2019 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 Editorial Ryan Davis Luann Anderson Gazalle Davis Nancy Aguilar Marit Newton Alina Sayre Mary Calvez Design Angela Bailey Fred Renich Illustrations Julie Bosacker With thanks to Kandi Michalsen © 2018 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. Navy: 978-1-57658-921-2 Burgundy: 978-1-57658-922-9 Black: 978-1-57658-923-6 Green: 978-1-57658-924-3 Insert: 978-1-57658-950-2 Printed in China
Contents Welcome Living and Praying Intentionally in 2019 4 Principles for Life and Prayer Art and Prayer: An Interview with Artist Julie Bosacker 6 The Lord and His Prayer 9 Introduction to the Christian Year 12 Calendars Weekly Prayer Plan 13 2019–2021 Year-at-a-Glance Planners 14 2019 Month-at-a-Glance Planners 22, 36, 48, 60, 72, 86, 98, 112, 124, 136, 150, 162 2019 Week-at-a-Glance Planners beginning on page 24 Monthly Guides to Intercession and Reflection January: Poverty in Rural Southeast Asia 20 February: The Opioid Crisis in America 34 March: Women in Central Asia 46 April: National Crisis in Venezuela 58 May: Houston’s Diversity: America’s Future? 70 June: Education in Turkey 84 July: The Rohingya Refugee Crisis 96 August: Teens in America 110 September: China’s Left-Behind Children 122 October: Unengaged Peoples in India 134 November: Reaching Africa’s Nomads 148 December: Life-Changing Encounter with Jesus 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 Endnotes 204 Contributors 206
WELCOME Living & Praying Intentionally in 2019
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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. Each new year presents new challenges and opportunities, and each new year continues from the previous year. Continuity and change mark our lives as we develop as individuals, families, and communities. Likewise, each year the Personal Prayer Diary and Daily Planner presents new challenges and opportunities for prayer and action, and it retains a level of continuity in its focus: we pray for people who do not yet know about the work of God in Jesus Christ, and we pray for global issues across the sectors of s ociety—government, education, family, the arts, and more. Ultimately, we undertake this continuing endeavor because of the kingdom of God, which defines the mission of the church around the world. God’s kingdom is growing in new places, changing lives, and taking unique shapes where the Spirit is at work. Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come.” This prayer never grows old. It is what motivates our lives even as we carry out seemingly mundane tasks like commuting to work or school, folding laundry, preparing meals, or attending meetings. The kingdom of God is working through our world like yeast works through dough (Matt. 13:33). When asked when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:20–21). Indeed it 4
was, because Jesus was in their midst—he is the kingdom in person. In Jesus we encounter the love and justice of God. Today the Spirit of Christ lives in our hearts, directing us toward God’s purpose, the fulfillment of his kingdom. God is working through us, forming our identity and our way of being and acting, establishing his reign in us and through us. Our life circumstances may change, and we will develop as people through our experiences; but our true identity is secure in Christ, and our place in God’s kingdom does not change. As you enter this new year, consider the work God has done in your life and the work he continues to do. Be drawn by the Spirit to live each new day looking to Jesus—the kingdom in person. 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 intervention. Each Sunday you’ll find a reminder to
Welcome C
July
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E G
by Kris Repp
A R
ahenah and her children hid behind the curtain separating them from the scorching sun and the hostile camp outside. Overcome with fear, Rahenah’s whole body shook. She hushed her children’s tender voices as she listened to the neighbor’s whispers. Strangers were offering to take young girls for jobs in Cox’s Bazar, 40 kilometers from the Kutupalong refugee camp. Her 12-year-old daughter, Arefa, was a prime target. Horrific memories of their escape from Myanmar seized Rahenah, as if it were all happening again: Rahenah’s house burning to the ground, her body brutally violated, and her husband savagely beaten and shot to death while trying to protect her and the children. Tears flowed as she crumpled to the ground.
