2018 Personal Prayer Diary sample

2018 P E R S O N A L

P R AY E R D I A R Y D A I L Y

Name Street Address / Box Number City / State-Province / Zip-Postal Code

P L A N N E R

YWAM Publishing is the publishing ministry of Youth With A Mission (YWAM), an international missionary organization of Christians from many denominations dedicated to presenting Jesus Christ to this generation. To this end, YWAM has focused its efforts in three main areas: (1) training and equipping believers for their part in fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19), (2) personal evangelism, and (3) mercy ministry (medical and relief work).

For a free catalog of books and materials, call (425) 771-1153 or (800) 922-2143.

Visit us online at www.ywampublishing.com.

Project Direction Warren Walsh Editorial Ryan Davis Marit Newton Luann Anderson Gazalle Davis Alina Sayre Design Angela Bailey Illustrations Julie Bosacker © 2017 by YWAM Publishing. All rights reserved.

Published by YWAM Publishing a ministry of Youth With A Mission P.O. Box 55787, Seattle, WA 98155-0787 Information was taken from the most recent and reliable sources available to the best of our knowledge. Every effort has been made to ensure factual accuracy. However, because of the complexity and rapid pace of world events, statistical information should not be regarded as authoritative. Updated information is welcome.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations in the article “Faith” on pp. 6-8, unless otherwise noted, are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Copyright 1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Navy: 978-1-57658-900-7 Burgundy: 978-1-57658-901-4 Black: 978-1-57658-902-1 Green: 978-1-57658-903-8 Insert: 978-1-57658-904-5 Printed in China

Contents Welcome Living and Praying Intentionally in 2018 4 Principles for Life and Prayer Faith 6 Habits for Missional Living 9 Introduction to the Christian Year 12 Calendars Weekly Prayer Plan 13 2018–2020 Year-at-a-Glance Planners 14 2018 Month-at-a-Glance Planners 22, 36, 48, 60, 72, 86, 98, 110, 124, 136, 150, 162 2018 Week-at-a-Glance Planners beginning on page 24 Monthly Guides to Intercession and Reflection January: The Persecuted Church 20 February: Disability in Ghana 34 March: Building Hope 46 April: The Lost Tribes of Israel 58 May: Spirituality in Iceland 70 June: Yemen’s Humanitarian Crisis 84 July: Foster Care and Adoption in Africa 96 August: Homelessness in Central Asia 108 September: Secularism in Uruguay 122 October: Forgiveness among the Suri 134 November: Business as Mission in Myanmar 148 December: Media in the Arab World 160 Snapshots of the World Weekly Featured Nations beginning on page 24 Maps of the World 178 Countries of the World 188 Time Zones 199 Scripture Infusion Daily Bible-Reading Plan beginning on page 24 Weekly Meditation and Memorization beginning on page 24 Bible-Reading Checklist 174 Resources Contacts 200 Notes & Prayer Journal 202 Endnotes 205 Contributors 206

WELCOME Living & Praying Intentionally in 2018

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ou hold in your hands a unique prayer and scheduling tool designed to help you live an intentional, integrated life connected to God’s kingdom. This multifaceted resource is far more than an effective organizer. It is a window through which thousands of believers like you see God’s work in the world and join him in that work through vital intercession for the nations.

In John 13, Jesus says to his disciples, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (vv. 34–35). The defining mark of Christians is love for one another. Two millennia after Jesus walked on earth, the world is significantly more complex and interconnected, with Christians spread widely. These pages highlight difficult circumstances that believers face.

We can love these brothers and sisters through prayer, by learning about and telling others about their needs, and by supporting individuals and organizations doing God’s work in specific areas.

As bearers of the good news of the Savior, our love extends beyond fellow believers to every person as we seek to love the world with the love of God. In words that still speak today, the apostle Paul said to the Thessalonian church, “We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 1:3). Paul concludes his well-known chapter on love with the same three components: “Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13). Our faith in God and our hope in God’s kingdom guide our love for all people, including those living in poverty and conflict areas, those suffering from physical or mental illnesses, 4

and those who have not yet discovered or opened themselves to God’s sustaining love.

