7 Days of Prayer: Sunday, 13 April 2025

By Justin Long

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

13th. Pray for the remaining expatriate workers in China to have wisdom courage. Many are facing surging uncertainties and rising pressures, and possibly encouragement to leave. Pray for discernment in their relationships with local believers. Also, over the past few years, many expatriate workers have been forced out. For these and those who remain, many have invested decades of their life, and will now face significant stress. Pray for their emotional healing, clarity for their steps, and for Kingdom fruit to come of their work even if they can no longer be in country.

Matthew 10:16: “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpants and innocent as doves.”

14th. Continue to pray for the people of Sudan, especially those in the Darfur areas under the grip of the RSF, facing oppression, violence, abuse, hunger. The people of Sudan live in constant fear and trauma. We pray for an end to the violence, for justice to be done, and many to be rescued in the midst of the war. In the meantime we pray for more humanitarian aid corridors to be opened and for wisdom and boldness for peacemakers. And as we lament the war and devastation, we pray for those who are numb with prolonged trauma, and for the local believers who are working amidst the devastated.

Psalm 10:17–18 – “You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted… You defend the fatherless and the oppressed.”

15th. Use this photo essay from Pioneers as a virtual “prayer walk” for the peoples in the cities of North Africa: Pioneers. Pray for gates to be open and the Gospel to pass through. Pray for “treasures in jars of clay” to be held and shared. Pray for good news to be shared over cups of coffee. Pray for the spiritual descendants of Abraham to be as numberless as sands on the sea shore. Pray for many to become “fishers of men.” Pray for hospitality encounters and relational evangelism–“Jesus at the well” moments in souqs and seaside cafes. Pray that those who walk in darkness will see a great light.

Isaiah 60:11 – “Your gates will always stand open… so that men may bring you the wealth of the nations.”

16th. Pray for the Christian communities in India facing severe persecution. Reports indicate a significant increase in attacks against Christians, with many experiencing violence and discrimination. Pray for their safety, strength, and courage to remain steadfast in their faith. Ask for wisdom for church leaders and for international awareness and intervention to uphold religious freedom. Pray that those leaders attempting to pass anti-conversion laws–or enforce them–would have a change of heart. Pray for the persecutors: that many “Sauls would become Pauls.”

2 Corinthians 4:8–9 – “We are hard pressed on every side… but not crushed… struck down, but not destroyed.”

17th. Pray for the many throughout the world – especially in China – who are celebrating the Ching Ming Festival, during which they honor their ancestors, visit their graves, and burn incense and paper goods (money, models of things) to “provide for their ancestors in their afterlife.” Pray that many spiritually hungry will receive dreams and visions of Jesus, and come to follow the one who is the Truth and the way to eternal life. (See this article for more about Ching Ming).

Hebrews 2:14–15 – “He shared in their humanity… to free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”

18th. We pray for the many Muslims in Poland (see this). Pray for believers who will befriend them, build relationships, and find ways to be a blessing and bring the Good News to them. Pray against fear and prejudice in the Polish church, and instead for bold, warm-hearted welcome and a spirit of kindness, generosity, and love.

Ephesians 2:13–14 – “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.”

19th. We pray that the sparks of conflict in South Sudan would not burst into the flame of a hot war, and that some form of negotiated peace would be found. We pray for Christians, and especially church leaders, to be peacemakers. Many local believers have gone as cross-cultural witnesses from South Sudan to surrounding nations; we pray especially that South Sudan–which is majority Christian–would not descend into warfare that would be so destructive to the church and disruptive to this witness.

James 3:18 – “a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

Where do these prayer requests come from? 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. It is based on the events listed in my Weekly Roundup, as well as on information received from disciple-making movements and other sources around the world. If you’re interested in my Weekly Roundup (out each Friday), you can see a sample and sign up for it here.