Watch closely: I am preparing something new; it’s happening now, even as I speak, and you’re about to see it. I am preparing a way through the desert; Waters will flow where there had been none. Isaiah 43:19, The Voice

WOW! 2025. Have you made any resolutions for 2025? Broken any already? Not even started? Wondering what a resolution is?

The start of a new year can bring anticipation of what’s to come. So many possibilities. God promises newness and abundant life. Forward thinking drove The Word for the World’s founder, Dr. Véroni Krüeger, to step out in faith and listen to the Spirit saying a new thing in his heart about Bible translation: use indigenous people. It’s hard to believe how ground-breaking that thought was back in the early 1980s. Up to that point, Bible translation systems had yet to appreciate the linguistic abilities native speakers had. Dr. Krueger recalls in History of TWFTW (2021), "Because many of the countries where Bible translation was most needed were multilingual, the people who lived there often had better developed linguistic skills than those from monolingual cultures.” Yes, God definitely had a bigger plan than we could have dreamed of in using native speakers to translate His Word into their own people’s languages.

In an Asian country where Christians must stay vigilant for physical safety, nightmares of war mingle with the dreams God has given the Kinerah* people of the hope of glory in their hearts. This persecuted community endures frequent bombings, missile attacks, and threats of decimation. Hear one translator’s heartfelt story after several people sought refuge in his home when the army launched an offensive, continuously firing heavy artillery to capture the town:

Those people are trembling at the thought of the danger of war they are currently facing. I encouraged them with the Word of God. With the presence of the Holy Spirit, they were relieved from worry. They took translated Bibles from my home and read them in their mother tongue. They knew the love of Christ. They also realized the power of God. The truth is God is working with us even in war. 

 What a powerful message! The Holy Spirit reminds us of the Father’s promise to give us hope for a bright future, despite what dark realities we see. Together, we can pray for all to receive the new mercies of Christ each day. We have eternity in our hearts as the Spirit continuously proclaims the Good News to a weary world.

Now, you have the opportunity to take action just as Dr. Krueger did. Feel the Holy Spirit fan into flame the joyous desire to be part of a Great Commission adventure. Maybe you can hear Jesus’s words calling you to spread the Gospel by partnering with indigenous believers awaiting Scripture in their own language.

In becoming an ally of indigenous Bible translators, you may find your heart encouraged and a new vibrancy in your quiet times with God because you will read the stories of men, women, and children journeying from Bible poverty to Christ’s victory. Sign up now and say, “Yes!” to the new things of God in 2025.