Praying for France: A 365 Day Global Prayer Journey - May 25 (Day 146)

Today we continue to pray for France. Please review pages 340-345, then read the further insights from our Finnish friend living in France.

• Pray for courage and investment into missions - both nationally and abroad. Most evangelical assemblies gather less than a hundred members, hence the scarce number of sending churches. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers into his harvest! (Luke 10:2) The following points exemplify different groups that the Gospel should reach in France:
• Many native born French people are spiritual seekers having abandoned the [Catholic] faith of their parents or grand-parents. They turn to new spiritualities and sometimes to Asian religions. Each year, several New Age fairs and expos are organised in the bigger cities. Pray for these seekers to encounter Jesus. Pray for the Body of Jesus to find smooth and loving ways to meet them where they are in their spiritual search.
• It is estimated that up to 10 % of the population has an Islamic background, and that 1/3 of them would be devoted Muslims. Pray for their eyes to open to the Son of God. Please pray especially for the following individuals living in the South of France: Jalila, Ovarda, Tamani and Tahar, as well as their respective families. Pray for courage and guidance to the ex-Muslims who are persecuted by their friends and family, especially when they visit their countries of origin (North Africa and the Middle East). Pray for the distribution of evangelistic books and DVDs at ports and inner cities.
• There is an estimated half a million Jews in France. Pray for them to accept Jesus in their lives and really become True Jews. You might have heard the news of violences performed against Jewish school children a couple of months ago. Pray against the spirit of antisemitism in France.

 My prayer for today: Lord, I lift up France to You. I thank You for what You are doing there and for the unity that is beginning to emerge. We pray for the success of efforts toward unity and for the church to have wisdom against the spiritual strongholds, especially secularism. Lord, we pray for the churches to have a missional vision and truly seek to send laborers to the harvest. We pray for the church to have loving outreach to those involved in New Age, to Muslims, and to Jews. We pray against the spirit of antisemitism and ask You to protect those who might be victims of violence. Lord, we pray for Jalila, Ovarda, Tamani, and Tahar and ask You to watch over them. Be with Muslim Background Believers as they visit their families. Help them to maintain their testimony and have wisdom and love as they witness of You. In Jesus' name, amen. 

Praying for France: A 365 Day Global Prayer Journey - May 24 (Day 145)

Today and tomorrow, we pray for one of the best-known countries in the world, a nation which boasts one of the major world languages, numerous historical and cultural sights that tourists enjoy, and a significant place in international politics, historically as well as currently. Please read pages 340-345.

Sadly, France is also known for its radical secularism. France's revolution occurred shortly after the United States', but with an extremely key distinction: While the American Revolution was based on freedom OF religion, with no religion having state dominance, France's was based on freedom FROM religion. In many ways, the French Revolution was the pinnacle of the Enlightenment and truly was about man exalting himself. The heritage in each country today continues to define the distinction: In the U.S., the general assumption is that of an "open public square" where religion is concerned (despite very real concerns about silencing many expressions, the legal rights do still exist), in France the picture is of a "naked public square". Religion is completely a private matter and not subject to public expression.

Today we have additional insights from the Finn living in France who wrote yesterday. Please read these as well, then watch the video for our prayer time together.

• Less than two weeks ago, France got a new President, Mr. François Hollande. Pray for his personal salvation and that he would make wise and godly decisions as the head of the country and in the important position he has in the leadership of the whole of Europe. Pray that France and Israel would stay on good terms.
• "Laïcité" or secularism is considered an important value of the Republic. People don't often wish to talk about religious convictions publicly, as they are seen as a private matter. Municipalities also have rather strict policies as to evangelism in the streets and other "religious" public events. Pray for creative and wise solutions for Christian initiatives and that missionary work would not be hindered furthermore. Pray for the Church to increasingly embrace friendship evangelism.
• Pray for a revival and a renewal in the traditional Christian churches, both Catholic and Protestant. They need to have a freshness in the Spirit in order to win back their youth, now mostly turned to atheism or humanism. Praise God - there already are some very lively communities, born from the ashes of certain monasteries, for example.
• Linked to the previous point: Pray for the unity and reconciliation between different churches and denominations. We believe the Global Outreach Day on June 2nd (www.globaloutreachday.com) can be an opportunity to bring Christians together for a common cause.

http://youtu.be/xFO99Wyz62M