Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Prayer for Turkey after the airport attack

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/06/29/isis-eyed-as-prime-culprit-in-istanbul-airport-terror-attack.html?intcmp=hpbt1. Photo credit: Laurence Cameron/Storyful
Lord, today we pray for Turkey. Haven’t we just prayed about a terrorist attack? Weren’t dozens of people just killed by a terrorist? Yes, in this broken world we will have trouble. But we take heart, because you have overcome the world. Lord, we pray for the citizens of Turkey as they reel in grief and many in fear after Tuesday’s airport attack. We pray for those investigating the attacks—that they will piece together this puzzle and determine both who is responsible and what might be done to eliminate such attacks in the future. We pray for Turkey’s leaders, who are calling for vengeance--that they will lead with wisdom and courage during this time. We pray for those recovering from their injuries and emotional wounds, that they would find effective and swift healing. We pray for those who grieve for their lost loved ones--that you will meet them in this place of darkness, where they threaten to lose hope. Lord, make yourself known in Turkey as you bring healing during a time of need. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen. 

Friday, June 24, 2016

Prayer regarding Venezuela's food shortage

Photo credit: Miguel Gutierrez for the Wall Street Journal
Lord, today we pray about the food shortage in Venezuela, along with some of the resulting issues. Lord, how frustrating that government regulation leads to more shortages and a black market! How frustrating that this black market even drives thieves to steal from schools! But, Lord, you see all of this. You are bigger than all of this. Please give the leaders of Venezuela wisdom in addressing these concerns. Please grant law enforcement success as they try to catch the thieves who are stealing from schools. Lord, our biggest concern regarding this is that people get enough to eat. We pray for these school children who are relying on the school food for their daily intake. Please provide for them. Help the thieves to see that they are causing children to starve--and to feel deep inner conviction that this is wrong. We also pray for those families who are taking their children out of school due to the need to stand in food lines, etc. Help them find ways to keep their children in school so the cycle of poverty can be broken. And as you provide food to eat, may the people of Venezuela also feast on your Word. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.


Read more here: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2016/06/24/criminals-now-stealing-food-from-venezuela-schools-as-scarcity-spreads/?intcmp=hplnws or http://www.wsj.com/articles/venezuelas-food-shortages-trigger-long-lines-hunger-and-looting-1440581400. 

Monday, June 20, 2016

Prayer about clash between teachers' union and police in southern Mexico

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/06/20/at-least-6-killed-more-than-100-hurt-in-mexico-clashes-between-police-and-teachers.html?intcmp=hplnws
Lord, today we pray about the clash happening between the teachers’ union and police in Oaxaca, Mexico. It’s hard to imagine a protest related to education reform leading to at least six deaths and more than 100 people injured. Lord, may your presence fall upon that place. May your peace that passes understanding guard hearts and minds. May charged emotions diminish and clarity of thought reign as involved parties decide how to handle the uproar. Lord, we do ask that the truth will
come out--whether the union is corrupt or whether the government is being unfair. Bring truth to light so people can act on facts, rather than emotions. May both sides understand each other’s concerns. Please protect uninvolved civilians and prevent further harm to anyone. Bring resolution quickly. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Saturday, June 18, 2016

Prayer for surviving Filipino comfort women

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36537605
Lord, today we pray for the 70 Filipino “comfort women” who still survive after their ordeal during World War II. Though the war is history and over 900 of these women have already passed away, the surviving women are still recovering from the physical and emotional wounds they incurred from the sex slavery forced upon them by the Japanese. Lord, thank you that truth is coming out and these women no longer have to live in silence and fear. Thank you that Japan has apologized for the wrongs they did to women in other parts of Asia. Lord, we pray for the Japanese government to also apologize for their soldiers enslaving and abusing Filipino women as well. If the Filipino government is slowing this process out of economic concerns, help them to be bold and advocate for these citizens. Not only will these 70 women finally have some closure, but it will be a strong message that sexual violence of any kind is unacceptable. Please bring peace, healing, vindication and hope to these survivors. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen. 

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Prayer about finding the EgyptAir 804 black box

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/06/16/egyptair-plane-black-box-found-pulled-out-water.html.
AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli
Lord, we are so thankful the cockpit recorder was found from EgyptAir flight 804! We are thankful that its memory unit, which is the most important part of it, escaped damage. We pray for the experts as they analyze its information. We also pray for the search teams as they continue looking for the second black box, which will detail the plane’s functioning, including airspeed, altitude, the status of key system and the pilots' actions. We pray for the information to be pieced together so conclusions can be drawn about why this plane went down. We continue to pray for those who lost loved ones. May they trust you and experience your peace as they wait for answers and adapt to life without these dear people who died in such a tragic way. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen. 

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Prayer for the Yida Refugee Camp in South Sudan

http://photo.samaritanspurse.org/wrestling-for-life. Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
Lord, today we are thinking of and praying for the 70,000 refugees living at the Yida Refugee Camp in South Sudan. Thank you that these people made it to safety from all sorts of dangerous situations: bombings, lack of food and water, seeing friends and family killed around them. Thank you that they have a place to take refuge and find assistance. We pray that you will continue to provide all the needed practical resources, such as food, water, bathrooms, shelter. We also ask for continued blessing on the educational and recreational options available at Yida. Thank you for the work of Samaritan’s Purse, as the ministry helps provide all the mentioned resources, plus Christian education. And, Lord, as these refugees find their daily needs met, please heal them from their emotional, physical and mental wounds. Give them hope for the future, and practical means to a brighter tomorrow. We pray in Jesus’ name, amen. 

