2020 Personal Prayer Diary and Daily Planner by YWAM Publishing

2020 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 Director Warren Walsh Editorial Ryan Davis Luann Anderson Marit Newton Lance Wubbels Design Fred Renich Angie Renich Illustrations Julie Bosacker With thanks to Wenche Warren and Kandi Michalsen © 2019 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 nlt are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Black: 978-1-57658-968-7 Burgundy: 978-1-57658-969-4 Green: 978-1-57658-970-0 Navy Blue: 978-1-57658-971-7 Insert: 978-1-57658-972-4 Printed in Columbia

Contents Welcome Living and Praying Intentionally in 2020 4 Principles for Life and Prayer Ending Bible Poverty 6 Radical Prayer 9 Introduction to the Christian Year 12 Calendars Weekly Prayer Plan 13 2020–2022 Year-at-a-Glance Planners 14 2020 Month-at-a-Glance Planners 22, 36, 48, 60, 74, 86, 98, 112, 124, 138, 150, 162 2020 Week-at-a-Glance Planners beginning on page 24 Monthly Guides to Intercession and Reflection January: Reaching the Unreached 20 February: The Tarahumara People of Mexico 34 March: Displaced Peoples of the World 46 April: Punjabi Sikhs in Canada 58 May: Reaching the Buddhists of Nepal 72 June: America’s Homeless Mothers 84 July: From Bulgarian Outreach to Art-Reach 96 August: The Gospel for Ethiopia’s Arsi Oromo 110 September: Human Trafficking in South Africa 122 October: Saving Africa’s Witch Children 136 November: China’s Growing Crackdown 148 December: The Kavet—Literacy and Good News 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 205 Contributors 206

WELCOME Living & Praying Intentionally in 2020

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. Karl Barth, the great 20th-century Swiss pastor and theologian, is well known for saying Christians must read both the newspaper and the Bible—and they must interpret the newspaper through the Bible. In essence, the Personal Prayer Diary and Daily Planner enables this. It contains pressing news and information about the world as well as thoughtful voices offering biblical perspectives. Its articles, Scripture resources, and prayers bring together knowledge of current events and knowledge of the Bible. Prayer is key for our Christian lives. Prayer is relational; it involves speaking and listening; it engages our hearts and minds. When we open our minds to God in humble worship and through honest dialogue, we invite the Spirit to lead us “into all the truth” ( John 16:13). In prayer, God can help us see with spiritual eyes the events occurring in our world today. Not satisfied with the lens of the media or our own limiting biases, we seek the perspective of God, who through Jesus Christ is reconciling to himself all things—on earth and in heaven (see Col. 1:20). One way we can cultivate an awareness of God’s perspective is to join with other believers in the daily, weekly, and yearly rhythms of the Christian life. For centuries, Christians around the world have recalled the important events in the life of Christ and the early church—Jesus’s birth, death, resurrection, and more. In many Christian 4

communities, it is through the Christian year, not the calendar year, that they keep time—the “time” of the church and the Christian life. John Witvliet writes, “The Christian year . . . provides a way of understanding the Christian life. These events are not just about Jesus; they are about us” (see his article on page 12). By living into the seasons of the Christian year, we continually orient ourselves in God’s Story. It is a way to focus our whole lives on the person of Jesus Christ and the continuing work of God in the world. This resource therefore provides a weekly scripture for meditation selected from the Revised Common Lectionary1 (a cycle of readings shared by many churches) as well as a list of important Christian days, including the name of each Sunday, to help you grow and stay in tune with Christian brothers and sisters around the world. It is our sincere hope that as you practice these rhythms and engage in prayer for the nations, you will indeed be led “into all the truth.” 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. Collection of relevant Christian teaching. 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.

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 pages 205-206. 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 more than 50 portions of Scripture to memory in 2020. 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 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 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

Ending Bible Poverty by Loren Cunningham I’m living with a sense of great urgency. It’s a growing passion that began long ago. When I wake up in the morning, it’s before me. When I go to bed at night, it’s there. My coworkers and I have already labored to get this going. But now I feel the Lord is pushing us to finish quickly. Other Christian leaders have been tackling this challenge too—some for decades. It’s a job for all of us in the body of Christ. For me it started with a simple question. In 1966 I was driving with a team of young people to Central America. One of the trailers in our convoy had a breakdown, so we stopped in a dusty Mexican town. While a few of our guys looked for a mechanic, the rest of us went to every home in the town, delivering a Gospel of John and a booklet on how to receive Jesus. Another

team held two open-air preaching services in the town plaza, one for adults and one for children. Someone posed a haunting question that day, one that God used as the beginning of a huge challenge. After our open-air meeting, a woman in a faded red dress came up to me. My Spanish wasn’t very good, but I understood her to say, “There’s no Bible in my town, and there aren’t any in the towns around here. Do you have a Bible in my language?” I managed to find a Spanish Bible for her. She clutched it to her chest. “Muchísimas gracias, senor!” As we drove away, the woman’s question lingered in my mind. Do you have a Bible in my