As we practice faith, hope, and love, we become people marked by these virtues. Our daily and weekly habits are important for this very reason.

Christianity is not a philosophy, much less a “spiritual” trend. The early Christians were regarded as followers of “the Way” (Acts 9:2), and the Bible describes Christian discipleship as an act of walking: we walk by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16), we walk in the way of love (Eph. 5:2), we walk in the light (1 John 1:7), and we walk in the truth (3 John 4).

As those who have felt the embrace of a loving God, we are inspired to actively step out in faith, spread our hope and joy, and love all God’s creation with our hands and feet as well as our words and prayers.

Using Your Personal Prayer Diary and Daily Planner The Personal Prayer Diary and Daily Planner is designed to assist you in integrating three vital areas of your daily life: (1) intercessory prayer; (2) Bible reading and meditation; and (3) planning your daily, weekly, monthly, and annual schedules. It provides many opportunities for you to live and pray intentionally throughout the year.

A collection of relevant Christian teachings. Beginning on page 6 is a series of short teachings to further inform your intercession and help you discover principles readily applicable to your daily walk with God. These challenging, insightful teachings lay a strong foundation for prayer, mission, and personal reflection and growth.

Monthly articles exploring places of brokenness and redemption around the world (A). Each month you’ll read about a people, nation, or issue in desperate need of the church’s intercession and

Welcome C

October

D B F

E G

b y Ta r a C h a s e

A B

ar Char was lost in thought on the drive to Moga with John and Gwen. This couple, once strangers, were now friends. Although he didn’t understand their religion, he loved them and enjoyed helping Gwen at the health clinic. Pop-pop! Gunfire erupted.

The Land Rover swerved as a bullet ripped through Gwen’s face and another hit John. Bits of Gwen’s teeth, now shrapnel, sprayed across John’s face. Bar Char’s survival instinct kicked into high gear. He leapt from the ambushed vehicle and sprinted to safety. As John and Gwen sped away, Bar Char watched the shooter cover his head in shame and disappear into the bush.

fighting is a favorite, very dangerous, sport. While the Suri’s relationship with other tribes is rife with conflict, blood feuds between Suri are just as common. Revenge is the Suri way of dealing with grievances. This obligation toward vengeance is so deeply ingrained that in today’s courtship and marriage practices, an AK-47 is part of the bride price. Most Suri men are now armed, as automatic weapons and ammunition pour into the region unchecked.

intervention. Each Sunday you’ll find a reminder to pray for the people or situation discussed in The Gospel Comes to Town that month’s profile. Notes to the articles and a John and Gwen Haspels had always felt called to A Culture of Violence unreached people groups, so going to the Suri, list of contributors can be found on pages 205–6.

National Geographic describes the Omo Valley where there had never been a gospel witness, in Southwest Ethiopia as Africa’s last frontier. was a natural decision. Their work began in 1992 Daily thematic prayer guide (B). a The Suri are one of a dozen tribes living in this under an agreement with theEach government today do isolated region. A semi-nomadic people group, post-famine rehabilitation work. Gwen ran health they are relatively unaffected by the modern clinics. John built roads, bridges, and schools.focus group or need related to that month’s prayer world. Men herd cattle. Women tend children and In the midst of development work, the Hascrops. Marriages are almost entirely polygamous. pels looked for bridges to introduce the gospel. is targeted for prayer.

Join thousands ofviolence. other The Suri believe in a distant creator god who is It didn’t take long to notice the From diuninterested in human affairs. They also practice the beginning, the Haspels spoke out against the animism, a belief that spirits are everywhere shedding of innocent talked about ary users worldwide inandpraying for blood. theTheysame peoinvolved in all aspects of life. forgiveness and the power of loving one’s eneviolence permeates the culture. Stick mies. Each time they shared, the Suri would say, ple orExtreme situation.

Bible meditation and memorization guide (C).

Weekly meditation and memory verses are found at the beginning of each week. These verses are selected from the Revised Common Lectionary, a cycle of readings shared by many churches.1 By meditating on and memorizing each selection, you will commit more than 50 portions of Scripture to memory this year.

