pray for the nations

Pray for God’s Peace and Restoration in the Middle East

February 27, 2024

On January 28, Sunday, an aerial drone packed with explosives flew into Tower 22, a US military outpost in northeast Jordan, along the border of Syria and Iraq, exploded in the barracks, killed 3 US service members, and injured 34 others. Both the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and the Axis of Resistance, militant groups said to be backed by Iran, claimed responsibility for the attack. There have been nearly 200 attacks against US targets since the Israel-Hamas conflict. However, this is the first known instance of American casualties.

The strike has backed US President Biden into a corner. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Ja Austin III declared on the same day that “The president and I will not tolerate attacks on American forces, and will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests,…” However, due to the complexity of the Gaza war, the President’s response must carefully weigh military duty against political pressure while being mindful not to further escalate the current regional conflict.

While retaliation would seem like a natural response, it would heighten the volatile situation and fuel an all-out war.

Iran, despite accusations, claimed these militant groups do not take orders and act independently. The country states that it does not intend to be pulled into a regional war.

Less than a week later, the world found out the answer. On Friday, February 2, five days after the drone attack, the US launched major airstrikes on 85 military targets in 7 locations in Iraq and Syria.

As we have learned throughout human history, there are no winners in war. War begets war. Leaders and nations are often handcuffed by larger political interests despite their desire to fully pursue paths of peace. When man runs short of answers, it becomes all the more clear that only the Gospel provides a lasting answer to our troubles. Let us pray for His Light to shine on the world during this time.

Prayer Points:

1. Pray for wisdom, diplomacy, and discernment to prevail over President Biden and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to avoid war and bring the independent militias under control and even be dismantled.

2. Continue to intercede for the end of the Israel and Hamas war and for normal life to resume as quickly as possible for both sides. Ask God for a supernatural answer that will be acceptable to both the Israelis and Palestinians in their 75-year war over the land of Palestine.

3. Intercede for a spirit of revival to wash over the world as the risk of an escalating regional war looms in the Middle East. May this desperation force people, leaders, and nations to fall on their knees and humble themselves before the Prince of Peace.

Know more:

Three US troops killed in Jordan drone strike linked to Iran

https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-says-three-us-service-members-killed-drone-attack-us-forces-jordan-2024-01-28/

US carries out retaliatory strikes on Iranian-linked militia targets in Iraq and Syria

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/02/politics/us-strikes-iraq-syria/index.html

U.S. hits Iranian proxies in Iraq, Syria in retaliation for deadly strikes

https://www.npr.org/2024/02/02/1228132782/us-biden-iran-drone-response-strike

Why did US wait to retaliate for drone attack on its troops?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68182658

Pray for God’s Peace and Stability in Taiwan

January 31, 2024

Taiwan opened 2024 with a presidential election on January 13 which had major implications for Taiwan and China, with the rest of the world watching. While there were other major domestic concerns, such as the economy and housing, no bigger election issue was at stake than the candidates’ position on Taiwan’s relationship with neighboring China. The ruling party (DPP) fielded Lai Ching-te who campaigned on a strong pro-independence platform. The biggest opposition (KMT) was represented by New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih who ran on increased diplomacy and possible reunification with China. A third party (TPP) was led by former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je who offered a middle ground – continued sovereignty while dialoguing with China. China obviously backed KMT candidate Hou and called this election a choice between “war and peace. All 23.5 million Taiwanese felt the weight of pressure leading to the elections.

DPP’s Lai won the elections with a majority of 40.05% of the votes. It was a very strong message to China. It also meant greater uncertainty, rising tensions, and a risk of war escalating moving forward. Two days after the elections, China lured Nauru to cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan through promises of economic assistance. Tuvalu is expected to follow soon. It is part of China’s efforts to isolate Taiwan. Twenty nations have switched diplomatic relations from Taiwan to China since 2001. China is also expected to step up its military exercises near and within Taiwan’s defense zone.

Whatever happens in the next few years has serious implications for the rest of the world, particularly in Southeast Asia and the Philippines. As God’s people, we do not fear. Instead, we lift everything up in prayer, knowing God is sovereign.

1. Pray that the message of Christ’s love will break pride, animosity, and hatred — bringing about lasting peace.

2. Intercede for peace-minded politicians and leaders on both sides to find a political solution that will satisfy both governments and people.

3. Pray for God’s wisdom for President Lai as he leads Taiwan during these difficult times.

To know more about the current situation, you may check the links below:

Pray for God’s True and Lasting Peace over Israel and Palestine

November 29, 2023

“He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.”
(Isaiah 2:4)

As we enter the Christmas season which commemorates the birth of Christ, one of the central Messianic hopes was that Christ would bring about peace between peoples and nations.