Ending Bible Poverty language? A picture formed before my eyes. It’s what the Bible calls a “vision.” I saw a truck about the size of a large moving van. A message painted inside a big circle on its side said, “Solo los deshonestos temen la verdad. Santa Biblia, gratis.” I translated it slowly in my mind. “Only the dishonest fear the truth. Free Bibles.” I marveled at the power of those few words. I had never before heard the first sentence, and my Spanish wasn’t good enough to imagine it. Then the vision continued. I saw young people standing in the back of the truck putting Bibles into eager hands as fast as possible. I knew what the vision meant, so we got started on the challenge right away. When we arrived in Mexico City, I went to the local Bible society to see how many copies they had. Then I phoned friends and raised the money in partnership with the Bible society to buy fifty thousand Spanish New Testaments. Our teams distributed them on university campuses in the city. It was a beginning. Black Rocks on the Moon The idea of giving the Word of God to everyone started when I was about seven years old. My family lived in El Centro, California, near the Mexican border. One night I lay in bed with my arms folded behind my head, studying the bright, full moon. What if we went to the moon, I thought, and wrote the best Bible verse on it? We could find big black rocks up there to spell it out—black because they would stand out on the white moon. We could arrange the rocks to form words big enough so that all the people on earth could read: “For God so loved the world, that he gave . . .” I stopped. The message had to be shorter. We could never find that many rocks. Maybe we should just write, “God is love.” It was a childish fantasy. No one could reach the moon in the 1940s. And my message in rocks wouldn’t reach those who spoke a different language or those who couldn’t read at all. But I was thinking and imagining. Just before I turned twenty-one, the Lord gave me a dramatic “mental movie.” It wasn’t a daydream, and it wasn’t a regular dream. I was

wide awake. Whether I closed my eyes or opened them, I saw the images. I’ve described this experience in my first book, Is That Really You, God? As I watched, I saw a living map of the continents of the world. Waves were crashing on all the shorelines. Each surge that followed went farther and farther across the continents until they covered the entire earth. As I watched, the waves became young people from everywhere taking the Word of God to everyone, everywhere. That vision formed the foundation for a tiny missionary group called Youth With A Mission, or YWAM. Today it is one of the largest missionary movements in the world. The vision God gave me after meeting the woman in the faded red dress was a follow-up to the mental movie showing waves of young people. Because the waves turned into youth carrying the Word of God to the entire world. Ending Bible poverty is not some leader’s crazy plan. God birthed the idea. Every vision begins with God, but it is carried out by those who listen and obey. Later I would find more people who were working on this goal. Even the Hermit Over the next few years, during the 1960s and 1970s, YWAM workers delivered Bibles, New Testaments, and Gospels of John to various parts of the world. In the Caribbean we found Miss Armstrong, our “woman of peace” (see Luke 10:6). She opened doors for us in St. Thomas, including the chance to be on television. On camera I said, “We’re going to come to every home on this island to give you a free Gospel of John and a booklet on how to know Jesus personally.” One man lived like a hermit high up on the mountain. When two YWAM volunteers reached his home, he said, “I heard on TV what you’re doing. I figured you’d never get to me. Yet here you are!” Suphan Buri Province of Thailand is another example. In 1969 our first around-the-world team took Bibles across rice paddies to every home in the province, even to the hundreds of monks living in Buddhist centers. Likewise, in a few states 7

January

by Kerry Olson

ayu is an Indonesian missionary who has dedicated his life to reaching the Sunda people, the largest unreached people group (UPG) in Indonesia. Most of the 37 million Sundanese live in the province of West Java and almost all are committed to Islam (99.95%). Bayu estimates that there are only 5,000 born-again Sundanese. To get a sense of the work that remains to be done, if the number of Sundanese believers increased 75 times over what it is now, it would still be only 1% of the population. In the past few years Bayu has seen some tremendous progress and has been instrumental in bringing over 300 Sundanese to the Lord. A case in point was an elderly Sundanese woman who was healed miraculously after he and others prayed for her, and she subsequently led every one of her family members to Christ. Recently Bayu was able to organize a discipleship camp retreat for 150 Sundanese believers for training in discipleship and to simply have a chance to fellowship with others of like faith. He stated that this was a tremendous blessing, as many Sundanese Christians had no idea there were “so many” other believers from their people group. All Sundanese churches are small clandestine fellowships, meeting in cell groups scattered throughout central West Java. Bayu also directs a small mission school that 20

prepares Sundanese to share their faith with others. Not long ago, a disgruntled Sundanese “believer” backslid and not only reported the existence of the mission school to the local authorities but caused problems for a number of underground house churches. As a result, Bayu received death threats from Muslim extremists in the region. For safety purposes he had to relocate his family to a location eighteen hours away as well as relocate his mission school. Why Is It So Hard to Reach the Unreached? According to the Joshua Project, the leading research organization that catalogs them, there are over 17,000 known people groups among the world’s 7.5 billion people. Of those people groups, over 7,000 groups are considered “unreached” (defined as having less than 2% evangelical Christians), representing 3.1 billion people.1 They need others outside of their people group to come to demonstrate and proclaim the gospel. So why are they still unreached, or even worse, unengaged, meaning that they have no missionary presence, that no one is actively reaching out to them? UPGs are unreached for multiple reasons. David Platt, pastor at McLean Bible Church

