Isaiah 40:8 NKJV
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:11 NKJV
By Wycliffe Bible Translators USA
The Bible: It’s one of the oldest and most popular books of all time. But is it just a book or is it much more than that?
At Wycliffe Bible Translators, we believe that the Bible is literally God’s Word to us and that everyone should have it in a language they can clearly understand. But here’s the problem: not everyone has access to God’s Word. In fact, about one-quarter of the world’s language groups are still waiting for their Bible translation to begin. That’s approximately 160 million people who don’t have a single word of the Bible in a language they can clearly understand.
To put that number in perspective, that’s roughly the populations of Greece, Cuba, Mali, Chile, Iceland, Laos, Saudi Arabia, Poland and Australia combined.
When people finally do get the Bible in their own language, many meet Jesus Christ for the very first time in their life. And he begins to change them from the inside out, exchanging fear, guilt and pain for the forgiveness, peace and future hope that only he can offer.
It’s because of this hope that Wycliffe is working with language communities all around the world right now to help them get the Bible. And no matter what it takes, we won’t stop until all people have it in a language they can clearly understand.
Watch our video “Why Bible Translation” and share it with your social networks to help spread the importance of people having the Bible in their own language.
Have you ever thought about what your life might look like if you never had access to the Bible in your own language?
Think about that for a minute. What if you weren’t able to pick up your Bible whenever you want and read directly from its pages (or from your mobile screen, as is often the case today) words of hope, encouragement and life?
The Bible is the way we draw close to God. It’s the way we are transformed by the truth of the gospel. And it’s why Bible translation is so crucial — because it connects people to a God who speaks their language.
Around the world, millions of people speak thousands of languages. Many of them are speakers of major languages — like English — but millions of others have one thing in common: they’ve never heard God’s Word in a way that speaks directly to their hearts.
At Wycliffe, we refer to this as someone’s “heart language.” It’s the language that your mom and dad speak to you at home as you grow up, or the language that you think, dream and pray in. Unless you’re able to hear God speak to you in this language, the words of the Bible won’t be able to penetrate your heart fully. You might hear them, but you won’t be able to understand them intimately.
Today there are approximately 1,600 languages (out of an approximate 7,000 spoken around the world) that still likely need Bible translation to begin. That represents up to 160 million people still waiting to hear God speak their language.
We believe that this needs to change. Through the work of Bible translation, people around the world can draw close to a God who speaks their language — a God who is near, personal and touches their hearts with his Word.
Over the next few days, we’re going to share stories of lives — and entire communities! — that have been changed once they heard God speak their own language. We hope that you’ll be encouraged and reinvigorated in your own walk with God as you read the Bible in your heart language.
No comments:
Post a Comment