2022 Personal Prayer Diary and Daily Planner - Preview

2022 P E R S O N A L

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

P L A N N E R

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

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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 more information about books and materials, visit us online at www.YWAMpublishing.com or call (425) 771-1153 or (800) 922-2143.

Project Director Warren Walsh Editorial Lance Wubbels Alina Sayre Luann Anderson Marit Newton

Design Fred Renich Angie Renich Illustrations Julie Bosacker

© 2021 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, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. [February 2018] Verses marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Verses marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. [February 2018] Navy Blue (smooth): 978-1-64836-052-7 Burgundy (smooth): 978-1-64836-053-4 Black (smooth): 978-1-64836-054-1 Dark Brown (smooth): 978-1-64836-055-8 Green (fabric): 978-1-64836-056-5 Bright Blue (fabric): 978-1-64836-057-2 Tan (fabric): 978-1-64836-058-9 Grey (fabric): 978-1-64836-059-6 Raspberry Red: 978-1-64836-060-2 Insert (unbound): 978-1-64836-061-9 Printed in Colombia www.nomos.co

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Contents Welcome Living & Praying Intentionally in 2022 4 Principles for Life and Prayer God’s Word in Their Heart Language 6 We Can End Bible Poverty 8 Introduction to the Christian Year 12 Calendars Weekly Prayer Plan 13 2022-2024 Year-at-a-Glance Planners 14 2022 Month-at-a-Glance Planners 22, 36, 48, 62, 74, 86, 100, 112, 126, 138, 150, 164 2022 Week-at-a-Glance Planners beginning on page 24 Monthly Guides to Intercession and Reflection January: A Dangerous Book 20 February: Unreached Peoples in Mexico 34 March: The Promise of Literacy in SE Asia 46 April: Bibles on the Frontier 60 May: The Isolated Islands of the Pacific 72 June: Now is the Time for Marseille 84 July: A Hope and a Future in Cambodia 98 August: Justice Water 110 September: Child Marriage 124 October: The Power of the Persian Bible 136 November: Education for the Roma of Serbia 148 December: Spiritual Drought in Oman 162 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

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WELCOME Living & Praying Intentionally in 2022

Y

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. Each year the articles featured in this planner are prayerfully selected. This year two topics repeatedly came before us: young girls in need and the problem of Bible poverty. The opening articles help to illustrate how each of us can have a part in the important undertaking of Bible distribution via prayer and action.

You will find 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.

Karl Barth, the great 20th-century Swiss pastor and theologian, is well known for saying Christians must read both the newspaper and the Bible—and they must interpret the newspaper through the Bible. In essence, the Personal Prayer Diary and Daily Planner enables this. It contains pressing news and information about the world as well as thoughtful voices offering biblical perspectives. Its articles, Scripture resources, and prayers bring together knowledge of current events and knowledge of the Bible.

Prayer is key for our Christian lives. Prayer is relational; it involves speaking and listening; it engages our hearts and minds. When we open our minds to God in humble worship and through honest dialogue, we invite the Spirit to lead us “into all the truth” ( John 16:13). In prayer, God can help us see with spiritual eyes the events occurring in our world today. Not satisfied with the lens of the media or our own limiting biases, we seek the perspective of God, who through Jesus Christ is reconciling to himself all things—on earth and in heaven (see Col. 1:20).

One way we can cultivate an awareness of God’s perspective is to join with other believers in the daily, weekly, and yearly rhythms of the Christian life. For centuries, Christians around the world have recalled the important events in the life of Christ and the early church—Jesus’s birth, death, resurrection, and more. In many Christian communities, it is through the Christian year, not the calendar year, that they keep time—the “time” of the church and the Christian life. John Witvliet writes, “The Christian year . . . provides a way of understanding the Christian life. These events are not just about Jesus; they are about us” (see his article on page 12). By living into the seasons of the Christian year, we continually orient ourselves in God’s Story. It is a way to focus our whole lives on the person of Jesus Christ and the continuing work of God in the world.

This resource therefore provides a weekly scripture for meditation selected from the Revised Common Lectionary (a cycle of readings shared by many churches) as well as a list of important Christian days, including the name of each Sunday, to help you grow and stay in tune with Christian brothers and sisters around the world. It is our sincere hope that as you practice these rhythms and engage in prayer for the nations, you will indeed be led “into all the truth.”

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.

