Asia / USA: floods
30 Jul 2020
Last week you prayed for South Asia’s humanitarian crisis with 9.6 million people affected by monsoon floods (three times more deaths than last year). This week floods took a turn for the worse in Nepal. In China relentless heavy rains have pummelled areas for a month. Yangtze River areas are overwhelmed, causing anxiety along the world's largest hydroelectric power plant, the 2.3-km Three Gorges Dam Already, 40 million people have been uprooted and 400+ rivers have overflowed. The dam, 300 km west of Wuhan, threatens to flood the first city to have been hit by coronavirus. In Texas, Hurricane Hanna has left some areas ‘totally under water’ and knocked out power across a region already reeling from a surge in coronavirus cases. Pray for communities with strained health care systems caused by coronavirus now airlifting patients to larger cities or areas away from floods.
Muslim-background believers
30 Jul 2020
Since the 1960s, there has been considerable growth of conversions from Islam to Christianity. Most of these conversions have been to forms of evangelical or Pentecostal Christianity, and some converts claim to remain in some way both Muslims and followers of Jesus. Pray for the continued growth of mission agencies taking the good news to those who have not heard it. Muslim-background missionaries are vibrant Christians even though most of them are hated by their home countries and Muslim leaders, and are ostracised, beaten, and murdered by their families and neighbours: see Pray for God to continue to strengthen the endurance of new Christians as they evangelise, preach and demonstrate God’s love into the darkest corners of Islam. Converts from Islam face insurmountable questions on an almost daily basis, such as ‘I have more than one wife, what do I do?’ or ‘How can I support myself now my family has rejected me?’ See
Australia: national day of prayer
30 Jul 2020
The National Council of Churches has called on all Christians across Australia to set aside Sunday 2 August as a day of prayer, worship and optional fasting, as the state of Victoria in particular continues to battle with the pandemic. The council’s president, Bishop Philip Huggins, said in a letter to member churches, ‘We all know the impact of the pandemic here and overseas, including on some of our own loved ones. At our council meeting this week, we directors all shared our vivid and poignant current reflections. What we can offer again now are our prayers together. Hence this encouragement to you all. It is comforting when we know we are all praying together to our Saviour. From our various traditions, there are prayer resources, ancient and contemporary, which we have been offering already.’
The Americas: pandemic prayer needs
30 Jul 2020
Florida’s hurricane season also has the complication of coronavirus this year. Two million residents live in evacuation zones with 82 permanent shelters provided, but after months of instructions to stay home and observe social distancing, will residents evacuate and risk an atmosphere conducive for virus transferral? Tropical Storm Isaias is approaching, so coronavirus testing centres have closed. When the mayor puts out the evacuation order, will the risk of catching coronavirus keep people from leaving homes in areas where they should get out? Pray for successful distancing preparations in shelters, and for the spirit of fear to be replaced with serenity. In Paraguay, violent protests broke out after the government put part of the country back into lockdown. Shops were looted and lorries set on fire, and a number of police were injured. Paraguay borders Brazil, the country with the second-highest number of infections worldwide, and is heavily reliant on cross-border trade. Pray for Latin Americans facing poverty violence and sickness.
Hong Kong: politics and church
30 Jul 2020
At least twelve well-known political opposition figures, veterans, and lawmaker activists have been barred from running in the legislative council elections; the government warned that more hopefuls, including further lawmakers, could still be banned. Hong Kong's pastors are in the spiritual trenches of this growing fight. More than one million Christians are choosing between the ‘blue’ pro-government camp and the ‘yellow’ opposition. Most young churchgoers support the pro-democracy protests. Pray for God to protect and show the pastors His way forward, as they lead the church through the current struggles. Pray for young protesters facing moral dilemmas: ‘As a Christian, violence is wrong, so can I throw bricks? An oppressive government is also wrong, shall I break laws to protest against injustice?’
Mariam: rescued by Jesus
23 Jul 2020
Mariam was abused as a young girl. As a teen, she took twelve pills a day to treat her depression. She was an atheist, believing that no god would allow her to suffer so much. The betrayal by her father and abuse by another man left Mariam hating men. Without hope, she tried suicide five times. But Jesus rescued Mariam! To listen to the amazing story of how she experienced Christ’s presence in wonderful ways and how he led her in a ministry to Muslim women and girls, click the ‘More’ button.
The Gambia: making the hyena pay
23 Jul 2020
Yahya Jammeh, the Gambia’s brutal former dictator, may soon lose his vast mansion in Maryland, in a much anticipated step by the US Department of Justice. He paid US$3.5 million for it in 2010 with funds stolen from the Gambian people. In 2017 he fled to Equatorial Guinea. In the short time since Jammeh was ousted from office, the country has shown progress in many critical areas. There are encouraging signs that the repression and violation of basic rights that marked Jammeh’s time in office are slowly being changed by a commitment to democratic norms, good governance, and the rule of law.
Coronavirus prayer guide
23 Jul 2020
It can be difficult to know where to start when praying for a crisis as large as coronavirus. So Tearfund have created a simple helpful prayer guide for intercessors to use individually, with a group or with the church. To download this perceptive resource for praying for situations close to home and around the world click the ‘More’ button.