Today we finalize our prayers for the Pacific Islands, then get ready to shake off the sea legs so we can start our country-by-country in-depth hike tomorrow! I hope God has given you a glimpse of His heart for these islands. Please read pages 86-87, then return for prayer time.
Are you familiar with the John Frum cargo cults? Some of the islands, following World War II, fell into worship of someone they called "John Frum" -- as in "John from America" -- who would come to the island and bring material prosperity. An amazing story is told in the book The Man with the Bird on his Head about how God used a man from America, named John, on one remote island to bring the Gospel, which the people ultimately found much better than the material prosperity they had expected. Understanding this unique religious history of some of these islands sheds new light on the need to pray for the church and its need for discipleship. Even though the Gospel has been in many of these islands for years, there are still hundreds of languages without the Bible and many without even a translator working! Let's pray for the church in the Pacific now.
My prayer for today: Oh God, You are Lord over the church in the Pacific. Thank You for all the creative ways You got the message of truth to them -- even with a simple man named John from America! Thank You that You revealed Yourself as better than material prosperity. Lord, we pray today for the church in the Pacific. We pray for Scripture in their language! Call translators to go and translate the Bible for them. Only as they have full Scripture will they be able to be fully discipled. Lord, help those ministering among them to have access at least to oral Scripture or near-language translations, anything to help them better understand and communicate the message of truth to believers. Let Your Holy Spirit work strongly in them to guard and protect them from deception such as the rapid growth of Mormonism. Lord, we pray for their other needs - the adjustment to demographic shifts and wisdom in the face of secularism and multiculturalism; the ethnic and age shifts; the decline of some forms of Christianity. Lord, at the end of the day let it be You who reign supreme even if the forms change. Raise up leaders who can make disciples. We ask for the church to lead the way in true justice and that the church would be unified in its mission for You. Lord, finish the task. Send laborers to the remaining people groups and those who need to be re-evangelized. Minister to the immigrants. Meet every need in the Pacific today. Thank You for the heart You've given us. Guide us to fully obey how You want us to give, pray, or go to the Pacific. In Jesus' name, amen.
Resources:
- http://www.joshuaproject.net/prayer-resources.php
- Prayer calendars for the unreached in a few key areas of the Pacific.
- http://www.joshuaproject.net/ - Amazing
research tool for digging deeper
- http://www.globaldayofprayer.com/ - Focuses on
the annual event, but also includes urgent alerts and prayer points for
countries on an ongoing basis
- http://actnowpng.org/content/pacific-islands-prayer - Prayer emphasis for Papua New Guinea.
Are you already part of what God is doing in the Pacific? If so please
comment with any additional resources that you would recommend.
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