Join YWAMers around the globe in praying and hearing from God. He is inviting you!
God speaks to all of us through the Bible and other means in all stages of life and gives instructions for how to live in different stages: as singles, as married couples, as part of a family. God gives each of us, no matter our status, a holy calling (2 Timothy 1:9). The Bible is full of stories about people who are single, married spouses, and families and how He used them for His good purpose.
But how does this fit in with our work on the mission field? How do YWAMers in different stages and statuses of life, with different needs, come together to fulfill God’s purposes? How do we minister to non-believers who are in a different stage than we are?
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. . .
Please join with YWAM’s global prayer day, called The Invitation, during the month of August to pray for family, singles and marriages. You are particularly invited to pray during our prayer day, August 10.
If you have only a few minutes to pray, please lift up all YWAMers regarding their stage in life. Pray for contentment regarding stage of life; unity regarding differences; wisdom and provision. Pray for God to strengthen YWAM ministries through a greater understanding of the needs of people in different stages of life.
If you are praying with a group or if you have more time to pray, please see below for the complete list of prayer suggestions.
Prepare to Pray:
If you are praying with others, consider taking some time to discuss these questions before you pray. If you are praying alone, you could journal your own responses to the questions:
- What are some things that make you personally grateful to be single, or married, or a family in mission?
- What are some of the challenges of being single, or married, or a family in mission?
- What have you learned as you have related to those who are single, if you are married; or married, if you are single; or from those who have kids if you don’t? Feel free to be specific with the people in your prayer group.
- In what ways do you experience the diversity of people in your teams (singles, couples, families) as something that strengthens the ways you can reach out to others? Give thanks for that diversity.
Pray for Family, Singles and Marriages:
- Praise God for this stage of your life (family, single, married) and reflect on the ways that your ministry is enhanced due to your current status.
- Pray for those at your location who have a different status than you currently do. Reflect on what their challenges might be.
- Pray for guidance on how to include and take care of everyone – couples, singes, young people, old people, and children in a way that lives out the Gospel.
- Pray for wisdom, resources and adequate training for those within YWAM who provide member care to others.
- Pray for recognition by YWAM leaders of the needs and challenges facing each group of YWAMers and for recognition of differences from area to area. Pray for fairness and equity for housing, leadership positions, ministry opportunities among all regardless of current status.
Singles
- Pray for singles in YWAM and that they would stand firm against Satan regarding purity.
- Pray for balance between ministry and social life. Pray for staff and leaders to not make decisions just because someone is single. (For example, assuming it is easier for them to travel.)
- Pray for our singles to not feel lonely and isolated.
- Pray for provision (financial and other) for our singles. Expenses for singles can be close to that needed by married couples and they may not have as many contacts.
Marriages
- Pray for YWAM couples to be anchored in the Lord as individuals.
- Praise God for the ways He unites cross-cultural couples. Pray for wisdom regarding differences.
- Pray for YWAM couples who have or are experiencing difficulties regarding fertility, pregnancies and post-pregnancies.
- Pray for sexual purity for our YWAM marriages.
- Pray for unity of married couples in purpose and vision for ministry and family matters.
- Pray for wisdom in handling time away from one another due to travel, leadership responsibilities, etc.
Family
- Pray for all YWAMers to sense they are part of “the family” at all YWAM locations.
- Pray for security and peace for YWAMers who are away from their primary or extended families frequently or for extended periods of time.
- Pray for resources and guidance for YWAMers in educating and caring for their children.
- Pray that the children of our staff would receive clarity regarding ministry.
- Pray for grace to set our priorities right. (Investing into our own marriage, investing in our children, being a family in missions, investing in others, etc.)
- Pray for balance between discipline and love where there are challenging family issues including adoption, health concerns, behavioral concerns and others.
Take Action:
- Whatever your current status, spend time with YWAMers who are in different stages of life. Pray with and for them. Learn from them. Help them meet a need.
- If you are interested in YWAM member care and helping others throughout their missionary journey, attend a Missionary Care Foundations Course. The next one is November 5 – 17, 2017 in Prod, Romania. Contact membercare@ywamce.com
- Attend a YWAM family ministry forum. (https://www.ywam-fmi.org/tag/forum/)
- Find training material for families and family ministries at this website: families-in-ministry.com. Read the book: Families In Ministry, by Andreas and Angela Fresz.
- Attend a family ministry school: uofn.edu or www.fam-studies.info
- Subscribe to the YWAM family ministries newsletter: https://www.ywam-fmi.org/newsletter/
Photo credit: Angela Zeidler-Fresz, YWAM Family Ministries International
- Research ministry opportunities for singles.
- Attend a marriage weekend. See YWAM St. Croix for an example: https://www.ywamstcroix.org/marriage-ministry
- Teach a marriage class to the current DTS students at your location.
- Seek a mentor-type relationship with another married couple.
- Share on facebook.com/youthwithamission, post a picture and add a comment about how you prayed.
- Go to twitter.com; search for #praywithywam and tweet about your prayer time/post a picture. You can also post a photo on Instagram and use the same hashtag, #praywithywam.
- Send an email to prayer@ywam.org letting us know how you prayed and what God revealed to you.
How We Prayed
July 2017 – Two-Thirds-World Workers, Financial Support
- There was enthusiastic support for this topic on Facebook. One individual exclaimed: “YWAM is a step ahead, well done!”
Future Topics:
- September 14, 2017 DTS, Disciple Making
- October 12, 2017 The Hindu World (The Invitation’s Second Anniversary issue)
- November 9, 2017 Partner Churches
Don’t Miss The Invitation:
- Sign up for prayer updates. Go to ywam.org, find the “Stay Connected” box on the home page, put in your email address and click “Sign Up.”
- Download prayer updates in a specific language. Go to ywam.org/theinvitation. (Currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Korean or request other languages.)
- Join the conversation about how God is leading in these prayer times. Comment on the Facebook page on the second Thursday at facebook.com/youthwithamission or on Twitter @ywam, hashtag #praywithywam. You can also post a photo on Instagram and use the same hashtag, #praywithywam.
- You can now listen to The Invitation as a podcast by clicking on the player at the bottom of this email. To sign up or listen to past episodes, go to: ywampodcast.net/prayer.
- If you sense God giving you a word or a direction for YWAM’s prayer, please contact us: prayer@ywam.org.