some experts calling it genocide. Yet the magnitude of this man-made disaster has been evolving for years. For centuries the Rohingya have lived in Rakhine, the northern coastal state of Myanmar, and their ethnicity is a matter of debate. Some claim roots in Myanmar dating as far back as the 15th century, and others consider the Rohingya illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. With their own distinct language and predominantly Muslim religion, the Rohingya are not officially recognized as one of Myanmar’s 135 ethnic groups. Since 1982 they have been denied citizenship, making them a stateless people. Years of ongoing conflict with the Buddhist majority and militia recently erupted into a violent massacre, with a mass exodus of the displaced into neighboring Bangladesh. A recent outbreak of violence began in August 2017. At that time, mounting tensions resulted in a group of Rohingya insurgents attacking 24 police outposts in Myanmar and killing 12 security personnel. In retaliation, Burmese militia and militant Buddhists systematically razed Rohingya villages, brutally murdering thousands of Rohingya. Reports circulated of bodies being placed in mass graves, women being savagely raped, and villagers being burned alive in their homes.
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 204–6. Daily thematic prayer guide (B). Each day a Who Are the Rohingya? In February 2018, I was deployed to Bangladesh group or need to that month’s prayer focus to do medical work amongrelated the Rohingya people. Like many others, I was ignorant of their desperate situation and found myself asking, “WhoJoin are is targeted for prayer. thousands of other dithe Rohingya? What humanitarian crisis is taking place in Bangladesh?” ary users worldwide praying for the same peoThe Rohingya people are described asin one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. Approximately 1.1 million of them lived in Myanmar ple or situation. (Burma) before August 2017. Today, the crisis taking place is a form of ethnic cleansing, with 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 check-off 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 in which you choose to read each portion. 96
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
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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.
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Weekly Prayer Plan
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The Family
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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.
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January
by Elizabeth Thornton
R
ain leaked into the flimsy thatched hut, the poorest in the village. Inside, Champa was too worried to sleep. A community outreach team had just performed a drama depicting the plight of migrant workers in neighboring Thailand. Champa finally realized the serious danger her 15-year-old daughter, Mali, faced as an illegal migrant in a foreign country. When Champa had pulled Mali out of school six months before and sent her to earn money in Bangkok, she felt it was her only option. Livelihood Challenges In rural Southeast Asia, C hampa’s and Mali’s story is repeated time and again: youth and adults leave rural villages for big cities, hoping to support their impoverished families. Many soon realize in despair that the money they send home does not even cover the interest on their family’s loans. Rural peoples struggle to support their families in a changing world. They can no longer live off the land, collecting bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and honey to sell. So-called development is fast depleting the natural resources they depend on for their livelihood. They can no longer build houses of bamboo, thatch, and wood, since the forest is disappearing. For many families, a lack of 20
banking services and money-lending regulations causes debt to spiral out of control as unscrupulous lenders charge 20% monthly interest. For Champa’s family, hospital bills were huge after the death of one baby due to unskilled birth attendants and the near death of another infant— twice—from pneumonia. Their one hope: Champa’s husband had fertile land on the riverbank, ideal for corn. However, the new strains of corn that could be marketed required expensive hybrid seed and fertilizer. Then, just before harvest, changing weather patterns brought severe flooding, washing away their cornfield. Wages could be earned at the local brickworks, the village’s only employer, but the machinery lacked safety guards, and a friend lost her hand. The quickest source of cash was to sell teenage daughters to visiting middlemen. Neighbors had earned $4,500 for their daughter who went to China as a bride. Thai traders paid cash for youth sent to Bangkok, although a neighbor girl had recently returned, sick with AIDS at age 16. Good News Champa, who heard the gospel as a teenager while visiting the city, was the only seeker in her district. Christians concerned for Mali made the
