TEARFUND PRAYER DIARY – APRIL 2012
1-7 APRILREFLECTING ON EASTER
In the week leading up to Good Friday when we remember the death of our Lord Jesus, Tearfund's recently retired Theological Adviser, Dewi Hughes, reflects on some of the things our Saviour did and said during that week.
PALM SUNDAY 1 APRIL
With the sound of the crowds shouting ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord’ ringing in his ears, Jesus came within sight of Jerusalem and wept. ‘If you,’ he said to the city, ‘had only known ... what would bring you peace ...’ (Luke 19:41-42). The blessed still join Jesus in weeping and mourning over their broken world. Pray for tears today.
MONDAY 2 APRIL
The next day, the weeping King drove out those who were plying their temple trade in the court of the Gentiles, declaring, ‘Is it not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it 'a den of robbers'‘ (Mark 11:17). The business world still often marginalises the needy in pursuit of profit. Pray for righteous anger today.
TUESDAY 3 APRIL
The following day, when a theology professor asked Jesus which was the greatest commandment, he answered without hesitation – love God with everything you've got and your neighbour as yourself (Mark 12:29-31). Pray for this type of love today.
WEDNESDAY 4 APRIL
Having been anointed with expensive perfume, Jesus says, ‘The poor you will always have with you and you can help them any time you want’ (Mark 14:7). In this statement, Jesus bequeathes the poor to his people in perpetuity. Pray for strength to care for Jesus' bequest today.
THURSDAY 5 APRIL
On the Thursday evening, Jesus met to celebrate Passover with his disciples. He took one of the cups of wine drunk during this ceremonial meal and said, ‘This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many’ (Mark 14:24). Pray for strength to pour out your life to bless others in need.
GOOD FRIDAY 6 APRIL
Having watched the crucifixion, suffering and death of Jesus, the commanding officer said, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God’ (Mark 15:39). Thank God today that the divine nature of Jesus is seen most clearly in his sacrificial death for us.
SATURDAY 7 APRIL
Father God, we recognise that the Sabbath between our Lord's death and resurrection was the bleakest day in history, especially for the disciples. Help us, Lord, to enter into the sense of defeat and hopelessness so that we can appreciate afresh the victory and hope that burst into the world when our Lord was risen from the dead.
Welcome to the weekend – creative prayer idea
Take time this weekend to look through the passages from the gospels leading up to the death of Christ. Try to imagine what it was like for the disciples to experience that amazing yet terrible week. Use the emotions stirred to pray afresh, and thank God for the hope that springs from the resurrection.
8-14 APRILHOPE AT EASTER
If ever there is a time in the church calendar to reflect on hope, it is now. The pain of last week has passed as we celebrate the eternal transformation unlocked by the greatest day in history.
EASTER SUNDAY 8 APRIL
Today is the day when we remember that everything has changed. In the face of the single greatest act of compassion ever witnessed on earth, our words seem small. So, for today, pray and reflect on the resurrection of Jesus and all that it means for you.
MONDAY 9 APRIL
Across the UK, churches have been working to present the gospel in words and actions through HOPE – a movement of which Tearfund is a partner. Thank God for the way that leaders have worked in unity for his glory and for the sacrifices that churches have made to help build his kingdom.
TUESDAY 10 APRIL
Destiny Church in Glasgow works hard to meet the practical needs of its community. Working alongside Tearfund, they are helping other churches in disadvantaged areas, showing how food hampers, furniture and friendship can help transform lives. Pray for the team that run the Destiny Angels project: for their protection and inspiration.
WEDNESDAY 11 APRIL
Working with other youth agencies, Tearfund's Youth and Emerging Generation team joined in with Textify – an initiative that ran last autumn. Young people were encouraged to pray for their friends and look for opportunities to share their faith with them. Pray today for all those who heard about God through this initiative.
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Tearfund Prayer Diary for April 2012
www.tearfund.org/praying
THURSDAY 12 APRIL
With unemployment on the rise, PECAN is a south-London project that provides a vital training and employment service. We are working alongside them to enable churches to set up their own work clubs and support those without work. Ask God to bless this project with his favour and provision.
FRIDAY 13 APRIL
Northern Ireland's Compassion Project is yet another beacon of hope: it helps disadvantaged families take responsibility for turning their lives around. Through local churches, PECAN helps families reintegrate into the community and discover for themselves what life in all its fullness looks like. Praise God for them today – for their compassion and God's never-failing redemptive power.
SATURDAY 14 APRIL
Lord, make me a person of hope – and someone who shares that hope with my community and poor people across the world. Thank you for the true hope you brought into the world through Jesus, his life, death and resurrection to glory. Amen.
Welcome to the weekend – creative prayer idea
Hope changes everything. Look back on your own life and remember the times when – hope-less – you struggled. Now, remember the times when God broke through, when you warmed to hope like a flower to the sun. Finally, remember this: did God act alone or did he work through someone to bring that hope to you? Hope is highly contagious. Visit www.hopetogether.org.uk and see how you can help to spread the word.
