2024 Personal Prayer Diary and Daily Planner

2024

PERSONAL

DAILY PLANNER PRAYER DIARY

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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 more information about books and materials, visit us online at www.YWAMpublishing.com or call (425) 771-1153 or (800) 922-2143.

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Warren Walsh

Editorial

Lance Wubbels

Luann Anderson

Marit Newton

© 2023 by YWAM Publishing. All rights reserved.

Published by YWAM Publishing

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Angie Renich

Illustrations

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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. [February 2018]

Verses marked kjv are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Verses 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. [February 2018]

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December: DR Congo: Leaving Home 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 2024

Youhold in your hands a unique prayer and scheduling tool designed to help you live an intentional, integrated life connected to God’s kingdom. Each year the articles featured in this planner are prayerfully selected. This year you will find an emphasis on the need and amazing societal impact of Bible translation into first languages along with a call to pray for revival. The monthly prayer features will present the challenges and victories of translation, church planting, cultural change, the children of Ukraine, and more.

You will find 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 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 Lectionary (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.

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 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 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 2023.

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 to assist you in praying for that nation. On pages 197–98 are explanations of the symbols and categories used in the listings. Each nation can 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 at your own pace. By reading an average of 3.5 chapters each day, you will read the entire Bible in one year.

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. The daily calendar is designed in a handy, week-at-a-glance format and can be used as a daily planning tool or as a daily journal and prayer diary. (Note that 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 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.

The Book That Transforms Nations

by Loren Cunningham

We hear much these days about the need for revival in our time. But revival is not enough. Our nations need transformation. What is the difference?

In revival, many people come to experience the power of God. Thousands come to know Jesus as their Savior, sometimes a majority in a community. People abandon sinful pursuits, and often there are expressions of the supernatural power of God, with the sick healed and other miraculous signs. It’s a time of great excitement, a time when people can hardly sleep or eat because of the thrill of seeing what God is doing, wondering what he will do next.

Those who study church history can point to numerous instances of revival. Just to give a few examples, revival came to England during the days of George Whitefield and the Wesley brothers and to America in the time of Jonathan Edwards and later with the preaching of Charles Finney. More recently revival occurred in Wales in the early part of the twentieth century and swept the Hebrides islands of Scotland during the 1950s. Revival flamed again in the Jesus People Movement in Southern California in the late

1960s and 1970s. And at the Brownsville Assembly of God Church in Pensacola, Florida, a revival lasted more than five years, touching hundreds of thousands of lives.

As much as we need these times of revival, if we’re to see lasting change, revival must lead to the next step: transformation. This happens as we immerse ourselves in our Bibles, asking God’s help as we search for principles to order our lives—the process Paul called having our minds renewed.

This is what happened across Britain more than two centuries ago. During the time of John Wesley, revival led to transformation. You could even call it a revolution.

Wesley and the Real Workers’ Revolution

People of all eras think they’re living in the most evil times of all—that’s human nature. But in many ways, John Wesley and his followers faced harsher challenges than we do today. It’s hard for us to realize how godless and cruel England was in the middle of the eighteenth century. Thousands poured into the cities during the Industrial

article is an excerpt from The Book That Transforms Nations: The Power of the Bible to Change Any Nation by Loren Cunningham with Janice Rogers. Published by YWAM Publishing.

The Book That Transforms Nations

Revolution, looking for a better life. Instead, they ended up as human grist for the mills. It was a time of great darkness.

Turning a Deaf Ear

No one was an advocate for the men, women, and children who worked long, dangerous hours in inhumane conditions in factories and mines, earning pitiful wages. Hunger was constant. Thousands fell prey to alcoholism, seeking escape from the daily horrors. The weak and the young became victims of tuberculosis, diphtheria, cholera, and a host of other diseases bred in overcrowded slums and overflowing privies.

Children of the poor didn’t go to school. As early as age four or five they went to work in factories or mines, often working more than twelve hours a day. Down in the mines, children pulled coal cars or hauled large baskets of coal on their backs. Mine owners could have used horses or mules, but animals cost too much to replace in the frequent cave-ins. So they used small children, who crept through spaces too narrow for adults.

