2013 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 Editors Ryan Davis Luann Anderson Project Direction Warren Walsh Design Angela Bailey Illustrations Julie Bosacker © 2012 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. Navy: 978-1-57658-727-0 Burgundy: 978-1-57658-728-7 Black: 978-1-57658-729-4 Green: 978-1-57658-730-0 Insert: 978-1-57658-731-7 Printed in China
Contents Welcome Using Your Personal Prayer Diary and Daily Planner 4 Weekly Prayer Plan 6 Principles for Life and Prayer Good News for the Whole World 7 You Feed Them… 10 Porsches and the Kingdom 12 Calendars 2013–2015 Year-at-a-Glance Planners 14 2013 Month-at-a-Glance Planners 22, 36, 48, 60, 74, 86, 98, 112, 124, 136, 150, 162 2013 Week-at-a-Glance Planners beginning on page 24 Monthly Guides to Intercession and Reflection January: Sudan, North and South 20 February: Gendercide in China 34 March: North Korea’s Prison Camps 46 April: Turkey’s Religious Past and Future 58 May: Economic Citizens of God’s Kingdom 72 June: Opium Brides in Afghanistan 84 July: Technology Addiction 96 August: The Church in Cambodia 110 September: Abortion in the Former USSR 122 October: Healing Work in Rwanda 134 November: Colombia’s Refugee Crisis 148 December: Conflict Minerals in the Congo 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 Contributors 205 Notes to Articles 205 About Youth With A Mission 207
WELCOME
to more than a daily planner
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. This multifaceted resource is far more than an effective organizer. For more than 30 years, believers like you have joined in God’s work in the world through vital intercession for the nations using the Personal Prayer Diary and Daily Planner. The 2013 edition once again unites Christians around the globe in intercession for some of the world’s most vulnerable people. This year we will bring before God many areas of conflict, oppression, and injustice that have been profiled in past editions of the diary. These include the continuing refugee crisis in Colombia, the harmful effects of the opium trade in Afghanistan, persistent human-rights abuses in North Korea, the ongoing plight of women and girls around the world, and more. Such deep-seated tragedies draw us to pray again and again for God’s mercy and peace. The prayer “Lord, have mercy” (Kyrie, eleison in Greek) dates back many centuries and is often spoken as a response to petitions during communal worship. It echoes ancient Hebrew prayers like Psalm 4:1, “Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer,” and Psalm 6:2, “Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint.” In the New Testament, similar language is directed toward Jesus. Two blind men, ten men with leprosy, and a Canaanite woman whose daughter is suffering from demon-possession all call out to him, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” or, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” (Matt. 15:22; 20:30; Luke 17:13). Jesus hears each of these cries for mercy and responds compassionately, in keeping with his Father’s loving response in the 4
Old Testament. “The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer” (Ps. 6:9). Summing up the vision of the Old Testament prophets, Ron Sider says, “Some time in the future, the Messiah will come. The messianic order will break in, and God will bring a new right relationship with himself. Our sins will be forgiven and the law will be written on our hearts, and there will be a new right relationship with neighbors. There will be transformation vertically and horizontally, and there will be shalom, justice, and wholeness in society.”1 Jesus the Messiah embodies this vision of God’s comprehensive peace. “You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all” (Acts 10:36). And he calls us, his followers, to live in the new reality of his kingdom. As we reflect on immense needs around the world today, may we pray for mercy and shalom for all, confident that God hears our 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. Mini-library of relevant Christian teaching. Beginning on page 7 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.
