Please pray with YWAM as we focus on the suffering of countries in South Asia that have been hit hard by the pandemic. Recently India reached a peak of cases (400,000 per day) and deaths (4,000 per day). Other countries in South Asia such as Nepal and Sri Lanka are now facing Covid outbreaks. YWAM South Asia has lost more than ten staff and family members to this disease and over 100 YWAM staff and family members have been infected at any given time. Several are still hospitalized. Please join the prayer day called The Invitation as we pray for healing. Please take a moment to pray right now or join us on our prayer day, June 10.
Topic suggested by: J.T. in India.
Prayer content by: Elisabeth Cochrane in USA. Photo credit: Firos-NV on Unsplash
Pray for our YWAM family to be ministered to by the Lord as there has been so much loss and pain. A couple of locations have lost two leaders and staff and many have lost at least one relative. Pray for the kids and spouses of those who have passed away. Pray against a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7).
Pray for God to give wisdom and strength to the healthcare workers treating people with Covid. Pray for the doctors treating YWAMers who are in the hospital.
Pray for protection for all the YWAMers out ministering to the poor during this crisis. Many of the poor are daily wage earners and have lost their funds for food. Some people have had to use food money for medicine. We have so many YWAMers involved daily helping others. One or two locations have started Covid relief homes. They’ve also been getting oxygen cylinders out to people. Pray for basic needs of medicine and food for all.
Pray for this surge to end.
Suggestions for Groups or Individuals
Read 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 and seek wisdom from the Lord regarding sins that need to be confessed. Allow God to show multiple layers of sin. When all sins have been confessed, pray as above or as God leads.
Take Action
Donate for YWAM’s basic provisions of food, medicine and medical equipment. If you would like to help you can go to ACEDevelopmentfund.org.
How We Prayed
May 2021 – Human Trafficking
A survivor of human trafficking who is in an emergency shelter reported that she prayed for the people involved to do unto others as they would have done unto them.
A woman from Canada was led to pray for very young children who are trafficked. She met some of these in Cambodia during her YWAM Discipleship Training School outreach. She sensed God prompting her to pray daily for the children’s freedom and she felt led to Luke 17:1-3.
Leaders from a new anti-trafficking organization called Recover Hope were encouraged to know that others were praying for this topic. They prayed for every single person to fulfill his or her role in God’s kingdom, that no one would look away from another person’s suffering.
Multiple people thanked us for inviting them to pray and committed to pray regularly during The Invitation.
Join The Invitation
Learn more about this YWAM prayer day, called The Invitation, at ywam.org/theinvitation. Please let us know how you prayed at prayer@ywam.org. Please also tell us if you would like to recommend a prayer topic for The Invitation.
By any measure, the trafficking in men and women for forced labour or sexual exploitation is an enormous and increasing tragedy. The extent of the problem can feel overwhelming. According to Polaris Project, there are 40.3 million victims of human trafficking globally. A United Nations study showed that sex trafficking is the fastest-growing business of organized crime and the third-largest criminal enterprise in the world. Many individuals are passionately opposed to human trafficking and would love to help in some way but have no idea how. This month, you can take action against human trafficking by joining a YWAM prayer day called The Invitation. On May 13 we will pray along with Isaiah 61:1: “To proclaim freedom for the captives….”
Photo credit: Hermes Rivera
Topic suggested by: Matt Peterson in USA.
Prayer content by: G.K. Pierce in Poland (ankyrapublications.com).
Pray for survivors of trafficking. Pray that those caught up in trafficking would be freed from the chains that bind them and that they would encounter God’s love. Pray that they would heal, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. Pray for fair and honest employers to offer them jobs and training. Pray that they would find hope for their futures and strength and grace to forgive.
Pray for traffickers. Pray that traffickers and pimps would have a profound, life-changing Damascus-road type of encounter with God (Acts 22:6-10). Pray they would repent and leave the sex trade and would use their knowledge of the industry to fight for freedom of people caught in slavery (John 8:32).
Pray for those battling against trafficking. Pray Galatians 6:9: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Pray for supernatural protection from evil. Pray for courage, wisdom from God, and a passionate heart for God and people. Pray that they would see the fruit of their labour.