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Welcome C

D B F

E G

A Collection of relevant Christian teaching. 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 intervention. Each Sunday you’ll find a reminder to pray for the people or situation discussed in that month’s profile. Notes to the articles and a list of contributors can be found on pages 205–206.

Daily thematic prayer guide (B). Each day a group or need related to that month’s prayer focus is targeted for prayer. Join thousands of other diary users worldwide in praying for the same people or situation.

Bible meditation and memorization guide (C).

Weekly verses are found at the beginning of each week. By meditating on and memorizing each selection, you will commit more than 50 portions of Scripture to memory in 2022.

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 to assist you in praying for that nation. On pages 197–98 are explanations of the symbols and categories used in the listings. Each nation can 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 at your own pace. By reading an average of 3.5 chapters each day, you will read the entire Bible in one year.

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. The daily calendar is designed in a handy, week-at-a-glance format and can be used as a daily planning tool or as a daily journal and prayer diary. (Note that 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 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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God’s Word in Their Heart Language

by Loren Cunningham

H

is name was Opukaha’ia. His story shows how one individual’s choices can change an entire country. It was one of the most dramatic instances in the history of ending Bible poverty, and it all started with a Hawaiian teenager.

King Kamehameha I was building his kingdom, destroying his rivals in a final drive to unite the islands in the early nineteenth century. Opukaha’ia and his family were unfortunate enough to be under the rule of one of his last opponents.

The boy was only ten years old when he watched in horror as King Kamehameha’s warriors slaughtered his parents. He put his baby brother on his back and tried to run to safety, but a warrior threw his spear.

Opukaha’ia felt his brother’s body go limp.

The little one was gone. For some reason, the warrior decided not to murder Opukaha’ia too.

Instead he took him captive.

All of this happened on what’s now known as the Big Island, the one named Hawai’i. A few years later, after Opukaha’ia was no longer a captive, he swam out to a New Haven sealing ship anchored in Kealakekua Bay. Captain Caleb Brintnall, a devoted Christian, took on the boy as a sailor. The crew named him Henry Obookiah because they

couldn’t pronounce Opukaha’ia. During Henry’s two years onboard the sealing ship, a Christian sailor began to teach him English. Henry ended up in New Haven, Connecticut. After some weeks of living and working there, he was sitting in dejection on the steps of Yale College. A theology student came along and asked why he was sad. The young immigrant said, “No one give me learning!”

Emerging Heroes The student, named Edwin Dwight, promised to find Henry a tutor. He asked a distant cousin if he could take in the Hawaiian as a servant. That’s how Henry found himself working in the household of Timothy Dwight IV, president of Yale. Dwight was also one of the founders of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.

Dwight was an influence on the young man in his move toward Jesus and the gospel. Others tutored Henry over five or six years. They discovered him to be a gifted student. The young Hawaiian became proficient in several languages and devised an alphabet for his people. He also began a Hawaiian grammar book and translated the book of Genesis. His goal was to return as a missionary with the Bible in the language of his people.1

Adapted from Loren Cunningham’s We Can End Bible Poverty Now (Seattle: YWAM Publishing, 2017), 65–69.

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God’s Word in Their Heart Language At the time a missions movement was growing out of the Second Great Awakening in the United States. Young people met to pray fervently. They eagerly followed emerging heroes like Henry Opukaha’ia. He spoke in colleges and churches, urging young people to help him take the gospel to his homeland. The future looked bright for Henry.

Then Henry contracted typhus and died quickly. He was about thirty years old.

Before he died, Henry wrote a brief story of his life. After his death Edwin Dwight, the theology student who had found him on the steps of Yale years before, compiled The Memoirs of Henry Obookiah using Henry’s own story, a collection of his letters, and Dwight’s observations. That book and the news of his death spread all over New England, touching the hearts of young people. Seven missionary couples and three Hawaiian young men decided to take Henry’s place and sail to Hawai’i.

The Small, Black Box They brought with them a printing press and Henry’s Hawaiian alphabet, grammar book, and translation of the book of Genesis. They sailed south from New England, down the length of South America, around Cape Horn and across the Pacific to Hawai’i. It took them 164 days. They had no idea of the dramatic things God was doing to prepare the spiritual ground for them.

One of the Hawaiian gods was Ku, the god of warfare. His priests demanded many human sacrifices, even as wars and skirmishes soaked the islands with blood. Their religion included the brutal kapu system, in which minor infractions, such as a woman eating a banana, were punishable by death.

