Operation World is a book published every ten years that contains information about the spiritual state and needs of every nation. It is self-described as “The definitive prayer guide to every nation.” It is a huge undertaking to compile all the information gathered in this resource, so it is great for Believers to use in praying for the nations and peoples. The new edition should be available sometime this year.
OPERATION WORLD: GOD’S PLAN
The term “operation world” could be applied to something far more important than the title of this book, however. In fact, the book gets its title from the original operation world, the plan of God. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Operation World was God’s operation to save the world. It was His purposed plan to become incarnate in Jesus Christ, die on a cross as the full and complete sacrificial payment for the sins of the whole world, and rise from the dead in full and ultimate victory. That is THE Operation World.
Think about that for a moment. God was willing to come and die for me and you. The God who spoke the world into existence was willing to divest Himself of His glory, come into our world, become flesh, and humble Himself to the point of a wrongful death on a tortuous cross. None of that was happenstance, that was Operation World.
This week, we are entering the season of Lent. It is a time in which we focus on this incredible operation of God to redeem the world. We look at ourselves and our desperate need, and we look to the activity of God in Jesus Christ to meet that need. We focus on the sacrifice of Christ; His journey to the cross, the grave, and ultimately to His victorious resurrection. It is a time to try to comprehend God’s “Operation World.”
OPERATION WORLD AND YOU
But, it should be more than just that. It should also be a reminder that the Operation is ongoing. There are still people who have not yet been saved or who have not heard the message of the Gospel. After His resurrection and before His ascension into Heaven, Jesus told His followers in Matthew 28:19, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” It is our part of Operation World to make sure that people from “every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 7:9) hear the story and know the truth of the Gospel. Operation World continues, and Lent should remind us that we have a responsibility in bringing it to its full completion.
As Lent commences on Ash Wednesday, we are entering a time of introspection and prayer leading to Easter. Let us reflect on the significance of death preceding resurrection, urging readers to embrace a daily practice of surrendering self in preparation for our spiritual transformation.