Pray for the Church and society. Pray against the use of pornography. According to the organization Rescue:Freedom, in nine countries 49 percent of sexually exploited women said that pornography was made of them while they were being sold for sex. If Christians at large would stop using porn, it would have a significant impact on both the pornography and trafficking industries. Consider the following statistics: 57 percent of pastors say porn addiction is the most damaging issue in their congregation (a Barna survey, 2016); 76 percent of 18 to 24-year-old Christians actively seek out porn (Barna, 2016); 68 percent of church-going men and over 50 percent of pastors view porn on a regular basis (Pure Desire Ministries); and only seven percent of pastors say their church has a program to help people struggling with pornography (Barna, 2016). Pray for anti-porn programs to be set up. Pray for a re-dedication to biblical marriages. Pray Leviticus 20:26: “You are to be holy to me, because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.” Also pray for a commitment to “remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners” (Hebrews 13:3).
Suggestions for Group Prayer:
Divide the group into four subgroups, one for each of the categories mentioned in the prayer points: survivors, traffickers, those battling against trafficking, and the church and society. For a moment, put yourselves into the shoes of the people you represent. Note what might motivate them and the challenges they face. Note what God is saying to you about who you represent. Pray as you are led, using the prayer points from above and what you hear from God.
Take Action
Spread awareness. Invite a specialist to speak at your church, school, or organization. Share information about human trafficking on social media, a blog, or YouTube.
Volunteer, support, or fundraise for an anti-trafficking organization you have researched. Shop for products made by exploited people (one example is kairostraders.com). Help exactly where you are. Businesses can provide internships, training, and jobs to trafficking survivors. Attorneys can offer free services. Medical professionals can get educated on how to spot and help trafficked victims.
Consider prevention. Traffickers typically target vulnerable populations (for example, homeless youth, foster kids, persons in abusive situations or poverty, etc.). Mentor and support these sorts of at-risk individuals.
Recommend the use of anti-porn programs in your church. Covenant Eyes is one such program.
A former YWAMer of the Shan people group was deeply moved to hear that YWAM was praying for Myanmar.
YWAM Bangkok, Thailand prayed for those isolated by Covid and God led them to make phone calls to those in isolated/remote areas.
YWAM Yverdon, Switzerland gathered via zoom to stand in the gap for the nation of Myanmar. They sensed God leading them as they prayed.
A Korean message was received regarding prayer for stability in Myanmar.
Join The Invitation
Learn more about this YWAM prayer day, called The Invitation, at ywam.org/theinvitation. Please let us know how you prayed at prayer@ywam.org. Please also tell us if you would like to recommend a prayer topic for The Invitation.
This month, please join the YWAM prayer day called The Invitation, as we pray for the country of Myanmar. Mass protests have been taking place since the military seized control on February 1, following the election of Aung San Suu Kyi. Civil unrest continues and over 500 protestors have been killed.
Myanmar is in southeast Asia and borders Thailand, Laos, Bangladesh, China, and India and has a population of about 54 million people. The main religion is Buddhism.
Topic suggested by: J.H. in SE Asia.
Prayer points from: B.K. in Myanmar
Prayer Points:
For the powers of darkness to be defeated by the blood of Jesus, so that truth, justice, and love can reign in Myanmar. That the resistance movement will continue to operate in the opposite Spirit to the violence.
For God’s protection of all our YWAM workers and the peaceful protesters. Pray for protection for men, who are being picked up from their homes and drafted into the military. Pray for safety for ethnic minorities who are fleeing air strikes.
Pray for believers and Christian leaders to not lose hope, but to continue to do good by providing help, comfort, and safety, and to be a positive witness in their grieving communities and in the jails. Pray for simple forms of Christian worship to mushroom into multiplying movements all over the country and among the Myanmar diaspora.
Pray for a political solution that will not end in civil war.
Suggestions for Group Prayer:
Find Myanmar on a map, noting surrounding countries. Review recent news from a trusted source.
Identify people that might be impacted by this conflict. Discuss what it would be like to live there during this unrest. Discuss how God might be working in the midst of the conflict.
Listen to the Holy Spirit and share as a group what His message is regarding Myanmar.
Take Action
Follow news updates on Myanmar and continue to pray for Myanmar as a group or individually.