Despite this cruel treatment, the church turned a deaf ear to the poor. Established churches became comfortable resting places for the affluent. Deism dominated their theology, portraying a “clockmaker” Creator uninvolved in daily human affairs.

A Heart Strangely Warmed

Thankfully, God prepared a nation changer. John Wesley was an ordained minister in the Anglican church, but things were not going well for him. He had always sought to do the right thing. While they were students at Oxford, John and his brother Charles were part of a group who called themselves “The Holy Club.” Their disciplined prayer and Bible reading attracted the scorn of their fellow students, who called them “Methodists.”

Despite all his efforts, though, Wesley was filled with doubt, unsure of his own salvation. He failed as a missionary when he went to the American colony of Georgia. Coming back home defeated, he was about to quit the ministry. Then something happened that changed him to his core.

On May 24, 1738, he was sitting in a Bible study in the Aldersgate district of London, listening to a Moravian preaching from Luther’s preface to the book of Romans. Wesley later recorded his life-altering experience in his journal:

About a quarter before nine, while [the speaker] was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.

This changed everything. God’s love filled Wesley, and he knew that his sins were really forgiven. He immediately set out to spread the good news to others.

John and his song-writing brother, Charles, believed they could reform the Church of England. However, the staunchly conservative churches gave no welcome to their emotional preaching and singing. The brothers were literally locked out of church after church. So the Wesleys took their message outside—into the open air. A shocking thing at the time, this method was being used by a friend from their Holy Club days in Oxford, George Whitefield. As the Wesleys and Whitefield preached to the poor, they lit a fire to what became one of the largest, most radical social movements of all time.

Building Blocks of Reform

While a few of John’s converts came from the upper classes, the desperate were the ones who really flocked to hear him. Thousands and thousands of dirty, poor, illiterate workers heard the gospel and found hope.

The Wesley brothers soon had their hands full, trying to disciple the new converts. No church welcomed these unkempt new believers, so John started small weekly groups to teach them everyday biblical living. He traveled continually by horseback—covering 250,000 miles in his lifetime—preaching to unbelievers, organizing converts into small discipleship groups, and training lay leaders. In all he trained ten thousand

The Book That Transforms Nations

small-group leaders. Called “classes,” those small groups became the building blocks of reform. In them, new believers were discipled and refined, learning accountability, honesty, godly living, leadership, and the value of working together for common causes.

Preventing a Bloodbath

By 1798, the Methodists, as they were called, numbered 100,000. They believed that God had called them, as John Wesley said, “to reform the nation, particularly the Church, and to spread scriptural holiness over the whole land.” Wesley’s message emphasized the “wholeness” of the gospel. It wasn’t enough to save people’s souls; their minds and bodies and surroundings needed transformation, too.

Because of this conviction, John Wesley’s ministry in Great Britain went far beyond evangelism. John opened a medical dispensary, a bookstore, a free school, and a shelter for widows. He attacked slavery before the best-known antislavery campaigner, William Wilberforce, was born. Wesley took up the causes of civil and religious freedom and awakened the conscience of the nation to the evils of exploiting the poor. He set up spinning and knitting shops and studied medicine himself so that he could help the destitute.

Wesley’s ministry also led to the establishment of workers’ rights and safety in the workplace. Former British prime minister David Lloyd George said that for more than a hundred years Methodists were the primary leaders of the tradeunion movement.

Evangelical, Robert Raikes, came up with the idea of Sunday schools to give working children a chance to be educated. Others touched by the Wesley revival worked for reform in orphanages, mental asylums, hospitals, and prisons. Florence Nightingale and Elizabeth Fry were two of these reformers, known for developing the nursing profession and reforming prisons.

John Wesley’s legacy also includes the emancipation of women. Wesley treated women as spiritual equals in the Methodist movement. People of faith such as Josephine Butler, Susan B. Anthony, and Charles Finney followed in

Wesley’s footsteps, calling for women to have the right to higher education and vocational goals, including the ministry. Former Methodists William and Catherine Booth were others who picked up Wesley’s legacy, releasing thousands of women into ministry through the Salvation Army and awakening the church again to the poor outside its doors.

