Prayer List for March 29-April 4, 2009

Sunday, please pray for Rev. Walter Hoye, an African-American pastor in Oakland, CA, for offering women going for an abortion an alternative using quiet signs which said, “Jesus loves you and your baby. Let us help.” He must serve 30 days in jail, pay a $1000 fine and a $130 restitution fee, and serve 3 years of probation. “According to 2004 statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics, about 37 percent of pregnancies among black women end in abortion, compared with 12 percent for non-Hispanic white women and 19 percent for Hispanic women.” The Oakland city council had passed a law aimed directly at the pastor with a “penalty for illegally approaching a person to talk or hand out a leaflet is one year in jail and/or a $2,000 fine.” (LifeNews.com)

Monday, please pray for Karen Christians of Burma. “On January 17, 2009, Saw Cho Phyo from Aung Soe Moe village, western Karen State, was shot dead while he was on his way to farm his crops. A week later on January 24, Saw Mu Ra Hai, 25, from Saw Ki village was shot dead. On February 6, the Burma Army fired mortars on the villages of Yu Lo and Play Hsa Lo, wounding four villagers from Yu Lo. On the same day, Saw Maung Kya, 23, from Hsaw Mi Lu village, stepped on a Burma Army landmine at Blah Lay Ko and died immediately from his injuries. The Burma Army often plants landmines around villages it has attacked in a bid to stop villagers from returning to live there or collect their possessions.” In Kyaurk Kyi township soldiers drove over 300 villagers into the jungle by attacking their villages. (Free Burma Rangers)

Tuesday, please pray that the Lord would thrust forth laborers into Malmo, Denmark’s immense Muslim community. “Most Muslim immigrants are concentrated in one district, where the male unemployment rate is 82 percent. Crime affects one of three families in the city and rape has tripled in 20 years, according to the Christian Broadcasting Network.” Jews in this area are in danger of being beaten up. Please pray that God will raise up a mighty work here before Malmo becomes a Muslim city complete with shariah law. (Newsmax, me)

Wednesday, please pray for the Christians of the Arauca region of Colombia where the ELN guerillas or National Liberation Army operates. They have kidnapped and threatened pastors against preaching to ELN soldiers, especially messages of peace. They have attacked two Christian mayors. They have shut down churches and threatened congregations. (Open Doors)

Thursday, please pray for Egyptian Christian Martha Samuel Makkar, a convert from Islam who was arrested at an airport for trying to escape Egypt. The 24-year-old Christian was charged with forging her identity papers because Muslims are not allowed to change their identity papers to another faith. The judge granted her bail but told her he’d like to kill her. She has faced threats of killing from police and her extended family for converting 5 years ago. She had hoped to find freedom in Russia. (Open Doors)

Friday, please pray that the Lord will provide laborers to train the growing church in China. Some estimate the church is growing by 10,000 converts a day, but getting Bibles and training is difficult. Yet cults abound and endanger the new converts unless they can become grounded in the faith. (Open Doors, me)

Saturday, please pray for the release of Uzbek pastor, Dmitry Shestakov, who was imprisoned for not being an authorized leader of any officially-recognized religious organization in Uzbekistan. They describe him as an "imposter" leading an underground group engaged in proselytizing under Shestakov's leadership. He is appealing his four-year labor camp sentence.” You can help by signing a petition at www.freepastordmitry.com. (International Christian Concern)

Prayer List for February 15-21, 2009

Sunday, please pray for the Christians of North Korea, the world’s worst abuser of Christians, and of almost everyone else. North Korea requires its citizens to worship its ruthless dictator, Kim Jung-Il.(Open Doors)

Monday, please pray for six Christian brothers in Egypt. “On Jan. 22 a judge sentenced six Christian brothers to three years in prison with hard labor for resisting arrest and assaulting authorities. Last September, police officers raided a café in Port Sa’id, because they were open for business during Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting. When they tried to defend their café, the brothers were arrested and charged with resisting arrest and assaulting authorities. There is no law inEgypt under which the brothers could be prosecuted for opening their café during Ramadan.” (Open Doors)

Tuesday, please pray that Christian relief efforts in Gaza will result in the turning of the people against their radical government and to the Lord. “The Bible Societies in Israel and Palestinian Areas launched a joint initiative called “Standing in the Gap,” offering practical as well as spiritual relief for the suffering Gazan people. Open Doors is co-supporting a part of the program which is called “Love your Neighbor/Comfort my People.” It is not for Christian families only but also will be used in reaching out to Muslim neighbors in Gaza.” (Open Doors)

Wednesday, please pray for Christians in Bangladesh. “A gang of Muslim extremists armed with machetes attacked a Christian family, leaving them with serious wounds. The attackers later filed charges of assault against the injured believers.” (Open Doors)

Thursday, please pray for Somali Christians in Kenya. “Jailed for defending his family against Islamists, Somali Christian Salat Sekondo Mbwerba was freed after Christians paid a fine. Following his release, the extremists shot him, leaving him for dead.” It is not clear whether he survived or not from the report. (Open Doors, me)

Friday, please pray for the Christians of Colombia. “Not only are they caught in the crossfire between the country’s warring guerrilla factions, but believers are often also singled out as prime targets.” (Open Doors)

Saturday, please praise God that the Democratic conference committee of the House and Senate removed a controversial clause from the Obama-Reid-Pelosi Stimulus Package. That clause refused stimulus money for renovation for buildings that allowed religious worship. This was obviously an attack on the freedom of students to worship on college campuses and would have resulted in colleges restricting the First Amendment rights of students to worship. I cannot help compare it to most Islamic countries that do not allow Christians to repair churches so that they will look shabby and fall into disrepair while the mosques are allowed to prosper. Was this a secular version of that? (Jay Sekulow, me )