy. You are worthy of worship from every tribe and language and people and nation. We praise you for your love, for all the people groups of the world. We praise you that you are not selective with your love. You don’t just love certain types of people, certain groups of people. You love all the peoples of the world and all their beautiful diversity in which you have made them oh God.
And so we pray specifically for people groups. For tribes and languages and nations. Ethnic groups that have not been reached with your love. Where there are no known followers of Jesus among them.
Prayer for the Jahanka People
God specifically today for the Jahanka people of Mali and spread across other parts of Africa. A devout Muslim group that is far more orthodox and committed to Islam than just about any other people group in Africa.
Oh God, we pray for the spread of the gospel of your grace and your love in Jesus to them. No known followers of Jesus among them. God may that change. We’re asking, Lord Jesus, you love this people group. You love the Jahanka of Africa and you desire their salvation. So we pray, send laborers to share the gospel there. Raise up your church across Africa, specifically in Mali to share the gospel with the Jahanka people. Send laborers from other continents and countries to spread the gospel among the Jahanka.
God, we pray for your salvation, your ransom. For the rescue of Jesus to be known and enjoyed. And for your name, Lord Jesus, to be worshiped and exalted as Savior, King of all the nations. May it be so. And God, we pray that you would help us, all of us to live toward this end as long as we have breath on this earth to pray, to give, to go and make disciples of the nations right where we live today, to make disciples of different tribes and languages and peoples and nations right around us and far from us. However you might lead us until Revelation 5:9–10 is sight for us and we’re gathered with every tribe and language and people and nation around your throne giving you praise. In Jesus’ name, amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