After King Kamehameha I died, his favorite wife, Ka’ahu-manu; the “sacred wife,” Keopuolani; the high priest, Hewahewa; and the new king, Kamehameha II, abandoned the Hawaiian religion and its cruel kapu laws. They did away with the old religion, tearing down the heiau (temples) and demolishing the idols, but they didn’t replace the Hawaiian religion with anything. It was a remarkable moment in history. As the little ship of missionaries sailed on their way, the Hawaiians created a spiritual vacuum waiting for something to fill it.

One of the Hawaiian priests also received a

vision. He said the “new God” would come to their island “in a black box,” with someone stepping onto a large rock on the shore of what is now called Kailua Kona.2 That’s exactly what happened when the missionaries arrived in 1820. The first to disembark stepped onto the big rock in Kailua Bay. He carried his Bible, protected from the elements in a small, black box.

What happened in the following years would have thrilled Henry Opukaha’ia. His people quickly embraced the new faith. Missionaries taught the people how to read, finished Henry’s translation of Scripture, then used their press to print thousands of Hawaiian Bibles.

Within a short time, 90 percent of Hawaiians could read—the highest per capita literacy rate in the world at that time. A census in 1853 showed that 96 percent were professing Christians. They received the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives and read the Bible in their mother tongue.

Hawai’i’s Great Awakening Following the spread of Bible knowledge, a great revival washed over the Hawaiian Islands in the 1830s and 1840s. It centered on the Big Island.

Titus Coan came with a new wave of missionaries. He’d been converted at a revival meeting of Charles Finney.3 Based in Hilo, Coan evangelized tirelessly, preaching six to ten times a day, counseling seekers until midnight, then starting again at dawn. He maintained this pace for almost fifty years. He taught the Bible to between fifteen and sixteen thousand people. Some homes hidden away in the mountains and valleys surrounding Hilo had no roads leading to them. Coan hacked his way through the jungle and climbed high, slippery paths to reach each one.4 He followed up with all those residents, keeping a “spiritual census” in his notebook. He made sure those who became Christians received intensive training for months so they could join the church.

Building on the earlier spread of Bible knowledge, Titus Coan’s church soon became the largest in the world. When he died in 1882, he had added thirteen thousand members to his church in Hilo, plus many more through his evangelistic efforts on other islands.

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January

by Kris Repp

H

e stood motionless, his young slender body decorated by the military uniform bearing his rank.

His eyes were gazing down at a Bible he had opened and placed on the table after removing it from my luggage. He was reading it. Deliberately. Intently. He did not move, nor was he distracted by the customs officers under his command who were busy rummaging through my suitcases, pulling out stacks of new Bibles and placing them on the table beside him. For a moment, the interrogation had ceased. Time seemed to stand still. It was as if this young officer had been taken captive by an invisible force, a force infinitely more powerful than that of the Communist government for which he worked. His eyes were fixed on the pages of the book before him. He read uninterrupted for five minutes. Then he gently closed the book and continued on with his duties.

Delicate Cargo Bringing Bibles into restricted nations is a mandate that poses a unique set of challenges and obstacles. The very physical nature of books as objects of transport is one of them. They are heavy and take up a lot of space. Air travel regulations have tightened weight and size restrictions on luggage. A team of five couriers attempting

to clear airport customs with ten large suitcases packed with Bibles faces unusual hurdles. Merely lifting a suitcase full of Bibles can be difficult.

Transferring the luggage from the baggage claim belt onto a trolley must be done discreetly. If it is obvious that its weight is excessive, attention could be drawn to it. Most airports are also now subjecting luggage to mandatory X-ray screenings before clearing customs. Under this scrutiny, it is not easy to bypass being stopped and questioned.

Weighing Words As a courier, one of the preparations I have found helpful is to rehearse a dialogue that could take place between the authorities and myself at any given checkpoint. Many of the questions that are asked during an interrogation are common: “Why are you bringing these books into the country? Where are you staying? Who is your contact?” Honest, to-the-point answers must be prepared and given with confidence. At times, it can be a perfect opportunity to be a witness for Christ. “I am bringing these books into your country because I love your people and want them to read about God’s love for them.” The interrogator’s drive to obtain information can be

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A Dangerous Book intense and intimidating. When traveling with a team, there must be cohesiveness in the answers of all the members. Deciding together in advance what information can and cannot be disclosed is of utmost importance to protect the identity and location of the country contact. There are times when an appropriate response might be “I cannot answer your question.”