This month, please join YWAM’s prayer day, called The Invitation, as we lift up the city of Tripoli, Libya. In Tripoli, cafes are places where the elderly and the young meet to socialize, gossip, argue and plan. Hassan is one of Tripoli’s 1,165,000 Muslim residents, and he goes to a café to visit a group of friends, international students he met at university. They talk about politics, sports, and religion. Several of them are Christians and Hassan is interested in their beliefs, having never met a Christian before. Please pray for the Muslims in Tripoli, and for the growing number of Christians.
Islam is the state religion in Libya. Pray for greater freedom, socially and legally, to talk about different faiths so people can learn about Jesus (John 16:33).
Tripoli remains always on the edge of conflict, with ongoing violence from civil war. Extremist groups surround the city. Pray for peace (Psalm 2).
Pray for cafes to become centres of discipleship, with many more Muslims coming to follow Jesus (John 8:31-32). Cafes are a place people go to exchange ideas and get to know new people. This makes them an ideal environment for discipleship.
Suggestions for Group Prayer:
Before praying, discuss the things you would want your Muslim friends to know about Jesus. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you who to share this with.
Set up an area for prayer that mimics a café that might be found in a large city like Tripoli. Have people sit 2 or more at various tables. Before you pray, discuss what it might be like to be a Christian sitting among friends sharing your faith. Discuss what it might be like to be a Muslim hearing about your Christian friend’s faith.
Assign a small group to conduct basic research on Tripoli including facts, statistics, maps, pictures and to present this information to the group before praying.
Take Action
Find out more about YWAM in North Africa.
Find out more about the region around Tripoli at gosahara.org.
Participate in 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World April 13 – May 12, 2021. The information about Tripoli was adapted from the upcoming 30 Days guide. This prayer movement began at a YWAM meeting in 1992. This year, the guide focuses on a different city every day. You can go to pray30days.org and get prayer guides in 40 different languages.
How We Prayed
February 2021 – Loneliness
An individual from Jeju, South Korea was led to pray for single male ministers.
YWAM Bangkok, Thailand prayed for those isolated by Covid and God led them to make phone calls to those in isolated/remote areas.
Join YWAMers around the globe in praying and hearing from God. He is inviting you!
Family Members Hug Through Plastic During COVID-19 Pandemic
This season of consecutive lockdowns, brought on by the Corona virus pandemic, has been a lonely time for many of us. Some have been living alone during weeks of home confinement. Many have been unable to be with family or friends for the celebration of birthdays or Christmas. Some have experienced the illness of loved ones, and have been unable to be physically together at that time. May this month’s prayer time offer you a sense of connection with many others around the world, all joining together to pray!
Social isolation has been a particular characteristic of this unusual season. But loneliness can also be part of what we consider more ‘normal’ life. Indeed, some would say that loneliness is not just a common consequence of life in missions, but also rife in our modern societies. You have probably read something about loneliness among the elderly in Western societies, or loneliness among young people who are connected online but have few real friends, or the loneliness of stay-at-home moms, or the loneliness of single people living alone, or the loneliness that hits us even when we live in a busy city. The truth is, all of us are likely to experience loneliness at some time in our lives.
Those who choose to make a long-term commitment to working overseas are perhaps especially likely to experience the distress of social isolation at some point. Someone who is relatively new to the language and culture may find it difficult to have meaningful relationships with the nationals. When missionaries repeatedly change location, or their team members change often, it can become hard to make connections that cause us to feel known by others. For these and many other reasons, even when we work in teams it is not unusual to experience seasons of loneliness in missions.
Whatever our current experience of loneliness or connection, together we acknowledge that our need for friends, community and intimacy is legitimate and good. During this time of prayer, we may find ourselves invited by God to grieve the absence of this longed-for connection in this season. Ask yourself how God is inviting you to bring these unmet individual or community needs to him.
Testimonials
There are many personal experiences of loneliness that we could include here, and you will know of others. Since loneliness can be hard to talk about, here we quote two YWAM staff members who are willing to share their experience of loneliness.
M writes:
‘I think 2020 might go down in my mind as The Great Exodus. Most of the people I was close to in my community left our location in the past year. As someone who is an extrovert and thrives within community, I felt disoriented as though my equilibrium were off. On top of these changes, we have all been navigating a global pandemic so people have gone into survival mode! I am single and a bit of a novelty because I am older than 25. Many people don’t understand my context. So here I am…alone. The culmination of this loneliness, along with the expectation that I should be able to work 24/7 because I do not “have a family” became almost unbearable.”
