5:17 church

A couple of weeks ago, we launched our focus on Japan at 5:17 church. To help you in your prayers, I have put together a prayer for Japan, the Church Missionary Society (CMS), the Hughes (who we are supporting to go to Japan to work with university students) as well as us as a church. The prayer for CMS as well as other mission focused prayer can be found here. The bulk of the prayer below comes from CRASH, a network of Christian ministries responding to the disaster with Christ’s love.

Print it out, stick it next to your bed / computer / bathroom mirror etc – and pray! God knows Japan needs our prayer!

God of love, whose will it is that everyone should be saved, bless the Church Missionary Society and those who have gone out in its fellowship to preach, to teach and to heal. Guard, guide and use them; raise up more people in your worldwide church to pray and to work, to care and to understand, to give to you and to go for you, that your church may grow, your will be done, your kingdom come, and your glory be revealed: through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen

Father, we cry for mercy for Japan.

We recently heard that over 23 000 have been declared dead from the earthquake and tsunami. We mourn with Japan. And we ask your hand of comfort and peace on those who‘ve lost their loved ones.

We pray that the public shelter temporarily housing the hundreds of thousands of homeless will be a safe place for people to rest and recover.

We pray for the workers who were unable to rescue all of the people under their care. Many of them are struggling with intense feelings of guilt. We pray you to bring them peace.

We pray for the government and other relief workers who have worked so hard in the past few months, and seen horrors that no one could be prepared for. We pray for them as they deal with the emotional impact of having to respond to a disaster of this magnitude. We pray also for continued stamina and determination for relief workers, as there’s still so much work to be done.

Father, we know that suicide has been a very serious problem in Japan for years, and with the added horror of this disaster and all its repercussions, many more people in the months and years to come may attempt to end their own lives. Pray for these people, that you would intervene… and give them hope.

We also pray for wisdom and strength for those who are struggling to get the nuclear crisis under control, and for the workers who are risking their lives to prevent this situation from worsening.

Pray for the Japanese economy, for which the outlook was grim even before this disaster.

Many people’s jobs have also been put in jeopardy by the current crisis. Pray for the unemployed of Japan.

We pray for the government to renew their focus and determination to rebuild, and for petty political disputes to be abandoned in favour of helping those in need.

Prayer for the church in Japan

Father, we thank you for the growing unity in the Japanese church – that division and legalism is being broken down. We pray that this unity will continue long after the crisis has passed.

Pray for willing hearts among the Japanese, and for Christians to have the boldness to pursue witnessing opportunities.

Pray for God to provide the resources for Christians to reach out to those who are in need. Pray for compassionate hearts that actively pursue opportunities to help others.

Pray for the Japanese church to focus on making disciples, not just converts.

We pray for salvation and hope for the people of Japan, and pray that the church can do its utmost to spread hope and the love of Christ in this difficult time.

Prayer for the Hughes

We pray for the Hughes,   as they prepare to go to Japan and enter university student ministry. We praise you for the many lives that have been transformed through student ministries around the world and ask that you will continue to open doors for the gospel in the many Japanese schools and universities. We pray that you will help Dene and Rachel prepare well for Japan, to learn the language well, to be well supported by their link churches… and to get to Japan and proclaim the gospel clearly and boldly… and teach the Bible faithfully. We pray that you would strengthen and encourage them… equipping and enabling them to point students to the truth, freeing them from captivity to deceptive philosophies.

Prayer for us

Please help us be faithful, prayerful, generous and committed ministry partners with CMS.   We pray that through our prayer, giving, and going, you would transform many lives through the gospel.
We pray all this in Jesus’ merciful name, Amen.