At the time this article was being written, the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has just been extended another two days. Too short a respite from the horrors of war, but a much-needed truce nevertheless.

The roots of this conflict stretch back to over 3,000 years ago, when Israel settled in Canaan. After Rome expelled the Jews from the region in the 2nd century, nomadic Arabs began to populate the area beginning in the 7th century. In 1917, the British colonizers issued the Balfour Declaration, establishing the land as the national home of the Jewish peoples scattered around the globe. This was made without consultation with either the Jews or the Palestinians. This culminated in the 1947 United Nations resolution establishing the nation of Israel.

At its core, this conflict is about 2 peoples, with contrasting religions, cultures, histories, and worldviews, but with the same real estate rights, calling the same piece of land “home.” The political goal of Israel is to displace all Arabs from the land, while Hamas has as its military objective to “push Israel into the sea.”

When Hamas launched its deadly surprise attack on Israel under the cover of darkness on October 7, it was simply the latest in decades of conflict between the two peoples. Both sides have been guilty of atrocities and inhumane discrimination against one another throughout time.

Most of the nations involved have exhausted every possible political and diplomatic solution over the last 75 years, to no avail. Decades later, both nations are still at war. The answer is simple but never easy – for two peoples with diverse backgrounds to learn to co-exist and live with one another in peace and harmony. That cannot be achieved through the barrel of a gun. Politicians have tried and failed. Diplomats have negotiated in futility.

There is only one true answer – for both peoples to submit to the lordship of the only One who can bring true and lasting peace. This way, they can trade their weapons for tools so that together, they can work, till the land, reap the harvest, and live in harmony in the same land.

Prayer Points:

1. Pray for the released prisoners and displaced families as they return home to the war-torn Gaza strip. Ask God for the courage and perseverance to rebuild their lives and the humility and grace to be free from the spirit of vengeance.

2. Intercede for Prime Minister Netanyahu and Hamas leader Haniyeh. May an overwhelming love and burden for the lives of their people guide them as they make decisions regarding the extension or cancellation of the ceasefire. Pray for a divine solution for both sides to agree to the cessation of war.

3. Lift up AMEN (Arab Ministries of Every Nation) as its leaders distribute relief goods and medicine on the ground to affected Palestinians. Pray also for our Every Nation members in Israel serving as medical missionaries. Intercede for the gospel to penetrate the hearts and minds of both Israelis and Palestinians as our Every Nation leaders share the good news with them.

News Links:

Every Nation is a global family of churches and campus ministries, of which Victory is a founding member.

We are called to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). This is the reason we value world missions as a church and persistently pray for the nations.

Pray for God’s Peace Over Israel and Palestine

October 26, 2023

Hamas, a militant group founded to wage war against Israel and officially regarded as a terrorist group by Western nations, shocked Israel and the world on October 7 by launching a surprise attack on Israeli territory killing 1,000 people and taking 100 hostages. It was the worst assault suffered by Israel in 50 years. Prime Minister Netanyahu immediately declared that Israel was in a state of war and vowed it would “take mighty vengeance” against Hamas. An overwhelming military response is expected any day that threatens not only Gaza but the stability in the region and the world.

Our heart goes out to both nations whose innocent citizens are caught in the crossfires. Let’s pray for God’s divine intervention to put an end to the enemy’s work of stealing, killing, and destroying lives. May His love and mercy bring peace and healing in these dark times.

Below is an article by Pastor Farres Abraham. Pastor Farres leads one of the Every Nation churches in the US specializing in ministry and discipleship among Arabic-speaking people. He is a Palestinian married to a Gazan. This read gives a fresh perspective how to pray for the two nations during this very difficult time.

https://levantministries.org/holy-land-war/

Every Nation is a global family of churches and campus ministries, of which Victory is a founding member.

We are called to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). This is the reason we value world missions as a church and persistently pray for the nations.

Pray for God’s Light to Shine in South Africa

September 28, 2023

The attention of the Every Nation world turns to Cape Town, South Africa as it hosts the Every Nation’s Go Conference, held every three years, from October 5–7, 2023. Over 4,000 delegates are expected to descend worldwide at the Cape Town International Convention Center. There are currently 30 Every Nation churches in South Africa.

While the Every Nation conference will take on the atmosphere of a global family reunion, there is much tension in the nation.

Decades after the end of Apartheid, South Africa continues to struggle with the blight of racism. Being the most industrialized economy in the region, many job hunters from the surrounding African nations move here in search of employment. With the 7.7% white minority still controlling much of the economy and an unemployment rate upwards of 30%, tensions are high among the local black South Africans who feel the immigrants are getting jobs that are supposed to be theirs. The poverty rate is at a staggering 55%.

