Hong Kong is such a diverse and international area. An unbelievable number of peoples pass through there, including many of the unreached peoples of the world. In fact, a serious effort is underway to reach the unreachd through ministry to refugees and asylum-seekers in Hong Kong. As we pray for the people of Hong Kong, let's also pray for the people of the world who pass through her borders.
We are privileged to have insight for our prayer time today from a friend of mine who lived there for seven years. Please read her words and pray as the Lord leads you. Some photos follow that will help bring faces to the concepts she mentions.
Our family of five lived in Hong Kong for 7 years as missionaries. During our time there, we developed many deep friendships with people from all walks of life in Hong Kong. We saw God move in many ways, and saw some things that were hindrances to His Kingdom there. Here are a few things we see as important prayer points for Hong Kong.
Hong
Kong is geographically a small area, but has a population of a little
over 7 million people. It's nickname is "Asia's world city", and for
good reason. It is said that a plane lands and takes off in Hong Kong
every minute. When you step off the plane in Hong Kong and head towards
the airport train, there is a big sign that encapsulates the spirit of
Hong Kong - "Don't worry, the train comes every 3 minutes." There needs
to be this reminder because people would almost run each other over
trying to get on the train. It is a fast-paced, "take it for myself"
kind of place.
1. Hong Kong is a very
materialistic city. There is a lot of opportunity to make money, and
everyone is trying to make the most they can. There are many
international businesses and banks. When you step into any busy shopping
area of Hong Kong (and they are everywhere), you can almost tangibly
feel the pull to buy things. Everyone wants to have the newest gadget
out there. It becomes a vicious cycle of working to make money in order
to buy more things. Because of this, many people in Hong Kong work long
hours and have little to no free time. The common answer to "how are
you?" is "very very busy". When people are always busy, that leaves them
with less time to think about life and how they need a Savior. Jesus
can be pushed out of their minds, or never even heard of. Please pray
that the people of Hong Kong will feel the true emptiness of the things
of this world and search for the Only One who can fill their empty
hearts - Jesus.
2. Another prayer point is for
the families of Hong Kong. Usually both parents will work long hours,
and there will be a live-in maid who takes care of the children for
them. Families rarely spend any quality time together. While in Hong
Kong, we worked in a ministry to families, and heard first hand that
families literally did not know how to talk to each other if they were
in a room together for any length of time. They had to learn how to
connect! Because there was a lack of time spent together, they did not
know each other. This obviously means that parents cannot fulfill the
mandate God has given them to teach their children God's ways. The
children often feel very burdened to score well on the many exams they
face in school in order to "succeed", and there is a high incidence of
suicide among young people. Please pray for reconnection of families in
Hong Kong, and that Christian families would be an example of unity and
love in Christ. Pray that the Christian families would spark curiosity
in non-believers through the witness of their family lives. May God be
first in Hong Kong families!
3. Despite being a
very modern city, Hong Kong is still very steeped in traditions from
the past. This means Buddhism, Taoism, and ancestor worship. Our family
lived in a very old and traditional village in Hong Kong, and it was
very hard to speak to people there about Jesus, because they could not
imagine breaking away from their ancient Chinese traditions. They
worship false gods, and celebrate many festivals to them. They also
worship and pray to their ancestors, believing they will help them to
have better lives and more money. Please pray that the people of Hong
Kong will see the reality and power of the true God, and they will turn
away from false gods and idols. May they see that the only true God is
Jesus, and nothing else can give them true life. May they see that they
can still be Chinese and follow Jesus, because He is not a "foreign"
God, but He is also their Creator and Savior.
4.
Being an international city means that Hong Kong is filled not only
with millions of Chinese people, but also people from many other
countries of the world. There are many people living in Hong Kong
because of business from Europe, Australia, New Zealand, America, and
many other places. There are thousands of women who have come to Hong
Kong to work as maids from the Philippines and Indonesia. Many of these
women work for little money and are treated badly. There are refugees
from many countries including Africa (many countries), Pakistan, Nepal,
Sri Lanka, and more. My husband and I have personally ministered to and
discipled people from these walks of life, and their stories are
sometimes heart breaking. The amazing thing is that God works wonders in
their hurting hearts and gives them hope and joy when they find Him.
Sometimes I wonder if God brought them to Hong Kong just so they could
meet someone who would tell them about Jesus. Later on these transformed
people leave Hong Kong to live in another part of the world, and bring
the message of hope in Jesus with them. Please pray for the many migrant
people living in Hong Kong, from all over the world. Pray that God
would draw their hearts to Him, and send someone to tell them about
Jesus. Pray that they would become strong in their love and faith in
Christ, and be missionaries for Him! We have seen it happen in many
lives, but there are many more in Hong Kong that don't know Him.
My prayer for today: Lord, You are so good to put places like Hong Kong in the world, with an impact beyond its size. We pray for the church in Hong Kong to be unified and intentional about the task. Thank You for the efforts of March for Jesus and Global Day of Prayer to unify the church. We ask You Lord for Hong Kong to play a key role for the kingdom - in reaching China and the world. We pray for the Christians who are serving so many of the schools and hospitals and social organizations. Grace them to be salt and light and have a transformational influence in society. We come against the porn and trafficking industries and ask You to bring what's done in darkness to the light and free the captives. Lord, reach Hong Kong for You in every way. In Jesus' name, amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment