Tag Archives: prayer

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Praying 40 Days to Freedom — Day 11

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August 21 (Day 11) — Do a Google search of Papua New Guinea news and you will inevitably turn up the stories of sorcery-related killings. Sorcery is often used to hold victims in fear of reprisal, death, and spiritual bondage. Sorcery was known and widely practiced in Ephesus when Paul the Apostle showed up in town in the power of the Holy Spirit, doing the impossible. After an instance of would-be exorcists being beaten and chased, naked and bleeding, by a demoniac who recognized the name of Jesus and Paul (but not the seven brothers in question), the witnesses to this were gripped with fear and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. Pray that the Somau Garia people will be set free from their bondage to sorcery and the fear that springs from it. Pray that Jesus’ name will be widely held in high honor among them. The Ephesians turned so completely from their devotion to sorcery that they burned all the associated scrolls and paraphernalia—worth 50,000 days’ wages! Pray that the Somau Garia will turn as completely to Jesus as the Ephesians did.

 

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Praying 40 Days to Freedom — Day 10

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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.

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Praying 40 Days to Freedom — Day 9

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August 19 (Day 9) — Monday. The missionary team in Papua New Guinea work in some tough conditions. Electricity frequently drops out, depriving the houses without power for lights, refrigerators, ceiling fans, security lights, etc. It can be demoralizing. Crime is ever present. A person is usually on guard 24/7 in the city. Please pray for mercy, energy, strength, and good morale for the team. There are always more work and requests than there are time and resources. Pray that God will deal gently with the missionary team in Madang. Ask God to prepare them for the influx of visitors that will add to the already heavy workload they are facing.

 

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Praying 40 Days to Freedom — Day 8

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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.

 

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Praying 40 Days to Freedom — Day 7

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August 17 (Day 7) — Saturday. Todd and Angela celebrate 22 years of marriage today (08/17/1991). Pray for God’s hand to continually rest upon their marriage relationship, especially in light of the depth and variety of transition they are experiencing just now. Pray for the unity of the Holy Spirit, mutual submission, and a quality of love and tenderness unparalleled in this generation to characterize their relationship. Pray for protection from the flaming arrows of the evil one. Oh, yeah, and while you’re at it, rejoice with them for 22 of the best years of their lives. They are certainly rejoicing today.

 

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Praying 40 Days to Freedom — Day 6

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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.

 

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Praying 40 Days to Freedom — Day 4

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August 14 (Day 4) — Wednesday. Acts 12 teaches us of Herod’s hate for the church and his wicked desire to please the ruling Jews in Jerusalem. He had James put to death with the sword (the first martyr). He was wild-eyed with violent pleasure, soaking in the praise of the Sanhedrin. He had Peter put in prison, intending violence toward him. But the church had an ace up the sleeve: prayer. Many of the saints were gathered in fervent prayer. In response to their prayer an angel waltzed into the prison, woke Peter, walked him through and out of the prison into the street, unnoticed by the guards. Many of the Aruamu people and Somau Garia people are bound in prisons of fear, ignorance, lust, idolatry, and spirit worship. Yet there is a remnant of believers. Pray that those in prison will be set free from the bondage that keeps them in darkness and pray that the believers among them will boldly and courageously proclaim Jesus’ name. Pray also that hearts will be prepared with a certain hunger and thirst for God—the eternity that God has placed in the hearts of men that we might all seek him.

 

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Praying 40 Days to Freedom — Day 3

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August 13 (Day 3) — Tuesday. Many of the Somau Garia people live in fear and great darkness. They have had the Gospel According to Mark in their language for six years. Pray today for the people who worked on translating that book. Pray that God will prepare their hearts to throw themselves into the work again, to be changed by their interactions with the Father as the time for Todd’s trip draws near. Pray for God to fill their minds and hearts with dreams, a language that is very much alive and common among Garia-speaking people.

 

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Praying 40 Days to Freedom — Day 2

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August 12 (Day 2)  — Monday. The Owen family (except for Andrew) is on the road today, heading north to take Samuel to Ozark Christian College for his first year of Bible college. This is the inaugural act in breaking the sweet fellowship we’ve known for 19 of our 22 years of marriage. Pray for Samuel as he lives away from home for the first time, as he learns new things about the Bible, the Christian life, and himself. Pray for all of us as we manage feelings of loss and as we grieve (and celebrate) this monumental change. Ask God to bless Andrew at home, working and attending classes at Edison State College where he is a student. Ask God to bless our journey and to keep our SUV running for the trip.

 

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Praying 40 Days to Freedom — Day 1

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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.