7 Days of Prayer: Sunday, 12 November 2023

By Justin Long

Join us in beseeching (δέομαι) the Lord of the Harvest this week for…

1. We pray for the many in Sudan—both believers and nonbelievers—enduring the horrors of war. Reports of brutality, mass murder, and horrific abuse, especially in Darfur, are emerging. We pray for God’s justice and for the rescue of the victimized and oppressed. We pray for believers to boldly provide rescue, aid, comfort, and blessing. We pray for the many thousands more who will flee Sudan, and for ministries to provide help to them, and for donors who will help with that effort. We pray that in the midst of this many would come to know the true Prince of Peace, the Gentle Shepherd and the one by whose stripes we are healed.

2. We pray for the many desperate souls trying to travel to peaceful places. This story of diasporas trying to reach Europe via Tunisia, and encountering significant violence and abuse along the way, and this story of an Eritrean trafficking kingpin who kidnapped would-be migrants for ransom, are hard to bear. Refugees are often targeted for victimization and abuse, and are used as bargaining chips to get their families to pay more to the traffickers. Lift these poor souls up before the Lord, whose heart is for justice and righteousness: “This is what the LORD says: Be fair-minded and just. Do what is right! Help those who have been robbed; rescue them from their oppressors. Quit your evil deeds! Do not mistreat foreigners, orphans, and widows. Stop murdering the innocent!” (Jeremiah 22:3). Pray these will be rescued from the wicked, and will encounter believers who will bring hope and blessing to them.

3. We lift up the Israeli-Gaza war before the Lord. Many debate the ethical and moral issues around the fighting, but it is clear many innocents are wounded and dying. Pray for the war to be brought to a swift conclusion. We are thankful for the humanitarian pauses; pray for the Kingdom workers in the area who are laboring to help those caught in the middle.

4. We pray for the 270,000 men and women in Tigray province who need to be demobilized and reintegrated into civil society. Despite promises of support, many have received no help. As the process drags out, many live in abject poverty in informal camps, and are becoming disgruntled. Pray for true peace and justice to reign in this region.

5. We pray for the Meitei Christians who have been caught in the crossfire of the Manipur violence. Meitei Hindus have attacked the Christian Kuki, but less known is that the houses of Meitei Christians have also been burnt. These believers are “in a bind,” receiving no support either from fellow Meitei, or fellow believers. Pray for Christians to reach out charitably to these equally persecuted.

6. We pray for the believers in Myanmar to be a blessing to their neighbors in the midst of this trying time. The army has “suffered big losses” and the military junta claims the country is “in danger of breaking apart.”

7. We continue to lift up the Pashto, especially the 300,000 who have been left Pakistan and returned to Afghanistan. Thousands are in temporary camps near the border. The majority of those expelled from Pakistan and Iran are children. Pray for believers to find ways to help these groups. Many families are “just sitting in the dirt,” struggling to find shelter and the ability to survive.

Sign up to get this each Sunday

This is a weekly guide to beseeching (δέομαι/deomai, Matthew 9) the Lord of the Harvest for the unreached peoples and places of the world. Written by Justin Long, it’s based on the events listed in his Weekly Roundup, as well as on information received from disciple-making movements and other sources around the world. If you’re interested in his Weekly Roundup (out each Friday), you can see a sample and sign up for it here.