Reaching the Unreached in Washington, DC, stated, “Unreached people groups remain unreached because they’re hard, difficult, and dangerous to reach. All the easy ones are taken.” That is principally true. Many UPGs, such as the Sundanese, live in places where missionaries such as Bayu face opposition and threats from governments and militant groups. That threat extends well beyond the missionary and may be even greater for those who receive the gospel there. The danger is very real. In most cases, UPGs reside in regions dominated by a religious system that has been in place for hundreds if not thousands of years—primarily found throughout the Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and tribal worlds. They have little or no gospel presence, and even when there are Christians, they are unable to effectively spread the gospel without outside assistance. And unfortunately, in many of these regions, fears, misunderstandings, and deep prejudices obstruct the spread of the gospel. Nowhere is this more vividly illustrated than in areas with UPGs that are Islamic. Over 85% of Muslims reside in unreached areas, and many Christians choose to avoid them rather than engage them with the love of Christ. It is also true that many of the UPGs live in areas of the world that are very difficult to access. Many of these regions are extremely limited in infrastructure, such as Nepal, where less than 1% of the people know Christ and villages are very remote. Likewise, UPGs such as the Fulani, the largest nomadic people group on earth and found in a dozen African countries, and the Bedouin tribes in the Middle East are constantly on the move and found far from large urban areas. It can be very difficult to establish any meaningful relationship with these groups. The harsh reality is that UPGs will remain unreached unless we raise up more “Bayus” who have a long-term commitment to pay the price to engage these difficult and dangerous regions. We need far more people to embrace the call to the unreached and far more finances. Less than 1% of Christian resources are directed toward the most unreached parts of the world. There is an urgent need for more Christians to go, to provide financial support, and to pray.

How to Engage Bayu is one of the many partners in Bethany International’s Engage500 Initiative—a global effort with leadership coming from nations in Asia, Africa, North America, South America, and South Asia that is committed to engage 500 UPGs by the end of 2020 and is currently working among 435 UPGs. Thousands of missionaries worldwide are being recruited and trained through 300 mission training schools in 29 countries, such as Bethany Global University in Bloomington, Minnesota. Missionaries are launched from many nations to many nations. These local hubs of operation, in partnership with the national church, provide them local access to the unreached peoples of a given region. The key is to collaborate with global partners through the power of a shared vision to engage unreached peoples. The good news is that the gospel cannot be bound by religious or cultural strongholds, political influence, hatred, prejudices, or fears. It doesn’t bow down to these barriers. It overcomes them. None of these hindrances are insurmountable. It just means it’s time to step up and step out and purposefully engage the UPGs of the world, fulfilling the Great Commission that Jesus gave us. Pray • for the followers of Christ from Indonesia and beyond whose efforts have begun to produce fruit among the Sunda • for harmony and togetherness among Sunda Christians who seek to address their Muslim background in different ways • that Sunda fellowships would reach out in love to their own people and send members to share the good news with other peoples as well • for Sunda and Indonesian leaders to govern justly rather than using power for their own gain, and for community leaders to develop workable solutions to the poverty that traps many Sunda people

January Sunday

Monday

month at a glance Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

Notes:

Friday

Saturday

New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day

Epiphany

Notes:

M. L. King Jr. Day

Notes & Prayer Journal

December

Januar y

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

7 14 21 28

1 8 15 22 29

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24 31

4 11 18 25

Februar y

S M T W T F S

2 9 16 23

3 10 17 24

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

1 8 15 22 29 23

December ISAIAH 63:8–9 He said, “Surely they are my people,

children who will be true to me”; and so he became their Savior. . . . In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

Goals and projects for the week:

29 SUNDAY

Lesotho — Southern Africa Population: 1,958,042a Christian: 89.31% Ethnoreligionist: 9.5% Baha’i: 0.8% Nonreligious: 0.25% Other: 0.14% Literacy Rate: Male 70% Female 88% Life Expectancy: Male 53 Female 53 Infant Mortality: 46 GDP per capita: $3,900

Pray for the distribution of Bibles in all corners of the world (see pages 6–8)

Zech. 5–9; Prov. 29; Rom. 14

First Sunday after Christmas Day

30 MONDAY

31 TUESDAY

Pray for the distribution of Bibles in the prison system

Pray for the distribution of Bibles in hospitals

Zech. 10–14; Prov. 30; Rom. 15

Mal.; Prov. 31; Rom. 16

New Year’s Eve

See pages 197–98 for an explanation of the abbreviations, symbols, and categories used in country statistics.

January Gen. 1–2; Ps. 1; Matt. 1

Pray for the distribution of Bibles in orphanages

WEDNESDAY

New Year’s Day

Gen. 3–4; Ps. 2; Matt. 2

Pray for the distribution of Bibles in the military

Gen. 5–7; Ps. 3; Matt. 3

Pray for the distribution of Bibles in closed countries

Gen. 8–9; Ps. 4; Matt. 4

Pray for the distribution of Bibles in developing countries

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY