Every culture and country has its own distinct sign language, as different from one another as spoken languages are.
For tens of millions of Deaf people around the world, sign language is not just a preferred communication method. It is the only one. Many Deaf individuals are not able to read the written language of their country fluently, which means that without Scripture in sign, they have no access to the Bible at all. Their Bible is blank, not because no translation exists in their country, but because that translation was never made in the language they can actually understand.
There are over 330 sign languages globally. Deaf partners and hearing allies are working to change this, developing sign language Scripture resources for Deaf communities around the world who have yet to see the Bible in their own sign language for the first time.
When you pray for sign language translation today, you pray for communities that are often invisible even within the Church. Deaf believers who have sat in services for years without fully understanding what was being said. Children who have grown up knowing that God exists but never quite grasping what He said.
“He who has ears, let him hear,” Jesus said (Matthew 11:15). Today, we pray for those who hear in a different way, and for the work of bringing the Bible to them.
Lord, we pray for Deaf communities around the world who still have limited to no Scripture in their sign language. We pray for the translators, technologists, and ministry partners working to produce sign language Bible resources. Let no one be left out of Your story. Amen.
Watch today’s Scriptures in ASLV through the 7-Day Journey of Prayer for the Nations Watch Plan.
Original devotional content © Life.Church/YouVersion. Adapted for Deaf audiences by Deaf Bible Society.
Used with permission.