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Prayer about Orlando shooting

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/13/us/orlando-nightclub-shooting.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=span-abc-region&region=span-abc-region&WT.nav=span-abc-region&_r=0
Lord, today we pray about the nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, USA. Lord, it is so hard to find the words. Thank you for your Holy Spirit interceding for us in prayer. It’s difficult to accept the facts: the largest shooting in modern United States history, 49 people dead, 53 people hospitalized, claims of connections to ISIS, victims still unidentified. Lord, bring healing. Bring peace. When we ask for healing, we pray not only for the healing of those who lie injured in hospital beds, but for those whose hearts are broken, whose safety is shattered, who now live in fear. Speak your shalom over people’s hearts. Bring friends and family, support networks and resources around the survivors and those who lost loved ones. Bless those who acted in courage, and let us be inspired as these stories come to our attention. Thank you that the police who engaged with the shooter are safe. Lord, as Americans process this horrific act and have to deal with the sobering realities of terrorism and hate crimes, may they choose unity over division, love over hate, words of healing rather than words that inflame. May truth come out, hope arise, and your name be glorified. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen. 

Friday, June 10, 2016

Prayer about shooting in San José el Mirador

Read more here: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2016/06/10/armed-group-kills-11-family-members-including-kids-at-their-home-in-central/?intcmp=hplnws. Getty Images.
Lord, today we pray about the deadly shooting in San José el Mirador, Puebla, Mexico. Lord, 11 dead—all from one family! What a sad, sad day for this small, remote community! And when we heard that the killings may have been religiously motivated, we were even more deeply grieved. Lord, we pray against these divisions and competitions between Catholics and Protestants in these remote communities. We pray the groups will recognize their commonality in Jesus. We pray for fairness in land, water and other rights that are connected to community membership and influenced by religious affiliation. Lord, we pray for the two wounded children who survived this attack. Please help them receive the best possible care and to not only recover from their physical wounds, but also their emotional and mental wounds. We also pray for the witnesses who survived the attacks. Please protect them for their own good and so they can provide the much-needed help in tracking down the killers. We pray for truth to come out about who committed these atrocious acts, as well as their motives. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Prayer for "Fadi Sabba" as he shares Christ in dangerous circumstances

Fadi Sabba shares Christ with and meets material needs for refugees along the Syrian-Lebanese border
Lord, today we pray for one of your zealous disciples, who is working along the Syrian-Lebanese border: “Fadi Sabba.” Lord, thank you for his tremendous commitment to following and sharing you, despite his life being threatened many times. Thank you for protecting him the times he was shot, attacked and more. Please continue to protect him as he risks everything while traveling in dangerous areas and teaching about you to those who ask, knowing it could be a ruse to trap him. Give him great discernment, wisdom and effectiveness as he teaches people about you. Please continue to provide food aid and educational materials for his ministry to refugees. Please guard his heart as he grieves when those he has led to Christ are harassed or even killed for their faith. And please protect his family as he continues this bold ministry. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.



Sunday, June 5, 2016

Prayer against kidnappings in Syria

Read about one aspect of kidnapping in Syria here: https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2013/06/06/in-syria-kidnapping-becomes-a-big-money-business/#!

Lord, today we pray about the kidnappings that have been happening in Syria. We specifically pray for the man, Faruq, who disappeared almost two years ago. We pray for his father (Yusuf) and his mother, who are devastated by the loss of their only son. Thank you that Faruq’s parents can hope that he is still alive, since his computer skills are useful to his kidnappers. We pray for a way of escape for Faruq, and that you will protect his mind, body, heart and faith while he is oppressed by his kidnappers. We pray for Yusuf to continue to hope in you as he leads his family through this long, dark period. We pray for Faruq’s mother’s faith--that it will grow and deepen as she walks through the valley of the shadow of death. May Faruq be released soon, and may he share a testimony that magnifies you. Lord, we pray for the other families who face this same trial—and thus suffer uncertainty, fear, loss and grief. Please bring Christians around them to share words of comfort and hope, and to provide for their tangible needs. Please reach these suffering families through your Word and Spirit, to make their lives not only bearable, but beautiful. And we pray against this wicked practice of taking hostages. Please thwart the efforts of these extremists. In Jesus’ powerful name we pray, amen.

Saturday, June 4, 2016

Prayer for Bible translation using Render software

  http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2016/may/unwritten-word-god-bible-translation-oral-render-software.html
Photo credit: Marc Ewell.
Lord, we love your Word! You sustain us and renew our minds through it. Yet there are millions of people who do not have access to your life-giving Word. We rejoice today in the promising new software called Render that allows Bible translation to be completely oral. Thank you for this creative approach that will enable translation to be done by people who are illiterate but gifted oral interpreters. We pray for Pioneer Bible Translators and the Seed Company as they use this new tool. We pray for each person involved to be enthusiastic, dedicated, highly skilled, and empowered by your Spirit. We pray for the first project in Uganda to go smoothly and to open doors for many more projects in the future. We pray for accuracy, continued improvement, and lives to be changed! Thank you again for this likely breakthrough in Bible translation. In Jesus name we pray, amen.