Welcome C
D B F
E G
A 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 page 205. 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 meditation and memory verses are found at the beginning of each week. By meditating on and memorizing each selection, you will commit 53 portions of Scripture to memory in 2013. 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. 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. (Note that some nonChristian 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 natural it will become to you, assisting 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. 5
January
by Luann Anderson
F
earful of the fighting between the newly formed country of South Sudan and its neighbor, Sudan, Wani fled with a small group to a Kenyan refugee camp. It was a risky trek. One day, Wani found herself in the middle of an ambush by rebel groups. She hid in the bush, where she saw a woman from her group lying dead on the ground. The trauma still haunted her, along with many new ones. Wani and her 19-year-old daughter were separated for three days on the trek to the camp. She thought she had lost her only child, and it was too much to bear, especially after her husband had died one week before. As she approached the overpopulated refugee camp, Wani cried out for peace, but she could not find it. A Fractured National Identity Once Africa’s largest nation, the formerly unified country of Sudan has been at war with itself for most of its post-colonial history. Wracked by near-constant conflict between the north and the south, it has been a country in turmoil, devastated by civil war, beleaguered by roaming bands of rebel and government militia, and desperate for humanitarian aid. Following years of negotiations, a historic peace agreement was signed in 2005. That peace, however, was threatened by 20
a multitude of unresolved issues. Then on July 9, 2011, the country broke apart. The Republic of South Sudan became the world’s newest independent nation, though tensions remained high on both sides. The new nation of South Sudan is also one of the poorest. Hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese left their devastated homeland for the north and other neighboring countries during the war years. Sudan revoked the citizenship of all South Sudanese after independence was declared in 2011, forcing a mass migration of southerners back to their troubled land. In the wake of a fractured national identity, both North and South Sudan now face uncertain futures. Persecution in the North In the predominantly Muslim north, long-standing acts of violence against Christians persist. A report titled “An Era of New Martyrdom” explains: “The new authorities of the country have stated that ‘the Sharia and Islam will now become in Sudan the basis of a new constitution, with Islam as the official religion and Arabic as the official language.’ Reports are coming from North Sudan about numerous purposeful attacks on
Sudan, North and South Christians who have had to flee to South Sudan.”1 The people of the Nuba Mountains, home to one of the region’s largest Christian communities, are one of the fleeing groups. The area has long endured daily air strikes and house-to-house raids from northern forces. There have been reports of northern soldiers shutting down roads, burning down churches, and firing at schools and residents’ homes. With aid access to the region limited, international relief has been hard to come by. After hearing about life-threatening medicine shortages in the Nuba area, the Christian Broadcasting Networks’s Operation Blessing president Bill Horan organized an emergency medical mission in 2011. “It was dangerous, but it was life saving,” Horan said. “The National Congress Party of [northern] Khartoum have declared jihad, Islamic jihad on all the Nuba, whether you are Muslim, whether you are Christian. The people of the Nuba Mountains, no one can hear their voice. They’re suffering in silence. We need to be their voice.”2 Crisis in the South As the world watches, thousands of South Sudan’s returning refugees are also in great need. More than 80% of the population relies on subsistence agriculture and lives on less than $2 a day. Maternal mortality rates are among the worst in the world, and one in seven children dies before the age of five. There are few functioning schools and hospitals in South Sudan, and neither provides adequate access to services, especially in rural areas. Rev. Lexson Maku, Head of Mission for the Afro-Canadian Evangelical Mission (ACEM), has worked in South Sudan for seven years with Padang Lutheran Christian Relief (PLCR). These groups have assisted over 500,000 South Sudanese, serving communities devastated by war and disaster and helping them prepare for the future. With programs for education, health care, food aid, water, and sanitation, the progress is slow but steady. In addition to providing humanitarian relief and rebuilding communities, ACEM and PLCR train pastors and evangelists, build churches, and distribute Bibles and discipleship materials.