Poverty in Rural Southeast Asia trek to her village. Champa named her debts as a social worker recorded them in a notebook. Darkness fell in her thatched kitchen and the list was still not complete. Tears ran down Champa’s face as she spelled out the hopeless situation. A growing audience of family members, neighbors, and money lenders who dropped by for their daily payments began to share their own miseries. The Christian worker counseled them: “Your troubles are indeed insurmountable on your own. But we have a heavenly Father who cares for each of us, and we will take these problems to him. Even if all these troubles are sorted out, you will not have joy in life if you do not trust him. I urge you to turn your life over to him now.” Some of the listeners asked that their needs be included in the prayer too, even though no one except Champa had ever heard of a heavenly Father who cares for us. New Life The prayer meeting in Champa’s kitchen became the first of many as the situation was untangled. Champa was able to restructure and pay off the family loans while keeping the family land. She raises vegetables, ducks, and chickens for income and is debt free for the first time in a decade. Over the month it took to achieve M ali’s rescue from Bangkok, the teen grew in faith, and within a year the whole family started joining Mali and her mother to read Scripture and pray for guidance. Although she had to make up a year of school, Mali is the top of her class. She plans to become a pharmacist, and classmates often ask her about her faith. Champa too is a changed person, trusting her heavenly Father. She says she has much to be thankful for: her toddler is healthy, she is out of debt, and her family is under one roof. Champa’s transformed life has not gone unnoticed. Recently her husband’s younger brother was attacked by an illness directly after doing spirit worship. Champa and her husband were called to pray for him, and the young man was healed before their eyes. The number of people asking about her faith grew dramatically after this direct answer to prayer. Neighbors ask, “Who is Jesus? Why did he die? How do we follow him?” Champa sends her own questions to believers in
the city via the smartphone given to her daughter to facilitate the rescue. She has also discovered that the Jesus film and short-wave radio programs help her answer questions about her faith. Champa loves to sing in her language: “I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold; I’d rather have Jesus than riches untold . . .” Transformational Development To effectively address severe rural poverty like that in Champa’s village, development must be multifaceted; this is what is meant by integrated development. A broad range of issues may need to be addressed, such as microloans, income generation, natural resource management, clean water, agriculture, health, and education. Development must also be transformational. Transformational development seeks to enable families and communities to address the underlying causes of poverty.1 It recognizes that “neither people nor their development is intrinsically secular” and that spiritual transformation is integral to long-term economic development.2 Bryant Myers says, “I use the term transformational development to reflect my concern for seeking positive change in the whole of human life materially, socially and spiritually. . . . Changed people and just and peaceful relationships are the twin goals of transformation. . . . Changed people are those who have discovered their true identity as children of God and who have recovered their true vocation as faithful and productive stewards of gifts from God for the well-being of all.”3 Pray • for creative avenues, open doors, and perseverance to meet the needs of individuals and communities in countries that face extreme difficulty and may be most difficult to access • for effective ministry to those who suffer most from poverty, injustice, or other challenges, that they may experience physical well-being and come to know their heavenly Father • for Christians with a vision for holistic ministry, willing to commit the time to learn necessary skills, languages, and cultures and then disciple others to do the same 21
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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
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2 9 16 23 30
3 10 17 24 31
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5 12 19 26
Februar y
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5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
1 2 7 8 9 14 15 16 21 22 23 28 23
December–January COLOSSIANS 3:16 Let the message of Christ
dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. Goals and projects for the week:
30 SUNDAY
Thailand — SE Asia
Population: 68,414,135 Buddhist: 85.32% Muslim: 7.9% Nonreligious: 2.4% Christian: 1.8% Other: 2.58% Literacy Rate: Male 95% Female 91% Life Expectancy: Male 72 Female 78 Infant Mortality: 9 GDP per capita: $17,800
Pray for migrant workers in Thailand (see pages 20–21)
Zech. 10-14; Prov. 30; Rom. 15
First Sunday after Christmas Day
31 MONDAY
Pray for migrant workers in Burkina Faso
Mal.; Prov. 31; Rom. 16
New Year’s Eve
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Pray for migrant workers in Belize
Gen. 1–2; Ps. 1; Matt. 1
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See pages 197–98 for an explanation of the abbreviations, symbols, and categories used in country statistics.
January
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Pray for migrant workers in Mongolia
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Pray for migrant workers in Honduras
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Gen. 3–4; Ps. 2; Matt. 2
Pray for migrant workers in Chad
Gen. 5–7; Ps. 3; Matt. 3
Pray for migrant workers in Guinea
Gen. 8–9; Ps. 4; Matt. 4
Gen. 10–11; Ps. 5; Matt. 5
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