Furthermore, the economy is expected to shrink this year due to an energy crisis. Years of mismanagement of the state-owned Eskom, the nation’s electricity public utility, has led to daily blackouts of up to 12 hours a day. Businesses have suffered as a result. This crisis is expected to last until 2025 and it is expected to take 5 years before the daily blackouts are fully eliminated.

All of these will come to a head at the 2024 national elections. The ruling African National Congress (ANC), in power since 1994, looks particularly weakened by these crises leading to next year’s elections. This is a crucial tipping point for the nation – a possible fuel to a fire.

The Bible refers to the Church in Matthew 5:14 as the light of the world and a city on a hill. As Every Nation holds its 3-day world conference, may the surrounding community see and experience the genuine love, fellowship, and witness of the global family of churches. Pray for divine appointments between locals and guests. Our Every Nation churches in Cape Town have a long history of social responsibility dating back to the struggle against Apartheid. Pray for new doors to open towards serving the community in this time of great need.

Prayer Points:

Lift up Go 2023 in prayer. Pray for all visa applications of delegates to be approved and for traveling mercies. Cover all the details and logistics in prayer. Ask God to speak through every conference speaker so that His word to Every Nation would clearly come through the preachers. Above all, pray for the presence of God to be all throughout the conference.
Intercede for a spirit of love and unity to put an end to the spirit of racism that has burdened Africa for centuries. Release a spirit of forgiveness, love, and mercy throughout the land. Pray for the people to celebrate racial diversity rather than resist it.
Ask God for wisdom for the energy sector to solve the power crisis. Pray for the economy to rebound so that poverty and unemployment can be brought under control.

To learn more about the current situation in South Africa, you can read the resources through the links below:

South Africa’s Operation Dudula vigilantes usher in new wave of xenophobia

Why South Africa’s Electricity Crisis Is At The Heart Of Its Problems

South Africa’s power crisis will continue until 2025 – and blackouts will take 5 years to phase out

South Africa load-shedding: The roots of Eskom’s power problem

Every Nation is a global family of churches and campus ministries, of which Victory is a founding member.

We are called to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). This is the reason we value world missions as a church and persistently pray for the nations.

Pray for Racial Healing

April 13, 2021

Your heart will literally sink. Last month, a video circulated online of a large man beating up a 65-year-old woman. The woman was a Filipina on her way to church in what turned out to be the latest of the increasing hate crimes against Asians in the US. This comes on the heels of a confessed gunman who shot and killed 6 Asian women, out of his 8 victims, in what he claimed was his battle against temptation.

Even as overall hate crimes declined, attacks against Asians in the US increased by as much as 150 percent in 2020. Much of this is attributed to a wrongful sense of blame against Asians, the Chinese in particular, for the global pandemic. The irrational thinking behind this points to the true nature and root of this crime—sin and wickedness. Racial discrimination comes straight from hell.

This sin is not unique to the US or to this generation. Racial discrimination is a universal problem whether it is division in South Africa, the persecution of the Rohingya in Myanmar or the Uighurs in China, or the plight of the Maoris in New Zealand. History is a record of man’s condemnation for racial hate crimes against his brother in the form of wars, slavery, or the Holocaust.

Racism goes against the very nature of Creation: Every person was made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26–27). Any form of discrimination devalues, distorts, and belittles a person’s God-given value. Division was a direct result of the Fall in Genesis 3. Since then, man has divided, fought, and discriminated over race, gender, religion, social status, and other reasons. Discrimination is a cultural manifestation of idolatrous sin, which has become institutionalized over time. It is the exact opposite of the Greatest Commandment to love God and our neighbor (Matthew 22:36–40). Because it is spiritual at its root, only the gospel, which restores individuals and communities to their original purpose and adds them into a spiritual community, is able to bring real and lasting unity (Galatians 3:28). The Cross is the answer to the crime of racism.

*Photo from the 2016 Every Nation World Conference in South Africa*

As part of Every Nation (EN), Victory sees the outworking of its mission to help fulfill the Great Commission as the planting of ethnically diverse churches. We intentionally build in a way that reaches locals primarily but welcomes all cultures in a community. Many of our churches all over the world are at the forefront of local efforts to bring reconciliation and understanding among all races through discipleship, humanitarian efforts, dialogue, and political action. Our church in Myanmar is home to the varied tribes that make up the nation. EN India is where students from all the states in India are being discipled. Our churches in the US and South Africa are witnesses to peoples of different color worshiping together. EN Guam is where islanders from the entire region are discipled together.

We want our churches to be a reflection of heaven here on earth (Revelation 7:9). Let’s take a moment to pray for racial healing in our world today.

PRAYER POINTS

Pray for those who discriminate against other races globally. Ask God for a spirit of repentance and deliverance upon them. Pray for a revelation of God’s purposes and created order on all sides. Pray that the tragedy of racial sin leads peoples and nations to repentance towards a spiritual revival. Pray for healing and forgiveness for the victims and that this would lead them to God.