B writes:
‘A big part of being single and living cross-culturally is the area of loneliness. We don’t have a built-in social network of family. I remember back to my days when I lived alone, and I was in a team with two other couples. It was very lonely at times. Even with local friends and other relationships, I realized that I wasn’t cut out for living on my own.”
Loneliness in Scripture
Psalm 27:10 begins with a statement of utter dejection: ‘My father and my mother have forsaken me,’ but it ends with the ultimate reassurance of, ‘but Yahweh will take me in.’ Loneliness is the opportunity to let the truth penetrate deeply into your heart that when the worst happens, when those who should love you reject and abandon you, you are never alone.
Please join us for YWAM’s prayer day on February 11 called The Invitation as we pray about loneliness. If you only have a few moments to pray, pray for YWAMers to resist the lie that we are alone and to embrace our home in Him. And if you have a moment, please let us know how you prayed: prayer@ywam.org.
Prepare to Pray:
Before coming to prayer, take some time for self-reflection by considering these questions. You might like to journal your responses.
To what degree are you experiencing loneliness in this season? Give yourself a number between 0 and 10, 0 = not at all, 10 = it is extremely/very challenging at the moment.
How is loneliness affecting you emotionally (feelings), mentally (your thought life/ability to focus and stay motivated), and physically (sleep patterns, eating, exercise, general health and well-being)?
How is loneliness impacting your social life (relationships with family, friends, co-workers, nationals) and ministry (ability to reach out to others)?
How have you been dealing with your loneliness? What has been helpful? What hasn’t? Do you notice any unhealthy patterns developing?
Consider to what extent you may need to walk through this season with the support and companionship of a godly friend or mentor?
Turn your attention to the way God is present to you by reading slowly through Psalm 139:7-18. Pay special attention to the words or phrases that jump out for you.
As he gazes upon you, in love, today, seeing the extent of your loneliness, what does God feel toward you? What is His heart for you?
If you could picture God actually being with you today, what would He do or say? How would He respond to you?
What happens for you, as you encounter God in that place? How do you want to respond?
Pray About Loneliness
Pray for an end to the current causes of social isolation that are leading to an increased experience of loneliness. Ask God to intervene so that meeting together in person will once again be considered safe.
Pray for the ways God might use loneliness in our lives, for our good and for God’s formational purposes in us.
Pray for meaningful mentoring relationships in YWAM teams, so that cross-cultural missionaries living in isolating or challenging circumstances can be supported. Pray especially for new workers to be supported well as they transition into their roles, and for those who are more established to find companions to walk alongside them.
Pray for effective help and resources to be available and widely implemented in the areas of interpersonal conflict and unmet role expectations. These are both realities that contribute to a sense of isolation or loneliness.
Pray for strong expressions of shared leadership throughout YWAM. Ask God to bless leaders at every level with an experience of mutual support and trust, both within their teams and with others. Take time to bless your own leaders in the area of close relationships.
Pray for those in different life stages and bless their sense of belonging and inclusion in community. You could specifically mention missionary kids, including those living at home and those who have left home; single people of all ages; those who are married, divorced, or widowed; those living in shared housing and those living alone. If anyone in particular comes to mind, ask the Lord how you could bless him or her in a practical way.
Ask God to show us in practical ways how to prioritize life-giving community. Acknowledge the unmet need for connection within your own community and pray for an increase of those who are able to teach on friendship and community.
Take Action
Consider the ways you might see loneliness as a call to intimacy. In what ways is God seeking your attention and how will you respond?
Consider who could you ask to walk with you, as a spiritual companion, in this season and get in touch with him or her.
Whatever your own experience of loneliness in this season, ask the Holy Spirit to whom you could reach out? Make a plan to connect with them.
Pursue resources:
Beyond Loneliness: The Gift of God’s Friendship (Trevor Hudson)
The Path of Loneliness: Finding Your Way Through the Wilderness to God (Elisabeth Elliot)
In March, look out for resources on the theme of Building Authentic Community on europellc.eu
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.
Future Topics:
March 11 – Human Trafficking
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. 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.