“The situation of Christians in Sudan is terrible because they are being persecuted for their religion,” Lexson said in an e-mail interview with YWAM Publishing. “These people are hoping to enter South Sudan to practice their freedom of religion and be free from being persecuted.” In the new South, the threat of violence—and daily fear—remains. Border demarcation had not yet transpired by the summer of 2012, perpetuating the insecurity affecting returnees, families, and communities bordering the North and South. “The Sudan air force is currently bombing the people of South Sudan both night and day,” Lexson said. “We are asking for your prayers and help from the international communities to help with this issue between the two countries.”3 What can be done to improve the plight of the Sudanese people? At a US Congressional hearing, Virginia Representative Frank Wolf emphasized the importance of the church rallying around persecuted Christians. “I think the church in the West has to do a better job of advocating for the persecuted church,” Wolf said. “If anything, hopefully, this hearing can not only motivate the administration, but also the church leaders of all the denominations to come together to advocate for this.”4 Action and prayer go hand in hand. The path to peace in South Sudan is new and fragile, while the predominantly Arab north continues its authoritarian regime. There is hunger, uncertainty, and displacement. The power of prayer attests to a global effort that helped these nations break away from each other, and it must endure as Sudan and South Sudan now coexist as estranged neighbors. Could an era of great promise emerge from unimaginable desolation? With God’s help, anything is possible. PRAY • for a successful demarcation of borders between South Sudan and Sudan • for resources enabling ACEM and PLCR to provide relief in South Sudan • for the northern people of the Nuba Mountains to get the help they need during difficulty • for freedom of speech in both South and North Sudan 21
January Sunday
Monday
month at a glance Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
1
Notes:
Friday
Saturday
2
3
4
5
New Year’s Day
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
29
30
31
Notes:
6 Epiphany
M. L. King Jr. Day
27
22
28
Notes & Prayer Journal
December
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
Januar y
S M T W T F S
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
5 12 19 26
Februar y
S M T W T F S
3 10 17 24
4 11 18 25
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
1 2 7 8 9 14 15 16 21 22 23 28 23
December–January 1 Kings 8:28 Yet give attention to your servant’s
South Sudan — Cent. Africa
Goals and projects for the week:
See pages 197–98 for an explanation of symbols and categories used in the weekly nation listings.
prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day.
Population: 8,260,490 Christian: 60.5% Ethnoreligionist: 32.9% Muslim: 6.2% Nonreligious: 0.4%
30 SUNDAY
Pray for resources to build hospitals, clinics, and schools in South Sudan (see pages 20–21)
31 MONDAY
Pray for resources to build hospitals, clinics, and schools in South Africa
Mal.; Prov. 31; Rom. 16
Pray for resources to build hospitals, clinics, and schools in the Gambia
Gen. 1–2; Ps. 1; Matt. 1
Zech. 10–14; Prov. 30; Rom. 15
New Year’s Eve
1
TUESDAY
New Year’s Day
24
January Gen. 3–4; Ps. 2; Matt. 2
Pray for resources to build hospitals, clinics, and schools in Côte d’Ivoire
WEDNESDAY
2
Gen. 5–7; Ps. 3; Matt. 3
Pray for resources to build hospitals, clinics, and schools in Lesotho
THURSDAY
3
Gen. 8–9; Ps. 4; Matt. 4
Pray for resources to build hospitals, clinics, and schools in Eritrea
FRIDAY
4
Gen. 10–11; Ps. 5; Matt. 5
Pray for resources to build hospitals, clinics, and schools in Senegal
SATURDAY
5
25
January Sudan
Psalm 67:4 May the nations be glad and sing for
— Northern Africa Population: 34,206,710 Muslim: 61.38% Christian: 26.11% Ethnoreligionist: 11.10% Nonreligious: 1.40% Other: 0.01% Literacy Rate: Male 72% Female 51% Life Expectancy: Male 61 Female 65 Infant Mortality: 56 GDP per capita: $3,000
joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth.
Goals and projects for the week:
6
SUNDAY
Pray for the unity of all Christian denominations in South Sudan (see pages 20–21)
Gen. 12–13; Ps. 6; Matt. 6
7
MONDAY
Pray for the unity of all Christian denominations in Nicaragua
Gen. 14–15; Ps. 7; Matt. 7
8
TUESDAY
Pray for the unity of all Christian denominations in Jamaica
Gen. 16–17; Ps. 8; Matt. 8
Epiphany
26
January Gen. 18–19; Ps. 9; Matt. 9
Pray for the unity of all Christian denominations in Malawi
WEDNESDAY
9
Gen. 20–21; Ps. 10; Matt. 10
Pray for the unity of all Christian denominations in Costa Rica
THURSDAY
10
Gen. 22–23; Ps. 11; Matt. 11
Pray for the unity of all Christian denominations in North America
FRIDAY
11
Gen. 24; Ps. 12; Matt. 12
Pray for the unity of all Christian denominations in Honduras
SATURDAY
12
27