Shout to the Nations

Imagine stepping out of a train in the middle of Africa. Immediately you realize the city is crowded; people cramming in and pushing on every side. The weather is hot and there is an explosion of sights and sounds…and smells. It is a chorus of pandemonium. A young shoeless child, with matted hair and dirt stained clothes, stops you to ask for money. Piercing eyes follow as you walk out of the train station, enter your taxi and our whisked off down the road. The reality is the majority of the people within the train station will live their entire life never once hearing the name of Christ.

Psalm 96 convicts and exhorts all Christians to tell the Nations that God reigns. God is Lord over all of Creation and because He is Lord all peoples should love and worship Him. Unfortunately, all peoples do not love and worship God; there are 1.6 billion people in the world who could not worship God if they wanted to.  For the countless billions who don't know the name of Christ lets shout to the Nations!

Verse ten exhorts Christians to say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.” Christians must go to the nations and share the Gospel with those who are blinded by false religions. Christians must declare His glory among the nations, His wonderful works among all peoples (vs.3). The LORD is great and is highly praised; He is feared about all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the Heavens (vs. 4-5). In Africa there are 3,000 tribal animistic religions completley devoid of God and there is a God who is worthy of every single one of their praise. 47% of the population in Africa claim to be Muslim. They are fasting, giving alms, making holy pilgramages to Mecca, praying five times a day to a demon and Jesus has died on the cross, rose from the grave, ascended to the Father in Heaven and He alone is worthy of their worship. We must tell the nations!

I challenge you today to pull out a map and pray for the nations. I challenge you to pray six things:

1.      Pray Psalm 96 over the nations.

2.      Pray that God would glorify His name among the nations.

3.      Pray that God would open the eyes of those whom the enemy has blinded.

4.      Pray that God would send missionaries to the unreached peoples of this world.

5.      Pray that God would encourage the missionaries serving overseas.

6.      Pray and ask God what your role will be in taking the Gospel to the nations.

God, alone, is worthy of praise. God alone will judge the nations; therefore, we must pray and tell the nations the LORD reigns!