Remember the unreached - 1 in 5 still waiting for the Bible in their language

For over two years, I have shared with you updates from the frontiers of mission. It has felt like watching a sunrise – each new Bible translation a ray of light reaching the one in five still waiting for God’s Word in their language.

This year, we are inviting people like you to help reach the “unreached” – those 3.4 billion people worldwide who live in communities without a local church capable of sharing the gospel with them. As we prayed for the unreached through our daily prayer diary last year, we remembered people like the Rofca* and the Ceren*. The reality for these people is often one of profound spiritual darkness.

Phoebe*, a team leader working in Asia, describes it vividly: “There is a lot of spiritual darkness here … a spiritual oppression, a binding that wants to keep people where they are. There is a lot of fear.” In these “remote communities”, the darkness isn’t just a lack of information; it is the darkness of distance and isolation from the hope of Christ.

The light shines in

The heart of this summer’s campaign is found in John 12v46: “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” Wycliffe’s mission is built on the conviction that while traditional mission workers may be barred from certain “challenging corners” of the world, the life-changing Word of God cannot be kept out.

Currently, nearly half of Wycliffe’s translation programmes are specifically focused on unlocking the Scriptures for these unreached groups. These programmes are often led by brave local translators – the “heroes” of this story – who risk everything to ensure the light of the gospel reaches their own people. They are the answer to the prayer we offered last year for “innovative approaches” and “secure communication channels” in places where it is dangerous to own a physical Bible.

A thin line

Furthermore, the work relies on a thin line of “Translation Advisers” – specialists who often travel into difficult regions for short windows of time to check the accuracy of the text. Last year, we prayed specifically for advisers to be available for the Corna* people. Without these experts to help anchor the translation in the original Greek and Hebrew, the light risks being dimmed by mistranslation.

As we do this, we face a modern paradox. We want to shout the good news of progress from the rooftops, yet we must protect the faithful “Sarahs” and “Simons” of the mission field whose safety depends on our discretion. We can speak of the unreached people group in our prayer meetings and printed appeals, but online we have to be more general and focus on the universal need for the Light of Life. The goal remains the same: that every person, everywhere, would have the chance to meet Jesus through the Bible in their language. Abraham*, another leader in Asia, sums up the hope of every translator: “Our wildest dream is that people would look to Jesus and His light would shine into that darkness.”

Our response

As readers of Evangelicals Now, you are part of this unfolding story. Colossians 1v13 reminds us that God has “rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves”. Having stepped into that light ourselves, we have a responsibility to those still waiting in the shadows.

Over the coming months, I invite you to pray specifically for the “one in five people without the Bible in their language”. Pray for the translation teams working in high-risk areas, asking for protection and “open doors” as they translate the story of Jesus.

Let us work towards the day when no language barrier stands between a person and the Light of the World, and when God’s word can be unlocked for every person’s heart, unreached or not.

* Names changed for security purposes. Martin is the Prayer Diary editor for Wycliffe Bible Translators. www.wycliffe.org.uk