Prayer for the United States of America: A 365 Day Global Prayer Journey - Dec. 9

How can we reach all the unreached nations of the world?

If I go as a missionary, I reach one people group, two or three at the most, and only a few people.

If my church adopts a people group we might penetrate deeply into one group.

But what if we can impact unreached people groups HERE, from the USA? I'm not talking about just financially supporting those going to the least-reached (though I strongly advocate that) ... I'm talking about personal involvement.

What if we can do it by just opening our homes and our lives?

If you live in or near a college town, you probably have that opportunity. 60% of international students studying in the US are from the 10/40 window. Many of these are from unreached people groups - even unengaged people groups. 25% of their countries prohibit missionaries. Amazingly, 40% of current world leaders studied in the US at some point - and the State Department estimates 25% of future leaders are currently studying here.

Think campus ministries are reaching them? Think again. Only 10% are touched by campus ministries - and a number of those are already believers. Furthermore, 80% of international students will return home having NEVER visited an American home.

When you add in other international visitors to the US - whether for tourism, asylum, or immigration -  the numbers only increase. We can make a difference. We certainly need to give more to reach the unreached - currently only 0.5% of offerings go to those ministries - but our churches have an amazing opportunity for personal involvement as well.

Today, let's pray for the unreached within the borders of the US, as well as for the church to grasp the bigger picture of missions and align its giving accordingly.
 (Sources: www.cafe1040.com, personal conversation with international student minister)

 My prayer for today: Oh Lord God, you are so creative. Though we haven't gone to the extent You commanded, to the ends of the earth, You have brought the ends of the earth to us. Lord Jesus, I pray for You to reveal this to Christians, individual believers as well as church leaders. We repent of any animosity or prejudice towards immigrants and instead see them for what they are - a harvest within our borders, and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who can help with that harvest while they are here. We pray for You to show us how to minister to these precious ones, whether at universities or job sites or down the street. Fill us with Your love, give us the heart to open our homes, and enable us to have discerning hearts to know those who are seeking You. Help us love them all, and guide each one to the next step of discovering You. But for those who are ripe for the Gospel, teach us how to share it effectively and give us welcoming, open churches to receive them. Make our churches look like the throne room, with people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. And shape those believers into missionaries with beautiful feet, carrying the Gospel back to their homelands and reaching the rest of the unreached world. Guide the church so we do not waste this opportunity. In the precious name of Jesus, amen. 

Prayer for the United States of America: A 365 Day Global Prayer Journey - Dec. 8

As I shared yesterday, it's been hard to discern how to pray for my own country. Last night, though, God woke me up with a clear indication of our prayer focus for today: We need to pray for our country - overwhelmingly filled with those who claim Christianity as their faith - to WAKE UP.

It's Advent - the days of preparation before Christmas Day, when we celebrate Jesus' coming. I haven't been able to get the words to Casting Crowns' "While You Were Sleeping" out of my head. What will we miss while we're sleeping? Are we a nation with room for its King? Or will we wake up and follow Him to the ends of the earth?

Please watch this video today, and pray with me for my country, its churches, and all those who claim to be Christians to wake up and open the doors so the King of Glory may come in.

http://youtu.be/sMN04mLd5ag

Prayers for United States of America: A 365 Day Global Prayer Journey - December 7

For the next 5 days we are praying for my own nation, the United States of America. This is one of the hardest areas of the prayer journey for me personally to write about. It's so hard to communicate my heart when I'm this close to the situation - to strike the right balance of prophetic challenge, humility, and hope. For the reality is this: Just as we need Jesus no less than anyone else in the world, the Gospel's power is no less effective for the United States than it is for all the war-torn corners of the world we've visited. We're not better than the rest of the world - but we're not worse either. Hallelujah, the ground is level at the foot of the cross.

Please read pages 861-870 to get an overview of where we're going the next few days, then watch this video to get started in prayers for my country, the USA.

http://youtu.be/8eAK1Su3b9I

Prayer for St. Martin, St. Pierre and Miquelon, and St. Vincent: A 365 Day Global Prayer Journey - November 7

As with yesterday's focus, today we lift up some additional island nations. Please read pages 780-783.

My prayer for today: Lord, we lift up these nations to You, knowing that the islands belong to You and You seek to claim hearts on these lands for Your glory. For St. Martin, we pray for the Christians to live lives that are filled with peace and hope, and that non-believers will see the emptiness of their lifestyles and seek to find out the reason for the hope that is within the Christians. In St. Pierre and Miquelon, Lord, our hearts break that there are no evangelical or Protestant churches. We pray for renewal within the Catholic church and for people to find hope in a living relationship with You. For St. Vincent, Lord, we pray for spiritual fruitfulness. Fill believers with Your Spirit and teach them to walk in the Spirit and not the flesh, so that fruit abounds - bring about the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We pray for the church to be biblically-based and Spirit-led. It's Your Church Lord. Walk among it and speak Your words of life to the church on St. Vincent. In Jesus' name, amen.

Prayer for Guyana: A 3465 Day Global Prayer Journey - June 12

Guyana has seen such a turnaround - from an atheistic country to full freedom of religion with over 50% Christian population! what a huge praise, with continued responsiveness and unity to this day. Please read pages 390-392.