Weekly guide to praying for the nations (D). A nation related to the monthly prayer focus is highlighted each week. Important information and a flag are included in each listing to assist you in praying for that nation. On pages 197–98 you’ll find explanations of the symbols and categories used in the listings. Each nation may also be located geographically using the maps section beginning on page 178.

Two-track Bible-reading program (E). Option 1: Read through the Bible in a year by following the reading guide each day. Option 2: Use the checkoff system on pages 174–77 to read the Scriptures in your own order and at your own pace. By reading an average of 3.5 chapters each day, you will read the entire Bible in one year, regardless of the order you choose to read each portion.

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Calendars for planning your day, week, and year (F). A three-year long-range planner can be found starting on page 14. Each month opens with a month-at-a-glance planner to keep track of important events, birthdays, and appointments. The daily calendar is designed in a handy week-at-aglance format. This section can be used as a daily planning tool or as a daily journal and prayer diary should you desire to use the monthly planner for all your scheduling needs. The name of each Sunday is included to help you follow the church year and stay in tune with Christian brothers and sisters around the world. Some non-Christian religious holidays are included on the calendars as an aid to prayer.

Personal notes and contacts. A personal notes/ prayer journal page is included at the beginning of each month. Additional notes/journal pages begin on page 202. Also, a handy section for recording phone numbers and addresses begins on page 200.

Reference helps (G). The world maps, countries of the world section, and time-zone chart are found on pages 178–87, 188–98, and 199, respectively.

The more you use your Personal Prayer Diary and Daily Planner, the more it will assist you in connecting the whole of your life to God’s kingdom. As you learn about areas of need and areas of hope in God’s world this year, both through this tool and in your daily life, be encouraged and emboldened in the knowledge that you are one of thousands of Christians using this diary worldwide who are united in vital intercession.

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Introduction to the Christian Year b y Joh n D. Wi t vli e t

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he way we tell time says a lot about us. The dates we circle on our calendars reveal what is most important to us. Lovers of leisure circle vacation days and orient their lives around them. If family is important to you, then you probably focus on birthdays and anniversaries. Many of us wake up each day counting the days until our major work or school assignment or our next vacation, birthday, or holiday. We are creatures of time.

Throughout the history of the church, Christians have in various ways attempted to put Christ at the center of their personal calendars. The most universal way comes to us in what is often called the “Christian year” or the “church year,” a series of celebrations and seasons that divides up the calendar and leads Christians on an annual cycle of memory and anticipation. The Christian year is anchored in the main events described in the New Testament: Jesus’s birth, death, resurrection, and ascension, and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Just as many Old Testament psalms and early Christian creeds rehearse the history of salvation, the Christian year retells the story of these earth-­ shattering events. Thus, it ensures that worshipers will be fed a balanced diet of biblical themes.

The Christian year also provides a way of understanding the Christian life. These events are not just about Jesus; they are about us. For we are united with Christ through baptism into his death and resurrection (Rom. 6). We experience each of these events with different emotions. The Christian year also ensures that worship features a balanced diet of Christian affections or emotions.

We focus on hope during Advent, penitence during Lent, and celebration during Eastertide.

Observance of the Christian year is not prescribed in the New Testament. It is one of dozens of devotional practices that Christians have developed as helps to their public and personal prayer lives. It is helpful to think of the Christian year as a devotional guide, like any other you might purchase at a Christian bookstore. The advantage to

this guide is that it is nearly universal. By following the Christian year, we join our hearts in prayer with Christians throughout history and throughout the world.

Like any institutional arrangement, the Christian year can be abused. The Reformers and the Puritans protested it because they felt it was being treated as an end in itself. They feared that worshipers were more concerned with the correct observance of certain days than with the events those celebrations pointed to. In the past generation, Christians in many traditions, including many Protestants, have recovered the Christian year as a basic framework for organizing their common prayer and worship. They have attempted to recover the genius of the annual journey of telling this story of faith, while remembering that this framework is never an end in itself.

The traditional Christian year includes two types of observances: feasts and seasons. The feasts are day-long celebrations of key events in Jesus’s life—his birth, visitation by the magi, baptism, transfiguration, and so on. The seasons are periods of several days or weeks that lead up to or follow Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost.

The length of these observances provides space to savor the meaning of these climactic events.

Advent, the four weeks that precede Christmas, is a season of repentance and anticipation to prepare ourselves for both Jesus’s first and his second comings. Lent, the 40 days that precede Easter, is a time to focus on our baptism, our union with Christ, and our daily practice of repentance. Eastertide, the 50 days between Easter and Pentecost, is an extended celebration of Christ’s victory. The time following Pentecost, often called Ordinary Time, focuses on living by the Spirit in our everyday lives and in the ministry of the church.

There are variations in how the Christian year is celebrated from one congregation or denomination to the next. But in every case, the point of it all is nothing less than “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Heb. 12:2).

This article (edited from an expanded version) was first published by the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship (worship.calvin.edu).

Used by permission.

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Weekly Prayer Plan

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The Family

Government & Law

Saturday

Friday

Monday

Church & Religion

Thursday Wednesday Tuesday

Sunday

his page will help you remember your prayer commitments. Each day of the week lists one or more areas of society that help shape a nation. You may want to note the particular people or needs in these spheres of influence for which God has impressed you to pray. You may also record other prayer responsibilities here, such as your native land, its governmental and spiritual leaders, your family, your friends, non-Christians you know, your area of ministry, a nation of particular need, or specific individuals for whom God has called you to pray.

Education

Science, Health & Environment

Business

Media & Arts

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Victoria Day Observed

Spring Begins

Valentine’s Day

Ramadan Begins

Purim

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of Prayer

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Good Friday

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2018 Planner Sunday

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(Can.) / Colum. Day

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of Advent

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January

by Luann Anderson

A

s a young boy in Holland, Andrew van der Bijl dreamed of becoming a spy behind enemy lines.

At age twelve, his thirst for adventure led him undercover during World War II, passing messages as his country struggled under Nazi occupation. After the war, Andrew fought for Holland in the Dutch East Indies and then, upon returning home, he discovered new life following Jesus Christ. The boy who had sought adventure was now a man going undercover for God as he transported Bibles behind the Iron Curtain and into closed nations. “Brother Andrew” became his new name, and for decades his life of service has inspired new generations of believers to follow God’s call. “In the years of living this life of faith,” Brother Andrew writes in God’s Smuggler, “I have never known God’s care to fail.”

Rising Persecution Open Doors, the ministry Brother Andrew founded following his first mission trip in 1955, has worked in the world’s most oppressed countries for more than 60 years, empowering Christians who are persecuted for their faith with prayer, economic relief, literacy training, and vocational support. Christian persecution is defined as any hostility experienced from one’s 20

identification as a Jesus follower. It can include verbal harassment, physical torture, isolation, discrimination, and death. According to the 2017 World Watch List published by Open Doors, approximately 215 million Christians experience persecution, with the number rising steadily over the last three years.1 The 2017 watch list cited new regions of concern, including Asia, where persecution is climbing sharply in Bangladesh, Laos, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka. According to the report, ethnic nationalism is a major driver of persecution, “fueled by dramatic religious nationalism and government insecurity. It is common—and easy—for tottering governments to gain quick support by scapegoating Christians.”2 Persecution rates in Southeast Asia now rank among such violent areas as the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa, making the work of Open Doors and other ministries critical for the support of believers there.

Serving the Persecuted Church Highlands Community Church, a multigenerational Bible church in Renton, Washington, has served the persecuted church worldwide since its inception in 1946. The congregation’s

The Persecuted Church international outreach includes Southeast Asia, where it sends short-term missions teams to deliver sensitive materials and encourage missionaries in closed countries. During a recent trip, Highlands Community teams made runs into countries hostile to the gospel, safely delivering Bibles to believers. One of the runs was to an underground seminary, where several pastors of minority peoples were receiving training before returning to their villages to share God’s Word.

Later the team transported hymnals, which their home congregation had paid to have printed, into isolated villages. These were the first hymnals Southeast Asian believers had ever received in their own language, and recipients gathered and sang a hymn of thanks for the team from their new worship books. At stops along the way, teams delivered handwritten prayer cards to persecuted believers, who were moved to learn that faithful brothers and sisters half a world away were praying for them.

