2017 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 Project Editors Ryan Davis Marit Newton Daily Content Luann Anderson Design Angela Bailey Illustrations Julie Bosacker © 2016 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 marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible. Navy: 978-1-57658-941-0 Burgundy: 978-1-57658-942-7 Green: 978-1-57658-943-4 Black: 978-1-57658-944-1 Insert: 978-1-57658-945-8 Printed in China
Contents Welcome Living and Praying Intentionally in 2017 4 Principles for Life and Prayer Living the Word: Love and Service 6 Effective Intercessory Prayer 9 Introduction to the Christian Year 12 Calendars Weekly Prayer Plan 13 2017–2019 Year-at-a-Glance Planners 14 2017 Month-at-a-Glance Planners 22, 34, 46, 60, 72, 86, 98, 110, 124, 136, 148, 162 2017 Week-at-a-Glance Planners beginning on page 24 Monthly Guides to Intercession and Reflection January: Genocide in Syria and Iraq 20 February: Nepal’s Orphans 32 March: Somali Refugee-Immigrants 44 April: Muslim Movements to Christ 58 May: The Nomads of Central Asia 70 June: Protestant Persecution in Mexico 84 July: Medical Ministry in Côte d’Ivoire 96 August: Israeli Vets on the Hummus Trail 108 September: The Uighurs in Northwest China 122 October: The Badjao People 134 November: Street Children in Kenya 146 December: Complex Times in Russia 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 Article Notes 205
WELCOME Living & Praying Intentionally in 2017
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. 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. The needs of the world can feel overwhelming as the violence spreading in and from the Middle East increases and intensifies. Countless innocent people and families have been killed in Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere, and countless others have been displaced from their homes, left with nothing. The events we see happening today are not unlike those during World War II. The forces driving the destruction are anti-truth and anti-love. They are spiritual forces of evil (Eph. 6:12). As Christians we are called to spread the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 24:14), and we are given the power of the Spirit to accomplish this. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth” (14:15–17). He also says that those who believe in him “will do even greater things” than his own earthly works, adding, “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (14:12–14). Therefore, the articles in these pages address radical Islam and other critical issues head-on to intentionally focus and maximize the effectiveness of our prayers. As we commit ourselves to praying that the light will overcome the darkness this year, let us keep these words in mind: “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the 4
readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. . . . Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:14–17). We have been equipped to live in a hostile world, one in which suffering—whether individual daily hardships and heartaches or wars and global problems—will not go away completely until Christ returns. Yet even now Christ is with us, making possible substantial transformation and offering comfort, strength, and hope ( John 14:27). He invites usto participate in the redemptive work he is doing right now around the world. Each day, let us listen to his voice, follow his teachings, lean on his support, and pray that his kingdom will come. 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
May
D B F
E G
by Vinnie Carafano
A S
ukhrab is smart, excelling at the rudimentary education he receives as the son of a nomadic clan chief high in the mountains of Central Asia. His quick words and ability to think through the problems of daily life make him seem older than his 12 years. But Sukhrab is frustrated. As his people follow the seasonal routines of taking their horses to the pastures, he catches glimpses of another life in the mountains below. He wonders if the strangers, with their cell phones and shiny cars, have a better way of understanding the universe. Maybe they know the answers to the big questions he asks as he looks up at the stars each night. But there’s never an opportunity to ask them as they snap photos of him before moving on. Sukhrab is left wondering as he goes through the same motions as generations before him.
returning to the lifestyle of their ancestors. Men still hunt with trained eagles, and families live in yurts. These round, felt tents can be assembled in two hours and transported on the back of camels or horses to new pastures. The ancient custom of kidnapping a bride and forced marriage continues to this day, although at times there are some adjustments to this shocking approach with the couple knowing one another and having some level of courtship before the groom dispatches his friends to bring back the girl to his family. Horses are the core of the nomads’ culture. They are raised for both meat and milk; fermented horse milk (known as kumis) and salty, dried yogurt are key elements in their diet. Also, skills in horsemanship are prized. The national sport of ulak tartysh—“goat pulling”—is popular. Competition is fierce as teams of riders mounted on horseback wrestle a stuffed goat or sheep carcass from their opponents and race toward the goal. Games can last up to three days.
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 Nomadic Life In the or Centralneed Asian countries of Kazakhstanto and that month’s prayer focus group related Kyrgyzstan, nomadic life was the norm before the rise of the Soviet Union, which brought forced reis targeted for prayer. Join thousands of other disettlement and collectivized farming to the region. These government policies resulted in famine and Syncretism and a Growing Islam economic disaster among the pastoral peoples Most Central Asians nominally Muslim, the ary users worldwide in ofpraying forarethe same peothe mountains. Since the fall of communism, no- legacy of conquerors who entered Central Asia madic life has resurged, with more Central Asians in the eighth century. But in their hearts, they ple or 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. 70
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. 5
Introduction to the Christian Year b y Joh n D. Wi t vli e t
T
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.
