What language does God speak?
Yours?
If he does, if you have the Bible in your heart language (the language your mother spoke to you and that you dream in), you are one of the fortunate ones.
Les and I returned Friday from a mission trip to work with Wycliffe Bible Translators USA at their headquarters in Orlando, Florida. The question Les is pointing to was one that struck us as very important.
You see, there are approximately 7,000 languages in the world. Yes, 7,000.
How many of those 7,000 languages do not yet have even one verse of the Bible?
You could count the balls in the container Les is standing beside if you have super vision.
Or I could tell you the answer.
1,778.
1,778 languages representing millions of people without a single verse of Scripture!
Only about 2,000 languages have at least the New Testament in translation. The balance of the world’s languages are somewhere in the process of having the Scriptures translated.
So what can we do?
First, we can become informed. Visit the Wycliffe Bible Translators website and learn more about the need. And if you are ever in Orlando, spend some time in their Discovery Center to understand more about the process of Bible translation.
Then, pray. You can sign up with Wycliffe to pray for a Bible-less people group. I have been praying for two years for the Kabola people of Indonesia. I want the translation process to begin for them as soon as possible. And for that I pray.
We can give. You can give to support a particular project or missionary. You can even start a campaign to encourage your friends and family to help you crowdfund a project.
And if God leads you, you can serve. You can use your skills to support or do Bible translation for something as short as a 3-month term or for your lifetime. Explore all the openings Wycliffe has to fill in order to bring the Bible to those 1778 languages and the ones in process.
Does God speak your language?
He wants to speak every language. Will you help?