My prayer for today: Lord, what an encouragement to read about Guyana, how You transformed the country and delivered them from atheistic rhetoric into religious freedom. Thank You for the unity and responsiveness to the Gospel. Guyana still needs Your touch Lord, with the threats from Venezuela and Suriname, as well as the racial divisions. We pray Your enduring hope will come to Guyana as You transform this nation with the Gospel. We pray for continued growth among the churches and for racial unity to begin within the congregations. We pray for believers will show the power of the Gospel with their unity, their words, and their lives. Raise up missions vision for the unreached people groups and other religions within their borders. We pray against the enemy's efforts to infiltrate the church with spiritism, witchcraft, and other demonic assaults. Grow the church in maturity and vision. In Jesus' name, amen. 

Prayer for Greenland and Granada: A 365 Day Global Prayer Journey - June 6

Today we pray for two islands - the largest island in the world, and one of the tiniest. Please read about Greenland and Grenada on pages 374-376.

My prayer for today: Lord, Greenland needs the breath of Your Spirit. Move powerfully, Lord, to breathe spiritual life into the churches and the convicting and regenerating power of Your Spirit over the country. We come against the devastation of immorality, abuse, alcoholism, mental illness, and suicide. We pray for deep healing and the renewing of their minds by the power of the Word of God. Raise up more Biblical leaders and give them wisdom to reach Greenland in a way that is unique to that culture. Lord, for Grenada we pray for re-development from the devastating hurricanes. We pray for dependence upon You rather than material things. Lord we pray for unity among the denominations, for an evangelistic and missions vision, and for purity within the church. Let the Grenadan church be a true threat to the enemy, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Prayer for Canada: A 365 Day Global Prayer Journey - March 29 (Day 89)

Today we continue to pray for Canada. Please review pages 193-197.

My prayer for today: Lord, we lift up Canada to You and ask for revival! Let a fresh wind of Your Spirit rush over this country that has such a heritage. Lord, we pray for Christians to be a strong and loving witness in the face of antagonism from the popular culture and the media. We pray for the church to be what You created the church to be. Give the church in Canada a passion for your glory. We pray for the outreach efforts and the new vibrancy in Catholicism to have a beneficial impact on Canada. We pray for the Bible institutes to have a positive influence throughout the country. Lord, We ask for those who need a fresh witness or to hear for the first time - for Quebec, for the First Nations, for the Inuit and the immigrants. We pray for the missionaries within Canada and those they have sent abroad. We pray for them to fulfill the unique roles You have called them to. Be glorified in and through Canada. In Jesus' name, amen.

Praying for Canada: A 365 Day Global Prayer Journey - March 28 (Day 88)

Beautiful sweeping scenery. Wide open spaces. Arctic cold, high mountains, and blue oceans. This is Canada. Canada has a spiritual heritage as well - shaped by Christian leaders, the country actually has a higher proportion of Christians in Parliament than in the population at large! Yet overall the country has been in spiritual decline, and the number of non-religious are growing. Please read about Canada on pages 193-197.

Today's prayer journey features a video tour of this lovely country and a young Canadian believer leading us in prayer. Please take the time to watch this video, hear her passion and her heart, and pray with her.

http://youtu.be/aOhLGDuvKSw

A 365 Day Global Prayer Journey - January 19 (Day 19)

Our journey through Africa the past few days has led us up and down the Nile and across the Sahara, around the coast and to the Horn. Today, we pack our suitcases for a trip to a place of great diversity and uniqueness - the Americas. Over the next 6 days we'll once again get a closer "boat-level" tour through North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Many of us in this group are from this corner of the world -- so the challenge for us is a bit different than when we took our overview of Africa. Wherever you are from, for the next six days, let's try to suspend our presuppositions and look at this section of the world with fresh eyes. As you begin your prayer time each day, ask God to help you see from a new perspective - His.

For today, please gain an overview of the diversity of this part of the world by reading the statistical facts in the blue boxes on pages 41-48, then return here for prayer.

Reading the overview of each section of the Americas and looking at the country lists makes me eager to get to know each country better and spend significant time in prayer for each one. For now, though, our focus is on the region as a whole and on gaining a bit more of the big picture as it relates to this region. As you go through Operation World you will begin to see more and more the regional influences on a country. So much of a people's worldview - the part of us that says "this is how it is" - is consistent across regions, even though there are subtle differences. That's why these regional empahases are so helpful. Let's pray about this today!

My prayer for today: Lord, what a unique civilization You brought out of this region called the Americas. So much richness and diversity, for so many centuries isolated from the rest of the world, yet never invisible in Your heart. We thank You, Lord, for this section of the world You created. We see how much You have done here and at the same time some of the harmful things that were done in Your name. We know that this region needs a fresh touch of Your Spirit, healing of some deep wounds, and a touch on some very real needs. It's encouraging to know that from the tiniest island in the Caribbean, to the vast open expanses of northern Canada, to the bustling cities of the US, to the farms and villages throughout much of the region -- You are at work, You are there, and You care. Thank You, Lord, for that reality. We ask You to open our eyes and help us see things through Your eyes these next few days. In Jesus' name, amen.