As these kinds of reforms took place in England, many of that nation’s elite watched the French Revolution of 1789–99 in fear as it turned into a bloodbath, killing nobles, priests, and others. Maybe something similar would happen in England! It might have, but according to historian J. Wesley Bready, the renewal movement led by the Wesleys prevented it. The revival that turned into transformation initiated significant political, economic, and social changes, alleviating injustice and poverty and lifting thousands of people into a more robust middle class.

Optimism and a Sense of Calling

The Wesley renewal movement didn’t just affect Britain. It spread to other European nations and to America. John Wesley’s followers went as missionaries to the newly emerging nation, the United States. As fast as American frontier settlements developed across the continent, Methodist circuit-riding preachers arrived on horseback. They came with a Bible in hand and other books in their bags, ready to preach and establish churches. Soon nearly every crossroads community had a Methodist group at work. The Methodists’ message of free will and God’s grace shaped the United States, producing optimism and a sense of divine calling.

Wesley didn’t live to see all the reforms touched off by his efforts to disciple his nation. But it’s hard to imagine our world today had it not been for thousands and thousands of people in small groups studying the Bible and applying it in their lives. It all began when one man had his heart strangely warmed and obeyed God and his Word, teaching his nation how to live God’s way. God wants to do it again.

by Kris Repp

Mado squirmed in her mother’s arms. With the little one demanding her attention, Aimee’s counseling session had been cut short. As she prepared to leave, she struggled to continue her story. Congo was far away, but painful memories flooded her heart. “Mado is a twin. We were making the crossing from Turkey. Her baby sister drowned when our dinghy nearly capsized.” She sobbed. Her broken French was interrupted as the infant began to cry. “I don’t have anyone to care for her so I can come here alone and talk to you. I feel trapped. I feel like I’m in prison.”

Leaving Home

Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa is a country in turmoil. For decades, conflicts within the government and among rebel forces have created an environment of ongoing violence and instability. This has devastated the infrastructure of the nation. Although rich in minerals and resources, the majority of Congolese live in poverty. Subsistence farming is the main source of livelihood. Yet many farmers are unable to obtain what they need to grow their crops, contributing to serious food insecurity and malnutrition. Rape is rampant. Women and children are the most vulnerable. Outbreaks of malaria, measles, Ebola, and COVID have plagued the country, taxing an

already fragile healthcare system. There are more than 5.5 million people internally displaced in DR Congo. After years of unresolved conflict, many Congolese are choosing to leave their country and seek asylum. In pursuit of their dreams, they experience insurmountable obstacles. Having internalized the trauma from their past, they set out to find a better life, only to be faced with unanticipated struggles that compound their emotional and mental instability.

The Dream Vs Reality

Working in Moria Camp on Lesvos Island in Greece allowed me to rub shoulders with many Congolese refugees. Most had exhausted their financial resources in order to make the long trip across Africa to Turkey. In Turkey, they found themselves desperate for cash. Unable to present proper qualifications for employment, they resorted to doing most any job available. They were at the mercy of employers who took advantage of their vulnerable situation. Hostility and prejudice toward them added to the hardship in which they found themselves. Once they were able to save enough money, they sought out smugglers who exacted large sums for the perilous journey across the Aegean Sea to Greece. Substandard dinghies

DR Congo: Leaving Home

and life vests were provided. Terrified of what lay ahead, but unwilling to turn back, entire families piled into the overloaded rafts.

In the open sea, boats capsized and lives were lost. Anguish gripped the survivors as their children washed overboard and drowned. Food and water were scarce. One mother described her experience as a “terrible nightmare.”

Once they reached the shores of Lesvos, they were loaded into large buses and taken to Moria Camp, the “hot spot” on the island. Refugees from all over the world populated this prison facility that had been vacated to accommodate them. Its razor wire and locked gates greeted the weary travelers upon arrival. A facility built to accommodate 3,000, Moria reached a total of 20,000 occupants at one point and was described as “the worst refugee camp on earth.” With the living containers filled to capacity, tents began to populate the adjacent olive groves owned by the island residents. Internal and external tension grew as the refugee population increased.

The Endless Wait

Obtaining asylum was the goal of Moria’s residents. They didn’t realize that they might have to wait for years for that process to take place. They spent their days waiting in lines: lines for the showers, lines for food, lines to be seen in the clinic, lines to inquire about the progress of their asylum application. Their sleepless nights were haunted by threats of violence and abuse. People from warring nations were crowded into deplorable living quarters, with thin blankets hung to separate their families. Hostilities mounted.