Pray for the churches and spiritual leaders in nations that suffer from racism. Ask God to give them wisdom and leadership to be salt and light during these times and for divine opportunities to share the truth of God’s word. Pray for churches to be at the forefront of reconciliation among peoples.

Pray for the governments of these nations to be able to provide protection and justice for the victims. Pray that they would be able to restore order and contain the hate and violence.

Pray against the socio-economic discrimination in the Philippines. The division among our people is not so much racial or regional as it is socio-economic. Intercede for genuine unity and for the privileged to use their resources to help uplift our countrymen from poverty.

Every Nation is a global family of churches and campus ministries, of which Victory is a founding member.

We are called to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). This is the reason we value world missions as a church and persistently pray for the nations every month.

To learn more about recent events related to racial issues, you can check the news and resources in the links below.

Pray for the Political Turmoil in Myanmar

March 9, 2021

“From day one, the situation is now hourly changing.” That is how Pastor John, senior pastor of Every Nation Myanmar, described the situation in the first of five updates he has sent to friends outside. He described how, in the early hours of February 1, the ruling military junta staged a coup before the newly elected Parliament members could hold their first session. All communication lines (telephone, media, internet) were cut and opposition leaders were arrested which left the people of Myanmar unaware of what was happening until later that day. The outside world was first to know, and Pastor John himself only learned what was happening through the messages of friends from outside much later. Since then, martial law has been declared and lines of communication are intermittent.

The people have gone out and participated in daily acts of unprecedented civil disobedience as displays of defiance and courage. People have refused to report to work to cripple the nation, have engaged in a nightly noise barrage, and have openly demonstrated on the streets in the thousands.

*Photo by Macau Photo Agency on Unsplash*

But there are troubling signs ahead. The Burmese military junta has always brutally repressed all forms of protest since it took power over thirty years ago. Fake news is intentionally being spread to create confusion. There are constant nighttime arrests. A reported 23,000 prisoners were released to burn houses down. Local communities have organized themselves street by street to protect their homes from these armed criminals. Members of Parliament who have not been arrested organized themselves into a government so there are technically two governments now. All Covid-19 protocols and reports are being neglected.

Pastor Carlo Ratilla, who serves on our Missions Team and in Victory Santa Rosa, planted our church in Myanmar in 2002 together with his family. According to Pastor Carlo, during their time in Myanmar under military rule, “We encountered and ministered to a lot of young people who felt they had lost their hope, freedom, and future. It saddens me to know that the military regime has gone back to full control. But in the midst of this very difficult and dark time, what gives me hope is that we have our church community who is responding by regularly praying for peace and forgiveness towards the military regime and its leaders. I have hope that God is going to do something greater than what we have seen before. A transformation is coming to this nation. Let’s continue to pray!”

*Photo by Alexander Schimmeck on Unsplash*

Pastor John rallied the church to pray as families, in small groups, and as a church through a weekly online prayer meeting. They have also joined a prayer chain with the rest of the body of Christ. Pastor John is asking us to intercede for the nation and their church, “We cannot be feeble and shabby. We need to stand up and call upon the name of God. That is what we are going to do every day. Only Yahweh can save Myanmar. So my dear friends, would you hold the rope on the other end for us? In our desperation, may the name of the Lord be blessed in Myanmar. May El Shaddai turn this situation into a beautiful and wonderful thing for He is awesome. Will you pray with us?”

PRAYER POINTS

Pray for Freedom and Justice. Ask God for the integrity of the recent elections to be upheld and for the rightfully elected leaders to be set in place. Pray that the long and slow path to democracy that Myanmar has been on since 2010 will not be hindered by these recent events.

Pray for Peace. Intercede against the outbreak of violence on all sides. Intercede that the government, military, and demonstrators would value all life and property. Pray that the intentional acts of violence against innocent people and property will completely cease.

Pray for Unity. Myanmar is made up of over a hundred distinct tribes with strong cultural and political differences. Pray that this current crisis unites them as one people.

Pray for the Church. Ask God that Every Nation Myanmar and the body of Christ there will become witnesses for His kingdom during this great trial in their nation’s history. Pray that this Buddhist nation will be drawn to God and His gospel through the example and faith of Christian Burmese. Intercede also for wisdom and discernment for all Christian leaders in the nation to know how to respond and lead His Church at this time.

Every Nation is a global family of churches and campus ministries, of which Victory is a founding member.

We are called to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). This is the reason we value world missions as a church and persistently pray for the nations. Starting today, we will be posting prayer points for different nations every month.

To learn more about the events in Myanmar, you can read the news in the links below.