June 2016 The Invitation - Topic: 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World June 6 July 5, 2016 Join other Christians from around the world who will pray for Muslims as an act of love. He is inviting you! The Invitation is a bit different this month. Instead of asking you to pray on the second Thursday of the month (or whatever works best for you) we are asking you to pray with us daily from June 6- July 5, 2016 for 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World. The 30 Days prayer focus began at a gathering of YWAM s international leaders in 1992. They were meeting in the Middle East and in a time of prayer for the region God spoke to them in a powerful way. This time resulted in the Red Sea Covenant (http://www.ywam.org/about- us/red- sea- covenant/) which was a commitment these leaders made on behalf of YWAM. 30 Days was born out of this commitment and began as a small prayer guide, produced by YWAMers largely for YWAM. Since then 30 days has grown each year and now includes an estimated 500,000 participants across the wider body of Christ, including several agencies and churches that gather content, translate and distribute the guide. 2016 marks the 22nd anniversary of 30 Days.
30 Days of Prayer Muslims Over ½ Million Participants 1.6 Billion Muslims 23 Primary Languages 4 Million New Muslim Refugees 22nd Year 49 Muslim Nations 350,000 prayer guides 1,999 Muslim People Groups 30 Days coincides every year with Ramadan (June 6 July 5 this year) which is an important month of fasting and religious observance for Muslims. The purpose of 30 Days is to call Christians to make an intentional and respectful effort during this period to learn about, pray for and reach out to Muslim neighbors. In the Muslim world today, we see encouraging answers to prayer. In the book A Wind in the House of Islam, David Garrison notes that the greatest movements of Muslims turning to Christ have happened in the 21 st century. Please join us in prayer to be part of God s work. Original prayer guide cover and 2009 cover: 30 Days has been growing every year for 22 years! Preparation for 30 Days of Prayer: Download the 30 Days prayer guide and encourage others at your location to do the same: www.pray30days.org. Also, take a moment to like the 30 Days Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/30daysprayer. When you do so, you will receive short summaries of the prayer topics each day during the 30 days of prayer. You can share these summaries with others in your community. Pray to hear from God about how you/your location are being called to participate. Schedule a meeting at your location to explain and discuss 30 Days.
Determine how your location will remember to pray each day. Examples from previous years include prayer bracelets and playing drums at midday to call the location to prayer. (Some locations pray at the beginning of their day and others pray just before lunch.) Schedule prayer times and meetings. Communicate regularly during 30 Days. Many new refugees are Muslim and represent an opportunity to love like Christ Through prayer, we engage in an act of love for Muslim people around the world sharing their burdens, understanding their concerns and petitioning God to help them. 30 Days of Prayer website Suggested Prayer Points: Read the page each day from prayer guide or from the 30 Days Facebook or website www.pray30days.org (a content summary is available each day on the website).
The prayer guide mentions nine rooms in Islam Pray for journeys and movements of Muslims: o Pray for Muslims who are questioning their faith, that they will meet others who have walked that journey and found it led them to Christ. o Pray for those Muslims who decide to follow Jesus, that they will find fellowship and peace within their new faith. o Pray that the millions of unreached immigrants leaving their homelands in search of a new life may find new life in Christ there. o Pray for peace in areas where people are having to flee their homeland. o Pray for new Muslim believers to grow in unity, encourage one another in fellowship and love and to be lights for others. o Praise God for the significant movements of Muslims to Christ in this century and pray that the pace of these movements would heighten and expand. Pray for God to reveal his plans for YWAM locations around the world in reaching Muslims. Pray for provisions for ministries that are focusing on Muslims. Pray for 30 Days distributors churches and organizations that translate, print and distribute the guide in many different ways for wisdom and safety. Praise God for growth in participation in areas known for Muslim/Christian conflict, specifically, Eastern Europe and West Africa. Pray for more 30 Days participants in the United States where many Muslims have moved. Pray for wisdom, creativity and perseverance for the workers who create the prayer guide. Pray for fellow Christians to resist the temptation to exchange hatred for hatred, hostility for hostility. Pray that God will lead you to Muslim individuals whom you can love in Jesus name.
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you... Ephesians 5:1 2 (NASB) Take Action: Share the 30 days website with others often during the 30 Days period. The prayer guide is available in 23 primary languages, some with 30 Days apps. Talk to leaders at your church about 30 Days and organize a prayer campaign with your congregation. Donate to 30 Days (http://pray30days.org/about/donate/). Mark your calendar for next year early enough to purchase posters, guides and other resources for 30 Days. Ramadan falls May 27 through June 24 in 2017. Sign up on 30 Days website to get emails: http://pray30days.org/contact/ The 30 Days prayer guide contains a lot of information. Learn more about: o The House of Islam and the nine rooms page 4 o Ramadan and Muslim pillars of faith page 5 o Recent Muslim movements to Christ page 6 o Muslim hijra of faith pages 20-21 o Resources prayer diaries and books page 29 o Muslim Night of Power and dreams page 38 o Practical Steps For Loving Muslims page 41 Write the names of Muslims you know and any Muslim communities near you. Think about how you can bless them and serve them. Share on facebook.com/youthwithamission, post a picture and add a comment about how you prayed. Go to twitter.com; search for #praywithywam and tweet about your prayer time/post a picture. Send an email to prayer@ywam.org. How We Prayed: May 2016 Local Property On the global prayer day, Mission Builders International received an unexpected check in the mail for $40,000 to pay down their mortgage. YWAM Mazatlan, Mexico and YWAM Queenstown, New Zealand posted prayer requests on Facebook regarding property needs due to growth of their ministries. YWAM Bluefields, Nicaragua was encouraged to pray for their own property even though they are a new location. God has led them to property that costs $195,000. Please pray with them for God to provide as they know they can t do it on their own. YWAM Pittsburgh, Pensylvania, USA prayed that they would be led by the Spirit as they plan and prepare for various ministries and programs they will run in a new building that they are purchasing. They also noted, as other locations did, that God s timing was perfect for The Invitation for May.
YWAM San Diego, California, USA reported that they signed the papers to buy four acres of new land on the global prayer day. Sean Lambert of YWAM San Diego signs the papers YWAM Nigeria reported that praying for property was very timely for their location. At the YWAM DNA Europe Infusion Meeting 350 YWAMers from 59 nations started praying on the global prayer day (May 12) and continued into Friday. They thanked God for the properties He has provided and they prayed for 14 properties where finances are needed to bring about God s plans. YWAM DNA Europe Infusion Meeting
YWAM King s Kids, Brazil noted they were grateful for the Portuguese translation of The Invitation and prayed for YWAM property. YWAM San Francisco, USA prayed and requested other YWAMers to give thanks that God miraculously provided initial funds in 2014 for their property. Please pray with them that God would retire their remaining $2.17 million debt immediately. They have ministered from this location for 20 years which they rented prior to purchasing. April 2016 Global YWAM Ships YWAM San Francisco YWAM Ozarks, Arkansas prayed in great detail for YWAM Ships. Here are a few highlights: o Prayed for crews of ships to be alert in the spirit to enemy strongholds. o Prayed that YWAM ships would expect the Lord to do miracles related to providing funding for YWAM Ships. o Correlated Jesus as the bread of life (John 6) with YWAM Ships and the provisions they provide to the people they serve. o Prayed for the crew to be the right people on the vessel and discussed Paul s journey to Rome and how Paul had to be on the ship to save lives. o Prayed for unity for the crew in dealing with one another in grace. Upcoming topics for The Invitation: July 14 - Global Topic Refugees August 11 Local Topic - Universities
Don t Miss The Invitation: - - Sign up for prayer updates. Go to ywam.org, find the Stay Connected box on the home page, put in your email address and click Sign Up. --Download prayer updates in a specific language. Go to ywam.org/theinvitation. (Currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, or request other languages.) - - Join the conversation about how God is leading in these prayer times. Comment on the Facebook post on the second Thursday at facebook.com/youthwithamission or on Twitter @ywam, hash tag #praywithywam. - - If you sense God giving you a word or a direction for YWAM s prayer, please contact us: prayer@ywam.org.