Trapped within the camp were hundreds of unaccompanied minors, vulnerable women who succumbed to abuse and rape, and idle men who were pressured to radicalize. The air was thick with tension. Scuffles broke out frequently and unexpectedly. In 2017 and 2019 when I worked in Moria, violent rioting resulted in arson and death. Terrorist squads resorted to tear gas to bring an end to the violence. In September 2020, the entire camp was razed.

Initially, the Greek islanders welcomed these foreigners with open arms. As days, months, and years passed, the burden on their community became unbearable. By the time Moria was destroyed, these guests were no longer welcome.

Closure of most international borders has made it impossible for the Congolese refugees to leave Greece. They must still wait. Some have been waiting up to seven years to be granted asylum. The language barrier is a serious obstacle. For most, French is their second language, and they do not speak or read Greek. The men are unable to secure employment. The majority of the children don’t attend school. One young woman shared her desire to study English, but she has no one to watch her children. Sometimes a spouse will be granted asylum while their partner is left behind to wait. The separation becomes another heartache as the years go by.

Hope

It is easy to overlook the hidden wounds that lurk beneath the surface of people such as the Congolese refugees. Very few have had the opportunity to unload their burdened heart and begin the healing process for their physical, emotional, and psychological trauma.

In 2022, I spent a month in Athens working with the refugees in a Congolese church. I offered pastoral care and was able to point them to Christ, who wants them to know His peace in spite of their circumstances. He is the One who is able to heal their wounds from the past, provide strength for today and hope for the future.

I was encouraged to see that families in the church were becoming friends, providing vital support for one another. Others were involved in ministry. The pastor, a refugee himself, was zealous in discipling his people, encouraging them to persevere in spite of the hardships. This sense of community is what is desperately needed for their internal healing to take place. In time, despair will give way to renewed hope…while the wait continues.

Pray

• for emotional healing and a personal reliance upon Christ for the Congolese believers

• for peace and contentment in the midst of difficult circumstances for the Congolese refugees

• for solutions for childcare needs, pastoral counseling, and relationship development

• for resolution of the destructive patterns of darkness that have prevailed in DR Congo

• for the asylum process to become more efficient

LUKE 21:33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Goals and projects for the week:

Congo (DRC) – C. Africa

Population: 111,859,928

Christian: 71.1%

Nonreligious: 27%

Other 3.1%

Literacy Rate:

Male 89 Female 67

Life Expectancy:

Male 60 Female 64

Infant Mortality: 59

GDP per capita: $1,100

Pray for internally displaced people in DR Congo (see pages 160–161)

SUNDAY Ezek. 41–42; Prov. 1; John 7 1

First Sunday of Advent

MONDAY Ezek. 43–44; Prov. 2; John 8 2

Pray for internally displaced people in Turkey

TUESDAY Ezek. 45–46; Prov. 3; John 9 3

Pray for internally displaced people in Greece

Pray for internally displaced people in South Sudan

Pray for internally displaced people in Russia

Pray for internally displaced people in Botswana

Pray for internally displaced people in Azerbaijan

Dan. 5–6; Prov. 7; John 13

Dan. 3–4; Prov. 6; John 12

Dan. 1–2; Prov. 5; John 11

Ezek. 47–48; Prov. 4; John 10

PHILIPPIANS 1:6 … being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Goals and projects for the week:

Turkey – SE Europe/SW Asia

Population: 83,593,483

Muslim: 99.8%

Other: 0.2%

Literacy Rate: Male 99 Female 94

Life Expectancy: Male 74 Female 79

Infant Mortality: 19

GDP per capita: $31,500

SUNDAY

Second Sunday of Advent

Pray for women and children in DR Congo (see pages 160–161)

7–8;

8;

14 8

MONDAY

Pray for women and children in Central America

9–10;

9;

15 9

Pray for women and children in Ireland

TUESDAY Dan. 11–12;

16 10

10;

Prov.

John

Dan.

Prov.

John

Dan.

Prov.

John

Hosea 7–8; Prov. 13; John 19

Hosea 4–6; Prov. 12; John 18

Hosea 1–3; Prov. 11; John