How to Pray for the Future

How much do you dream about the future?

You probably give thought to your loved ones and your career. You pray for your family and your church, and maybe offer up a prayer for the whole world on occasion. But how often do you pause to pray about the future of the whole world? It’s too big to wrap your mind around, too complicated to pray specifically.

But can you picture a day when there are Jesus followers everywhere on earth? When there are Christ-centered, multiplying disciples – people who love Jesus and are actively looking to make new disciples – spread throughout the world. When every village, high rise, university and neighborhood – every person – is within arm’s reach of the gospel.

That’s our vision in Cru. To see the Great Commission fulfilled.

It will take 10 million multiplying disciples, and it could realistically happen by 2020.

Yet however beautiful and glorious the vision, most would agree to this: it won’t happen apart from God moving in powerful ways. Believers need to pray.

“We are asking God to distribute and multiply His disciples in such a way that everyone around the world will have an opportunity to see and hear about His great love," said Andrea Buczynski, Cru VP of Leader Development and Human Resources. “And we’d like to see that happen by the end of 2020. But since God is the one who moves hearts, we all need to pray and trust Him to do this.”

Andrea was discussing this great vision with fellow staff member Milt Monell when they realized something amazing.

On June 20 2015, we were exactly 2,020 days away from the end of 2020.

“How exciting could it be to have people united in prayer daily for God to be known in every corner of the earth,” said Andrea.

The call went out, and continues to go out. Pray with us. Pray for the world. Pray until 2020.

“God has given us a great biblical call,” said Steve Sellers, VP of Cru, “a vision and passion that everywhere around the world there would be movements of God such that every person on the planet would know someone who is a true follower of Jesus."

“That vision is so much greater than Cru. Cru won’t get to 10 million, multiplying disciples itself,” added Steve. “It’s a broader, Kingdom of God-sized goal. It won’t happen apart from prayer: daily prayer and the involvement of believers everywhere, the entire Body of Christ.”

Does it still feel too big? These are three simple ways to start praying, and we’ll help you with specifics along the way.

1. Start with a simple daily prayer
   One of our ministry leaders suggests the following: set an alarm on your mobile phone or watch for 20:20 (8:20 p.m.). Pause for a moment to pray something as simple as this:
   

   Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:37-28).

   So pray to the Lord of the Harvest for 10 million Christ-centered, multiplying disciples. LORD, MOLD our hearts to be one with Your heart. MULTIPLY our lives through others. MOBILIZE laborers through our prayers and ministry efforts.
   
   Put it into your own words, or add specifics as you are led. But pray daily. Simply, faithfully, pray.
   
   
2. Invite others to Pray2020
   Invite others to be a part of Pray2020 – staff, church friends, those of partnering ministries, etc. So many of our partners and friends ask, "How can I be more involved with you?” 
   
   
3. Share what you’re seeing God do
   Use the hashtag #Pray2020 to share specifics of your 2020 prayers, or to link to stories of how you, your ministry teams, or others are seeing God’s Spirit move toward the fulfillment of His Great Commission.
   
   Submit stories of how you, your team, a small group – whoever – is seeing God’s spirit at work toward the fulfillment of His Great Commission.
   
   Send your stories to globalstories@cru.org and some of those will be posted to pray2020.org.