Hundreds of known sign languages exist around the world today that are used by millions of Deaf people. It’s been often said that less than 2% of Deaf in the world have encountered Jesus in a language and format they clearly understand — in their own unique sign language.

But God is at work, touching people’s hearts and transforming their lives through His translated Word!

Prayer is a simple yet powerful chance for you to join what God is doing as you ask Him to move in the lives of Deaf people and communities still waiting for Scripture in their sign language. God’s Word reminds us that He hears our prayers: “And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him” (1 John 5:14, NLT).

So as you learn more about Deaf communities and the specific ways you can pray for sign language Bible translation, you’re getting the opportunity to come alongside what God is doing to bring His Word to every heart, everywhere!

Scripture in Sign Language Drew a Woman Back to God

Tumpe (name changed), who is Deaf, knows how much God loves her and sought her out — even when she strayed from Him. “The [Moshi-Arusha Sign Language] translation … helped me change my life by returning me to Jesus,” she signed to the team in Tanzania.

Tumpe learned about Christ in college when a nearby Deaf church shared the gospel with her. She placed her faith in Jesus and passionately served the church. Tumpe moved back to her hometown after graduating and unfortunately lost access to her Deaf Christian community. She tried to stay rooted in her faith, but it was difficult without Scripture and fellowship.

Her commitment to Jesus became more difficult when she started dating a non-Christian man. He often claimed God must not be real because He didn’t restore Tumpe’s hearing. Tumpe found herself drifting away from the Lord. She was desperate to seek Christ again but felt ashamed and didn’t know how.

So God reached out to her.

One day, near her parents’ home, Tumpe met Bible translators who shared drafts of translated Scripture with her. Amazed, Tumpe requested more materials on sin and forgiveness. The sign language Scripture helped her realize that her sins were still forgiven through Christ’s sacrifice. She broke up with her boyfriend and pursued the Lord. Her parents, witnessing the changes in Tumpe, placed their faith in Jesus!

Tumpe is grateful to the translation team for ministering to her and her family. She expressed:

Praise God for the ways He uses His Word to minister to people’s hearts and lives!

How you can pray for sign language translation:

• Ask God to guide translators as they make decisions about which Scripture portions or books of the Bible to translate first.


• Pray that technology will continue to develop and be used to bring Scripture and Bible stories to Deaf communities.


• Pray that God will give sign language translation teams special insight so they can remain accurate in the translation while expressing terms and concepts in ways that touch the hearts of Deaf individuals.

Transformed Through Translating

Sign language is a visual language; it’s different from any spoken or written language. God wants to communicate His love for people in a way that captures their hearts. For Deaf communities, that means Scripture must be presented naturally, clearly and visually. When people access Scripture in a way they clearly understand, everything changes.

God even uses His Word to transform the people who are translating it! Bible translation work changed the Salvadoran Sign Language team; each person is different from who they were when they first accepted the job.

As they spent hours translating, editing and reviewing Scripture, God’s Word did more than pass through the team members’ hands — it was written on their hearts. One translator shared how a verse they worked on gave them hope during a difficult season. Another said a passage they translated helped guide a major life decision.

Many team members are seasoned experts who studied the Bible for years. Even so, they continued to find themselves in awe of God — and humbled by how much more there is to learn about Him. As they encountered fresh truths, they were shaped, little by little, to become more like Jesus. They’re the first to admit they’re not perfect; they still make mistakes. But a team member shared:

Thanks to newly translated Scripture, Deaf Christians all across El Salvador are now growing deeper in their faith and understanding. Church leaders pray that Deaf Christians will mature in their faith. They also pray that those who don’t yet know Jesus will give their lives to Him.

Pray over specific challenges in sign language Bible translation:

• One of the challenges of sign language Bible translation is that communities often don’t have words in their language for biblical concepts or characters. So sign language translation teams create new signs to communicate characters and terminology. Pray that God will give translation teams wisdom, skills and patience as they do this.


• Pray that God will provide team members with everything they need to record Scripture drafts, check with the Deaf community and then revise.


• Many Deaf individuals around the world have never had the gospel explained to them in a way they understand. As a result, they often feel ostracized and isolated. As Deaf men, women and children encounter sign language Scripture, pray they will experience the depth of how much God sees them, knows them and loves them.

God’s Word Is Life-Changing

In Isaiah 55:11, God reminds us that His Word will always accomplish what He wants: “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it” (NLT).

God is already using His translated Word to impact Deaf Colombians like Edward!

Edward strives to reflect Christlikeness in his behavior. The significance of keeping a tight rein on his words dawned on him while he was watching a video of James 3:3-5 (NLT) in Colombian Sign Language:

We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire.

He noted: “Watching this reminded me [of the importance of] controlling what I say, just like a horse harness or a boat with a fin keel. It is so important to avoid offending people or signing anything in a bad way.”

Edward appreciated this biblical admonition. “I’m thankful for the reminder and how the Lord has changed my life.”

Drawing Closer to God

Not long ago, Yassin, a Rwandan Sign Language user, didn’t feel close to the Lord.

But one day, Yassin was scrolling through social media posts. He stumbled on some videos the Rwandan Sign Language Bible translation team had created. Each one took a portion of Scripture and delivered it as a story — a format that resonates deeply with many Deaf individuals.

As Yassin watched biblical narratives signed in his language, he was touched. He wanted to know more about God. Yassin continued watching the Scripture stories. Through them, he discovered foundations of the Christian faith!

Yassin contacted the translation team, who offered answers to his questions. Now Yassin is grateful that he can use Scripture in his sign language to help people at his church draw near to the Lord also.

He declared, “Bible translation work in Rwanda is changing a lot of lives.”

Pray for continued transformation among Deaf communities:

• Ask God to strengthen the relationships between Deaf individuals. Pray that Deaf churches grow so people can worship God in their sign languages.


• Pray that translation teams will be able to meet each community’s need for Scripture in a way that is meaningful to them.


• Deaf communities often have a much smaller percentage of Christians than are found in other communities of the country in which they live. Ask God to use His translated Word to draw people into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

God’s Word for All People

At Wycliffe, we believe in the promised future depicted in Revelation 7:9a: “After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb” (NLT).

One thing is clear — the need for Bible translation among Deaf communities is great. While the journey of Bible translation might not look the same for each community, it’s all done in pursuit of a final destination: seeing God’s Word made available for all people so that their lives are changed.

Today God is using your prayers, financial partnership with projects and missionaries and advocacy for Bible translation to make a difference in the lives of people around the world!

So no matter how long it takes, we’ll continue to work together toward a day when every man, woman and child can experience the power of Scripture in a language and format that capture their hearts and transforms their lives for eternity.

Pray With the Global Church

Link arms with believers around the world! Join our prayer community and lift up translation teams and communities waiting for Scripture.

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