Prayer for Hungarian high school students as they study the Bible

Lord, today we pray for high school students in Hungary. We are amazed that the government requires that the Bible be taught in high schools. Lord, we pray that students will not view the Bible as just another book, but that this double-edged sword will penetrate even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and that it will judge the thoughts and attitudes of young Hungarian hearts (Hebrews 4:12). Lord, we pray for those who teach the Bible to be filled with your Spirit and teach accurately, powerfully and effectively. We pray for people like Balazs Kovacs, who visit different schools for the sole purpose of engaging students with your truth as they make use of this law requiring Bible instruction. May Kovacs and other visiting teachers be welcome and effective. We pray for unbelievers who teach the Bible to be hungry to learn more and to be slowly changed as they interact with your living and active Word. May the teaching of the Bible in schools lead to a generation empowered to know and serve you. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Prayer about secondary health issues resulting from Peru's flooding

https://www.interhealthworldwide.org/home/health-resources/health-alerts/2017/march/28/flooding-and-mudslides-in-peru/ Photo credit: AFP JIJI

Lord, today we pray about secondary health risks that have resulted from Peru’s flooding and mudslides. Lord, we pray about the 24 collapsed/uninhabitable health facilities and 380 affected health facilities. These are places where people can no longer receive care or will now come up against great obstacles in receiving care. We pray for quick repairs, renewal of supplies, volunteers, and international aid to get these facilities up and running as quickly as possible. Lord, we also pray about the very serious risks that have arisen surrounding waterborne diseases and insect-borne diseases. We pray that infrastructure repair and community clean-ups can happen as quickly as possible to decrease and stop the spread of these diseases. We pray for the aid workers who are coming in from around the world to help. May they exercise wise precautions to avoid these diseases. We pray for children, especially those who have been weakened by the circumstances surrounding this emergency. We pray for supernaturally-strengthened immune systems for these children and safe, clean places to stay. Lord, reveal your power in Peru right now as Peruvians deal with all the suffering that has accompanied this season of flooding and mudslides. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Prayer of thanksgiving for Compassion International's Child Survival Program in Thailand

https://www.compassion.com/a-life-changed/somporn-fairuay.htm?referer=518805&utm_source=xmpie&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Alumni_enews_March_2017

Lord, today we praise you for Compassion International’s Child Survival Program. In a world where aid workers are shot and killed, government corruption leads to the starvation of a nation, and terrorists seek to bring about as much destruction as possible, it is a blessing to know of people and organizations who seek to preserve and improve life. Today we specifically praise you for the Child Survival Program in Thailand, where Somporn and his daughter Pidsinee’s lives were changed forever—for their good and your glory. Lord, thank you for Phongphet, a Compassion employee who reached out to a neighbor in need. Thank you for giving Somporn the courage to care for his baby after his wife’s unexpected death. Thank you for providing him a warm experience at the local Child Survival Program, where he was cared for and welcome, even as the only father in the program. We rejoice that both Somporn and Pidsinee are now thriving. Continue to use their lives as testaments to your grace and goodness. And continue to use the Child Survival Program in Thailand to save and improve lives. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Prayer for Zoey Carles and other missing children

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/12-year-old-girl-last-seen-walking-to-family-barn_us_58d521cde4b03787d35760ab

Lord, today we pray for Zoey Carles, who disappeared on her own family's property in South Carolina, USA, yesterday. Lord, we want her found, safe and sound. That is our fervent desire. Please bless the efforts of every searcher, including the dogs seeking any sign of her. We pray against any hindrance in finding her. We pray that all clues and insights may come to light as soon as possible. And, Lord, we know Zoey is just one of countless missing young people around the world today. Our hearts break to think of all the terrible situations so many precious young people find themselves in. Lord, please shore up the strength of those who are captive, as well as for those who miss them. May law enforcement officers and others of influence not give up efforts to find those who are missing. May the truth come to light about their situations. Any may many, many families receive the happy news that their missing loved one is found. We plead in Jesus' name, amen. 

