September 10 (Day 31) — Tuesday. Pray for clear weather, for travel mercy, for dry roads into Tiap (the Tiap road turns into sticky clay when it rains and is sometimes impassable). Pray that the vehicle we are traveling in will not have mechanical problems, but make it there and back again. Pray for physical safety—from bandits, broken bones, and accidents. Pray for spiritual protection as we enter the area we will be ministering in for the coming week.
September 8 (Day 29) — Sunday. Things are heating up in heavenly places today. Todd and the Somau Garia guys have been talking by now and things are progressing in getting the translation program back on track. The Spirit of God is working in the hearts of these men and women to establish his plan for this people to be gathered around the throne, before the Lamb, singing, worshipping, honoring the name of Jesus and ascribing power and majesty to him in eternity. The enemy looks at the victory Jesus has and is insanely jealous and angry. The Aruamu team is preparing to travel to Tiap Village for an evangelistic crusade, for dedication of the Word of God in digital audio, making it accessible to those who cannot read or write. The fate of thousands of Papua New Guineans from these two peoples are weighed in the balance today as mild-mannered servants do one thing: obey the call. Pray for God’s servants today. Pray for the warfare that they are engaging in today. Pray that they will be filled with the Spirit in an especially powerful way today, that the enemy will be intimidated and neutralized as they move toward the goal of their journey. Pray for the Lord to go before them, to come behind them as their rear guard, to undergird and overshadow them by the strength of his mighty right arm.
September 2 (Day 23) — There are about 10,000 Aruamu speakers. Many live in their home area but many others are scattered across Papua New Guinea working in government service or education or business. Pray that a fire will ignite in the hearts and minds of those whom God is raising up to carry his message and live life as his witnesses. Paul feared that the cross of Christ would be somehow diminished if he preached using words of human wisdom alone. (1 Corin. 1:17) Pray that the words spoken by Aruamu messengers will be imbued with divine wisdom and power, that the cross will not be diminished in the hearts and minds of any who would respond to the Father through the preaching of the Word.
August 31 (Day 21) — Saturday. Jesus spent his Saturdays in the synagogue. He was true to himself, confident in his mission. When the authorities told him to toe the line with tradition, he healed, he surprised, he followed the call given him by his Father in heaven. Pray today for the heart of each one who will be preaching the word tomorrow. Pray that each messenger will be still today, listening to the still, small voice. Pray that their posture will be one of broken submission. Pray for the Spirit’s power and insight to be theirs today. Pray for the people speaking the Somau Garia and Aruamu languages today, that they will be moved to attend a worship service tomorrow, that the Spirit will provoke and encourage them to seek out a Christian gathering tomorrow.
August 20 (Day 10) —Tuesday. In the foothills of the Finisterre Mountains lies Uria Village, a central village of the Somau Garia people. The Somau Garia are subsistence farmers, mostly, but also cultivate some coffee, cacao, and vanilla to earn a little cash to buy things that cannot be acquired any other way. Lutheran missionaries came to the area in the 1930’s, but without the Word of God in their mother tongue, the impact has been somewhat limited. In the mid-1990’s Bible translators started working there. One team was not able to return after a few years of service. Angela and I went in 1997 and worked there for ten years, our sojourn culminating in the publication of the Gospel of Mark. It was a hard go and we needed to step away for a while. Pray for our Garia friends, that this will be a season representative of “the fullness of time” for them. May it be a year of the Lord’s favor for them. Pray that hearts will be tender and ready to receive all that the Lord has in mind for them. Pray that there will be a spirit of prayer and supplication that will enable them to break free of generations-old bondages that hold so many hostage.
August 18 (Day 8) — Jesus did a lot of things that were considered controversial in his day. In the power of the Spirit, he went to his hometown synagogue for worship on the Sabbath. He was handed the scroll of Isaiah, which he read from. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he said the words that made people want to throw him off of a cliff: “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:18ff, emphasis mine) This was controversial to his hearers because he was claiming to be Messiah. However, he was and is Messiah and his purposes are true and unchanging. He was sent to proclaim freedom for the prisoners. Pray that Jesus’ purpose for coming will be brought to fruition among the Aruamu and Somau Garia peoples of Papua New Guinea—that those bound up in spiritual prisons of sin and darkness will be set free and brought into the Kingdom of Light. Pray for a readiness to hear the gospel in a fresh way. Pray for Todd as he prepares his heart, mind, spirit, and as he chooses (prayerfully) what to preach.
August 16 (Day 6) — Friday. The Somau Garia people have a very developed system of tribal deities. Anthropologists call these totem systems. Throughout the year Garia people perform various rituals to appease the so-called gods. At the heart of this system of belief is an inherent mistrust of the supernatural, a fear of death and violence being visited upon them either now or in the afterlife. Pray for freedom for these dear ones, that they will no longer need to live in fear of the unseen, but will rest in the Unseen One. Pray that as Todd’s visit draws nigh, that the hearts of the Owens’ friends there, as well as the whole translation team, will be quickened in the Spirit. Ask that their hearts will be carried along in the direction of understanding their need for God and a desperate reaching for Him.
August 11 (Day 1) — Sunday morning always brings with it a bit of anticipation. What will God do in our midst today? What will He show us through the Word and the Spirit to help us grow up in Him? Today marks the beginning of a season of prayer during which we are going to call on the name of the Lord, asking him to break through strongholds in heavenly places, shake the foundations of cultures, arrest the attention of people needing to walk with Him. Put on your spiritual armor today as you pray for the Aruamu people. Ask God to prepare hearts for the coming crusade. Ask God to turn their hearts toward Him in anticipation of this special time. Ask God to allow these people to acutely feel their deep, spiritual need.
Groaning. This word is used in the letters to the Roman and Corinthian churches to describe our spiritual state and longing, groaning. We are told that “creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time”. We are told that we who have the Spirit “groan inwardly as we wait for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” We are told that we “groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling.” Further, we are told that “while in this tent we groan and are burdened, not wishing to be unclothed, but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling.” Not only do we groan, but creation groans and even the Holy Spirit groans in intercession for us.
July was birthed in groaning and finished with the kind of joy a mother knows when she is holding her newborn close to her heart. We began the month at the lowest financial state we’ve been in the last 15 years. Our fiances were like Bilbo Baggins’ perception of his age: “ . . . Stretched, like too little butter scraped over too much bread.” Our response was to pray.
God answered those prayers in a hundred unexpected and creative ways, pouring out providence joyously and generously. God answers prayer powerfully today.
Don’t just go on my word, though. I invite you to join us in a prayer event pregnant with promise, filled with opportunity, empowered by the Spirit, each day a fresh chance to see the God of hand at work. Beginning August 11 and continuing through September 19 many prayer warriors are joining together to pray through “40 Days to Freedom”, a missions prayer event with one purpose–to partner with Jesus in setting the prisoners free. The prayer event is in concert with an evangelistic crusade being held in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, where I’ll be serving as evangelist for the meetings. This prayer event is also in concert with a visit I (Todd) will be making to the village we served in for over a decade, to re-engage the translation of the New Testament, building on the foundation laid by the publication of the Gospel According to Mark, dedicated in 2007.
Interested. Two things you need to do. Drop me an email at prayer@shakethegates.org to let me know that you’ll be praying with us. Then pop over to “Resources” and download the 40 Days to Freedom Prayer Guide. Then, pray with all your heart. Use the guide as a springboard and pray as the Spirit leads you to pray.
Upon my return from Papua New Guinea, all the highlights, stories, and answers to prayer will be posted right here at shakethegates.org.
Blessings and thanks for joining in the battle!