Prayer focus for August

This morning our cat was crying for more food. It only went on for about five minutes before my wife announced – “I can’t stand this any longer!” – and gave the happy feline another helping.

Jesus, teaching His disciples about prayer in Luke 11, told them a story of a man demanding bread from a neighbour late at night. He makes the point that it is because of the man’s persistence that his neighbour will get up and give him what he wants.

He goes on to say that if even human beings will react in this way – how much more will our heavenly Father respond when we come asking, seeking and knocking? He is far more gracious and caring.

The thrust of the story suggests that we should keep on coming boldly before the throne of grace, even with a kind of shameless persistence.

Month by month, on our first Wednesday day of prayer, we come knocking on the doors of heaven, seeking an audience with the King, asking that the Father will be pleased to pour out a blessing upon the healthcare fields of Europe.

His promise is that “everyone who asks receives, the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened!”

 This coming prayer day, August 1^st, shall we, together, be shamelessly persistent?

Throughout the month of August our European prayer focus will be upon the healthcare fields of the Balkan countries.

Klara has sent the following requests:

The quality of health care in our Balkan countries is far lower than the European average and long-term corruption, abuses and selfish ambition have led to an almost total breakdown of the system with little vision for change.

 Very poor working conditions, outdated equipment and low salaries have contributed to many healthcare workers seeking work in the west, leaving many villages without medical help, hospitals without specialist doctors and an insufficient number of nurses.

Klara says – “Only prayer and God’s intervention can bring the necessary change to this region!”

We are praising God that young doctors and nurses are joining Christian medical groups for prayer and support, for a good response to a recent Saline Process training in Skopje and for recent empowering national CMDA conferences in the region – as well as other encouraging initiatives.

Please pray for increasing freedom amongst healthcarers, particularly that they may have courage and vigilance to speak out about moral values and ethics and the consequences of choices in healthcare provision.

May health professionals begin to view their profession as a mission, may there be an evangelisation of the healthcare system and a resultant whole-person centred transformation in teaching and practice.

Please pray with us for a better quality of service in terms of facilities, medicines and equipment, that corruption might be driven out and that medical staff will remain in their country to build up the system.

Prayer focus for June 6th

“The evangelisation of the world in this generation depends first of all upon a revival of prayer” (R.E. Speer)

In their recent occasional paper on prayer and evangelism (Paper 42) the Lausanne group highlighted the strategic need for communication, using every available media to inform, encourage, delight, challenge, teach, guide and inspire prayer. How we need to incorporate all these means in increasing prayer for the mission field of healthcare!

They also said, “We must pray for a spirit of prayer to be poured out by God”

David Thomas in a recent article on travailing prayer said the same thing. He also commented, whilst noting the groaning prayers of God’s people through the centuries (I will give God no rest… Isaiah 62:7), “it became evident to me that the Bible appears utterly unfamiliar with casual prayer, prayer of the mouth and not of the heart!”

Leaders of great awakenings in the past discerned that none of the audacity and determination in prayer could be self-generated. An outpouring of the ‘spirit of prayer’ was needed: God Himself, by His Spirit, providing discernment, faith, energy, words and the very breath of awakening.

This month, let’s pray that God will graciously and mercifully pour out a spirit of prayer upon believers in the European healthcare field. “Come, Holy Spirit!”

Our monthly focus is upon the healthfield of Israel:

• We are joining with the whole nation as they celebrate their 70^th milestone. Together we thank the Lord for His faithfulness to His word (Ezekiel 36:24; 37:11-12)
• Daily, Israelis and Muslims in the territories are opening their hearts to the Lord. Let’s pray for a pouring out of the Spirit of Life in the land and that all will know Jesus as Lord! (Ezekiel 37:13) May believing healthcare workers play a big part in this.
• The enemy, through neighbouring lands, openly cries for their destruction (Psalm 5:8-9). May Israel be thoroughly prepared spiritually for future wars (Ezekiel 38).
• The battle also rages in the healthcare field as world-renowned medical centres (Hadassah in Jerusalem and Rambam in Haifa, amongst others) are brought to bankruptcy through pride, competition and corruption. Pray for confession and repentance.
• Pray that believers in healthcare will find their strength and protection in the Lord. There are some beautiful and Godly ministries, pray for Shevet Achim and FAI.
• For Philippe and the Healthcare Believers Fellowship – pray for the new ministry centre in Haifa and that all the tricks and attacks of the enemy to de-rail the work and introduce fear will be exposed.
• May the work of HBF be extended and to this end we pray that the Lord will send out workers into His harvest fields. Matt 9:38.