Prayer for North Korean defectors

http://www.persecution.com/public/newsroom.aspx?story_ID=%3d383432&featuredstory_ID=%3d353736
Photo credit: AFP/Peter PARKS

Lord, today we pray for North Korean defectors who are hearing the Gospel or receiving discipleship training in China and South Korea. First, we pray for success in their growth—that those who do not know you will come to know you, and that those who do know you will take full advantage of their growth opportunities and grow at a supernatural rate. Next, we pray for their safety. Lord, we know these brave souls deal with the very real possibility of execution if they are caught—particularly those crossing the border, whether to gain training or to return to share the Gospel. Please send your angels to protect these men and women as they travel. Lord, we pray for your Gospel to advance in North Korea, despite the leadership’s best efforts to wipe out Christianity. May your light shine incredibly brightly in this very dark place. In Jesus’ victorious name we pray, amen.

Prayer about flooding in Peru

http://www.laht.com/article.asp?CategoryId=14095&ArticleId=613169 and https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/03/16/world/americas/ap-lt-peru-floods.html?_r=0

Lord, today we ask for mercy in Peru. We ask for the rains to stop so the flooding and mudslides can cease. We pray for no more related deaths. We pray for people to find safe shelter, to escape from any areas where they may be trapped, to cling to life as they resist the floodwaters. Lord, we pray for rescuers to have strength, determination and effectiveness. We pray for the government’s efforts to provide emergency housing to be efficient. We pray for people to open their homes to those in need, even if that involves strangers. And we pray for Lima and its surrounding area to bounce back from this devastating flood season. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Watch a woman escape from a mudslide here, and praise God for her safety: https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2017/mar/17/peru-flooding-woman-scrambles-out-of-vast-mudslide-video.

Prayer about landfill landslide in Ethiopia

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/12/africa/ethiopia-trash-landslide/index.html

Lord, today we pray about the landslide that happened at the Koshe landfill in Ethiopia this weekend. We are heartbroken about the 60 people who died and the dozens who were injured. We pray for rescuers, who are still trying to dig people out of the deep rubbish. We pray for friends and family who are seeking their missing loved ones. We pray for those who were injured to receive quality care and find places to recuperate. And we pray for the survivors who have been relocated to a temporary youth shelter. May they find longer-term housing soon—in a place that will be safe for their families. Bring healing to broken hearts today. And please give people the creativity, resources and drive to find solutions to the housing shortage that would drive people to seek shelter on a landfill. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Prayer as Compassion International closes its programs in India

Photo by Compassion International

Lord, we praise you as sovereign, all-knowing, omnipresent. We trust in your goodness, holiness and power. We pour out our hearts before you as we grieve what has happened to Compassion International's child sponsorship programs in India. Lord, you have heard our prayers. You have seen the relentless efforts Compassion staff and supporters have made to keep the program going in India. You also saw Indian lawmakers pass the law that would keep this ministry out of its nation. And you know the number of hairs on the heads of the 145,000 children and their families, who will now lose this significant part of their lives. Thank you. Thank you for seeing, for understanding the pain, for guiding. We now ask for you to empower your church in India to step into the gap, to be supernaturally equipped to minister to these families in new ways. We pray for the closures and transitions on March 15 to go as smoothly as possible. We pray that this trial would create new growth, provide opportunities for people to share about you, and draw your precious children even closer to your heart. May the attention this situation is getting inspire tens of thousands of people to sponsor children around the world. Please meet the needs of the affected Indian families. And please work in the hearts of Indian lawmakers to recognize how powerfully you have worked through your children in India for so many generations. We declare our faith in you. Amen.

Prayer for UK's child abuse inquiry

Learn more about the abuse inquiry here:  http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-39078652

Lord, today we pray for the United Kingdom’s first phase of its Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which is looking at the way organizations have protected children outside the UK. Lord, we know these men and women are only three days into what promises to be a very long, affecting process, and the emotions are already sky-high. Lord, we welcome the revelation of truth. We pray for closure for the older adults who are still haunted by their extensive mistreatment and abuse as children. We pray for healing in their hearts and minds. We pray for them to receive justice, but also to forgive and move forward into peace. We do pray for both British and Australian authorities to rightly handle the information that is coming to light. We pray for churches, non-profits, government agencies, etc., that learn of gross neglect and abuse in their history. May they acknowledge it and seek reconciliation. May they move forward with a strong desire to never allow these things to happen again. And, Lord, that is our prayer: that this process will not only lead to healing, but lead to better protection for children in the years to come. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.