Relying on the Spirit On one trip, we had hoped to make Book deliveries to several remote mountain villages. The national contact decided that it was not safe.

The area was being patrolled. As foreigners, our movement would be easily tracked. The plan was aborted, and we left the Bibles to be distributed by the nationals at a different time. Respecting the decision of those on the ground helps minimize the risk of churches being shut down and arrests being made as a result of our activity. Once a contact point is lost, the distributions through them come to an end. Great measures must be taken to protect their identity. I was honored to transport Bibles into a restricted nation where there was a large underground Bible college for tribal Christians. Heart-wrenching stories of bondage, hopelessness, and despair prior to understanding the gospel message were replaced by a contagious joy in experiencing their new birth in Christ. Nothing would deter these young students, from delivering the translations in their native tongue to their own villages even at the risk of being arrested.

They knew that in doing so, they were bringing the good news of God’s love and freedom to their people.

Standing on the Word On another occasion, I traveled deep into the interior of a restricted country, visiting local national missionaries while delivering Bibles, clothing, school supplies, and medications. We loaded a van with large bags for distribution and drove it through the countryside. Stories of persecution were all too common. The missionaries struggled to keep their congregations intact under the scrutiny of and harassment by government officials.

Due to propaganda and efforts to undermine

the credibility of the church, they suffered daily.

Some lost their homes and were stoned. As in many countries that claim to observe religious freedom, severe restrictions had been imposed on their Christian gatherings. For these dedicated missionaries, Bibles are a cherished commodity that are only available through couriers.

Divine Intervention In another country where it was possible to cross the international border by water, we transported the books by boat. The local boat driver whom we had planned to employ had been threatened with the confiscation of his business license if he chose to transport us. We hired a private tourist boat, crossed the international border without incident, and docked and unloaded at an alternate site from our preappointed destination because our boat driver had been tipped off that the authorities were waiting at the dock where we planned to arrive. On many occasions, I have seen God’s divine intervention in getting his Word delivered in spite of the obstacles.

Our Mandate Jesus said to take all that he has commanded us to all the nations. He made no exceptions. In countries hostile to the gospel, the Bible can be a dangerous book, both for those transporting it and those receiving it. Prayer is a powerful frontline weapon necessary for the success of Bible distribution in these areas. Let us be diligent to pray, to study God’s Word, and to share it with a dying world that needs to hear its eternally good message.

Pray • that Bibles would be available in all restricted nations • for supernatural intervention in the distribution of God’s Word in restricted nations • for the calling and equipping of Bible couriers • for courage and wisdom for couriers in the face of interrogation, arrest, and persecution • for the protection of contacts in restricted nations • for a harvest of souls as God’s Word goes forth 21

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January Sunday

Monday

month at a glance Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

Friday

Saturday

1

Notes:

New Year’s Day

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Epiphany

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

25

26

27

28

29

M. L. King Jr. Day

23

24

30

31

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Notes & Prayer Journal

December

S M T W T F S

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

1 8 15 22 29

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24 31

4 11 18 25

Januar y

S M T W T F S

2 9 16 23 30

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

Februar y

S M T W T F S

6 13 20 27

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

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26 23

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December COLOSSIANS 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen

people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Goals and projects for the week:

25 SUNDAY

Bahrain – Middle East

Population: 1,526,929d Muslim: 83.23% Christian: 9.81% Hindu: 6% Nonreligious: 0.5% Other: 0.46% Literacy Rate: Male 100% Female 95% Life Expectancy: Male 77 Female 82 Infant Mortality: 11 GDP per capita: $45,000

Pray against wealth as a stumbling block in Oman (see pages 162–163)

Hab.; Prov. 25; Rom. 10

Pray for God-centered wealth in Antigua and Barbuda

Zeph.; Prov. 26; Rom. 11

Pray for God-centered wealth in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Hag.; Prov. 27; Rom. 12

Christmas Day

26 MONDAY Boxing Day

27 TUESDAY

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December Zech. 1–4; Prov. 28; Rom. 13

Pray for God-centered wealth in the United Kingdom

Zech. 5–9; Prov. 29; Rom. 14

Pray for God-centered wealth in São Tomé and Principe

Zech. 10–14; Prov. 30; Rom. 15

Mal.; Prov. 31; Rom. 16

Pray for God-centered wealth in Equatorial Guinea

Pray for God-centered wealth in the Palestinian Territories

WEDNESDAY

28

THURSDAY

29

FRIDAY

30

SATURDAY

31

New Year’s Eve

173

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