The Next Generation Since Brother Andrew’s first missionary trip in 1955, the ministry of Open Doors has expanded and grown with the simplest of missions: Make Jesus known in the world. Members today share his missionary’s heart, serving believers living in places where people aren’t allowed to utter God’s name out loud.

In continuing to take Jesus into the most volatile of regions, the work of Brother Andrew, Open Doors, and congregations like Highlands Community Church is making an impact. But there are still pockets of persecuted Christians in places where Open Doors and other ministries have not been. In an interview with Relevant magazine, Brother Andrew says we can all be a light to the persecuted church, even without being there.

“Prayer spans the borders and reaches the world.

Prayer requires knowledge, and knowledge feeds your intellect and your spiritual life. It causes you to pray with results. And prayer draws you into the conflict so you become a player and not just a prayer. So it has a direct effect—most definitely.”3 Open Doors marked its 60th anniversary year in 2015. Where will the persecuted church be in

another 60 years, and where will ordinary believers like us be in supporting it? Brother Andrew won’t be here to guide us, so perhaps we can heed his words of humility and purpose: “There is a calling on my life that I must try to fulfill in such a way that others can follow,” he says. “I don’t think my life is extraordinary. I think I’m very ordinary.”4 The apostle Paul wrote, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness.

He is the head over every power and authority” (Col. 2:6–10). This is good news to any believer who has lived with the threat of persecution, hardship, torture, and martyrdom. In many areas of the world where Christians are repressed or persecuted, the gospel continues to spread. May we stand with persecuted Christians around the world, and may a whole new generation risk everything to follow God’s call.

Pray • for the daily and long-term needs of the persecuted church worldwide, including strength, perseverance, and refreshment • for open doors and open hearts to the gospel in Southeast Asia • for the well-being of Open Doors and ministries working among the persecuted church.

• for the safe delivery of sensitive materials into closed countries • that new believers with no access to the Bible would be discipled by mature Christians • for pastors training in Southeast Asia to find fellowship and friendship with other believers • for God to raise up the next generation of international outreach teams to the persecuted church

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January Sunday Notes:

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month at a glance Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

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New Year’s Day

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Notes:

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Notes & Prayer Journal

December

S M T W T F S

3 10 17 24 31

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

1 8 15 22 29

2 9 16 23 30

Januar y

S M T W T F S

7 14 21 28

1 8 15 22 29

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24 31

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

Februar y

S M T W T F S

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

1 2 3 7 8 9 10 14 15 16 17 21 22 23 24 28 23

December–January LUKE 2:30–32 “For my eyes have seen your

salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

Goals and projects for the week:

31 SUNDAY

Pray for believers who endure persecution, adversity, and martyrdom (see pages 20–21)

Qatar — Middle East

Population: 2,258,283 Muslim: 88.39% Christian: 5.91% Hindu: 2.7% Buddhist 1.9% Other: 1.1% Literacy Rate: Male 97% Female 97% Life Expectancy: Male 77 Female 81 Infant Mortality: 6 GDP per capita: $129,700

Mal.; Prov. 31; Rom. 16

First Sunday after Christmas Day / New Year’s Eve

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MONDAY

Pray for persecuted believers in Qatar

Gen. 1–2; Ps. 1; Matt. 1

Pray for persecuted believers in Bangladesh

Gen. 3–4; Ps. 2; Matt. 2

New Year’s Day

2

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TUESDAY

See pages 197–98 for an explanation of the abbreviations, symbols, and categories used in country statistics.

January Gen. 5–7; Ps. 3; Matt. 3

Pray for persecuted believers in Laos

Gen. 8–9; Ps. 4; Matt. 4

Pray for persecuted believers in Vietnam

WEDNESDAY

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THURSDAY

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Gen. 10–11; Ps. 5; Matt. 5

Pray for persecuted believers in Sudan

FRIDAY

5

Gen. 12–13; Ps. 6; Matt. 6

Pray for persecuted believers in Eritrea

SATURDAY

6 Epiphany

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