12
Weekly Prayer Plan
T
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
13
2017 Planner
June
May April March February January
Sunday
14
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 Presidents’ Day 21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12 Daylight Saving 13 C ommonwealth 14
15
16
17
18
19
New Year’s Day
M. L. King Jr. Day
Time Begins / Purim
Valentine’s Day
Shrove Tuesday
Day
Ash Wednesday
Epiphany
21
22
23
24
25
26
20 Spring Begins 27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16 Easter /
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
1
2
3
4 National Day
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29 M emorial Day
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
1
Palm Sunday Orthodox Easter
Mother’s Day
Pentecost Trinity Sunday Father’s Day
Passover Begins
Easter Monday
Victoria Day Observed
Eid al-Fitr
Summer Begins
Maundy Thursday
of Prayer
Ascension Day
Good Friday
Ramadan Begins
Canada Day
2017 Planner
December November October September August
July
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7 Civic Holiday
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21 Rosh Hashanah 22 Begins Autumn Begins
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 Thanksgiving
10
11
12
13
14
18
19
20
21
Independence Day
(Canada)
Labor Day Patriot Day
Yom Kippur
15
(Can.) / Colum. Day 16 17
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Reformation Day
1 All Saints’ Day
2
3
4
5 Daylight Saving
6
7
8
9
10
11 Veterans Day /
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
1
2
3 F irst Sunday
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Time Ends
of Advent
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
Boxing Day
Hanukkah Begins
Thanksgiving (US)
Winter Begins
Remembrance Day
31
New Year’s Eve
15
January
by Gazalle Davis
N
isreen sits inside the camp tent and rocks her crying nine-month-old baby girl. When ISIS militants overtook her village in northern Iraq, she fled along with her mother and father. Her husband was killed by the rebels. Now full of grief, Nisreen is trying her best to care for her child. The camp houses many other women who have lost husbands to the violence. They’re able to comfort each other, and yet they all wonder when they will be able to return home, if ever. For now they wait in the crowded refugee camp and do what they can to help the sick and elderly resting in beds around them. The Spread of Violence The so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, known as ISIS, has continued its reign of terror across the Middle East with escalating violence, using horrendous tactics that include rape, mass executions, beheadings, and crucifixions. In 2014 the group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, claimed to be the caliph, the leader of all true Muslims around the world. Since then, according to journalist Graeme Wood, “the inflow of jihadists that followed, from around the world, was unprecedented in its pace and volume, and is continuing.” Wood notes that “tens of thousands of foreign 20
Muslims are thought to have immigrated to the Islamic State.”1 The use of social media as a propaganda tool has helped ISIS spread its message of violence and gain more followers. Recruits come from Europe, Asia, Australia, the United States, and elsewhere, making this a global crisis. ISIS has justified its acts of violence against any who do not follow their beliefs, holding that the rest of the world is made up of unbelievers seeking to destroy Islam.2 The group follows Wahhabism, a form of Sunni Islam that is intolerant of any other religious beliefs and considers those outside its extremist beliefs enemies. Although members of ISIS have justified their actions by citing the Koran and Hadith, many Muslims have denounced them. By March 2016 the US government declared the mass killings committed by ISIS to be genocide. Secretary of State John Kerry remarked that ISIS (referred to as Daesh) “is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control, including Yezidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims. Daesh is genocidal by self-proclamation, by ideology, and by actions—in what it says, what it believes, and what it does. Daesh is also responsible for crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing
Genocide in Syria and Iraq directed at these same groups and in some cases also against Sunni Muslims, Kurds, and other minorities.”3 Targeted Groups The Yazidis, an ancient minority group living primarily in northern Iraq, have been systematically targeted by ISIS. The Yazidis are mostly Kurdish speakers, and the majority consider themselves to be ethnically Kurdish. Yet Yazidis are “religiously distinct from Iraq’s predominantly Sunni Kurdish population. Yazidism is an ancient faith, with a rich oral tradition that integrates some Islamic beliefs with elements of Zoroastrianism, the ancient Persian religion, and Mithraism, a mystery religion originating in the Eastern Mediterranean.”4 ISIS has attacked the Yazidi people for adhering to a different religion, destroying the communities in which they have lived for generations. Many Yazidi women and children have been abducted, sold at auctions, raped, and forced into sexual slavery.5 Christians also have been systematically targeted by ISIS, as tragically witnessed in the executions of the Coptic Christians in Egypt and Ethiopian Christians in Libya in 2015. ISIS has also sexually enslaved Christian women and girls. The ruins of the oldest Christian monastery in Iraq, Saint Elijah’s Monastery, were destroyed by ISIS in 2014, just one example of the terrorists’ “systematic effort to destroy the cultural heritage of ancient communities,” including churches, cemeteries, and other religious sites.6 Shia Muslims also are targeted by ISIS for adhering to a different set of Islamic beliefs. Hundreds of Shia Turkmen and Shabaks were massacred at Tal Afar and Mosul in northern Iraq; Turkmen in the town of Amerli were besieged and starved; and hundreds of Shia Turkmen women were kidnapped and raped, many in front of their own families.7 The number of people who have been killed and who are now refugees is staggering. By late 2015 the death toll had topped 250,000, including more than 100,000 civilians, according to Human Rights Watch. Nearly eight million people were internally displaced, with over four million refugees in neighboring countries.8 Those numbers
are now undoubtedly higher. The world now has more displaced people than during World War II.9 Determined Action What is being done in the midst of this massive conflict? Churches have recognized the need to help targeted minority communities, including the Yazidis, the extent of whose suffering cannot be ignored. Christianity Today reported from Iraq that “many churches are aiding more non-Christians than fellow believers” and “many churches have become de facto refugee camps, cramming as many Christian families onto their properties as possible.”10 Another example of those who are working in solidarity with the people ISIS has brutalized is a woman named Ameena Saeed Hasan, who has been recognized by the US Department of State for her efforts. Hasan has worked with a team of local activists to rescue more than 100 Yazidi women and girls from captivity and slavery.11 Yet another example is the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets. This group of volunteer rescue workers has helped save the lives of over 40,000 Syrians who have been the victims of government air strikes and other attacks.12 Secretary Kerry reminds us that “naming these crimes is important. But what is essential is to stop them. That will require unity in this country and within the countries directly involved, and the determination to act against genocide, against ethnic cleansing, against the other crimes against humanity must be pronounced among decent people all across the globe.”13 Let us commit ourselves to determined prayer and action to fight against the destructive forces that threaten innocent people around the world. Pray • that ISIS would be stopped and that no other terrorist group would form in its place • for unity and wisdom among countries involved in stopping ISIS • for the enslaved women and girls to be freed and healed of their trauma • for the Yazidis, Christians, Shias, and all others who need healing from trauma and the ability to return to their homes 21
January Sunday
1
Monday
2
month at a glance Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
3
4
5
New Year’s Day
Friday
6
Saturday
7
Epiphany
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
26
27
28
M. L. King Jr. Day
22
23
24
25
29
30
31
Notes:
22
Notes & Prayer Journal
December
S M T W T F S
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
3 10 17 24 31
Januar y
Februar y
S M T W T F S
S M T W T F S
1 8 15 22 29
5 12 19 26
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
6 13 20 27
1 2 3 7 8 9 10 14 15 16 17 21 22 23 24 28
4 11 18 25 23
January Iraq — Middle East
REVELATION 21:3 “Look! God’s dwelling place
Population: 37,056,169 Muslim: 95.91% Christian: 1.59% Nonreligious: 0.6% Other: 1.9% Literacy Rate: Male 86% Female 74% Life Expectancy: Male 72 Female 77 Infant Mortality: 37 GDP per capita: $15,500
is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” Goals and projects for the week:
1
SUNDAY
Pray for the demise of ISIS (see pages 20–21)
Gen. 1–2; Ps. 1; Matt. 1
Holy Name of Jesus / First Sunday after Christmas Day / New Year’s Day
2
MONDAY
Pray for the defeat of global poverty
Gen. 3–4; Ps. 2; Matt. 2
3
TUESDAY
Pray for the defeat of terrorism
Gen. 5–7; Ps. 3; Matt. 3
24
See pages 197–98 for an explanation of the abbreviations, symbols, and categories used in country statistics.
January Gen. 8–9; Ps. 4; Matt. 4
Pray for the defeat of human trafficking
Gen. 10–11; Ps. 5; Matt. 5
Pray for the defeat of slave labor
Gen. 12–13; Ps. 6; Matt. 6
Pray for the defeat of the drug trade
WEDNESDAY
4
THURSDAY
5
FRIDAY
6 Epiphany
Gen. 14–15; Ps. 7; Matt. 7
Pray for the defeat of religious persecution
SATURDAY
7
25