15-21 APRILREFLECTING ON LIBERIA
Our partners in Liberia, West Africa, ask us to pray with hearts of gladness for all the communities that now have access to clean water. As part of our rhythms of prayer, it is good to celebrate these breakthroughs, but also to remember those who are still in need – including an estimated 150,000 Ivorian refugees who fled to Liberia last year due to political conflict.
SUNDAY 15 APRIL
Our partner organisation, the Association of Evangelicals of Liberia (AEL), is thrilled by the changes they are beginning to see within rural Liberian communities as clean water sources are developed. Join Victoria Wollie, AEL Secretary General, as she praises God ‘that children are looking healthier and parents are able to work on their farms again’.
MONDAY 16 APRIL
Kemah was one of the lucky ones. She survived growing up with diarrhoea and other water-related conditions. Kemah today gives thanks for the newly repaired well and hand-pump in her village. Pray that more communities will have the same opportunity as Kemah.
TUESDAY 17 APRIL
Transformation is a wonderful reminder of God's love and grace. Tearfund's Programme Coordinator in Liberia, Daniel Breneman, asks us to pray for our partner organisations in Liberia, AEL and Equip Liberia. ‘Pray for their continued strength and commitment to see communities transformed through clean water and sanitation.’
WEDNESDAY 18 APRIL
Is it raining today? In Liberia it's the dry season. Dave Waines, Head of Equip, asks us to ‘pray that the wells would not go dry but would keep producing water’. As we pray for Liberia, let us also lift up in prayer other countries around the world that are struggling due to water shortages.
THURSDAY 19 APRIL
Water and sanitation are a major issue for Ivorian refugees who fled into Liberia due to conflict – though many have now returned home. Praise God for the generosity of their Liberian hosts and especially local churches as they continue to provide their own valuable water to the refugees.
FRIDAY 20 APRIL
Liberia's border with Ivory Coast continues to be a conflict zone. Pray for protection for civilians, especially for women and children as they walk long distances to use the wells and latrines. Pray for security and peace as the situation remains unstable.
SATURDAY 21 APRIL
Join Daniel Breneman in prayer ‘for the 60 per cent of Liberians who still cannot access a sustainable, safe water supply and the 80 per cent of Liberians who do not have a hygienic place to use the toilet with dignity’.
Welcome to the weekend – creative prayer idea
To help you develop a regular rhythm of prayer for water, pray for those without clean water this weekend as you make a cup of tea. As you have a shower, pray for those who are bathing in dirty rivers. Use these practical reminders to develop a pattern of prayer so that God will continue to work through our partners to quench the physical and spiritual thirst of those living in Liberia.
22 – 28 APRILCELEBRATING CHANGE
This week, as a regular part of our patterns of prayer, we give thanks to God for progress against poverty being made in countries which are not often in the media spotlight. We also highlight some significant prayer needs.
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Tearfund Prayer Diary for April 2012
www.tearfund.org/praying
SUNDAY 22 APRIL
Training local church leaders to respond to the material and spiritual needs of people living in poverty is central to Tearfund's work. Praise God that in Mozambique this has resulted in more outreach to widows, orphans and people living with HIV. ‘We're grateful for what the Lord is doing,’ said one pastor attending a Tearfund workshop.
MONDAY 23 APRIL
How do we ascertain God's business in our communities? It's a question that Tearfund's Country Representative for Mozambique, Earnest Maswera, has been pondering as he works to mobilise churches to tackle poverty in all its forms. Prayer is pivotal, says Earnest. Please lift up these churches' work to the Lord.
TUESDAY 24 APRIL
Rehema is a counsellor working with women who have been raped in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She's an unpaid volunteer with Tearfund partner Heal Africa, as well as a mother to three children. ‘Thank Tearfund supporters: we love them. We are all one in Christ,’ says Rehema. Ask the Lord to bless those making inspirational sacrifices which are bringing his love and healing to the marginalised.
WEDNESDAY 25 APRIL
The Women's Commission of the Evangelical Fellowship of Cambodia, a Tearfund partner, works to inspire local churches to promote women's rights and to restore relationships in families. Praise God for the results, illustrated by pastor's wife Mrs Davan. ‘Through the training, I understood my self-value and started to change myself, restore my family's relationships, apply my gift to serve the ministries and help my husband in his work, physically and emotionally,’ she said.
THURSDAY 26 APRIL
‘Light in the darkness’ is how one participant described literacy classes run by Tearfund partner JEM in Mali. ‘Now we can read weights and count money. Now the traders can't trick us at the market when we go to sell our products,’ said one villager. Give thanks to the Lord for the freedom that education is bringing.
FRIDAY 27 APRIL
The blue barrel project in Bangladesh aims to stockpile containers of essential relief items ready for distribution if a disaster strikes. Tarpaulins, cooking utensils and first aid kits are among items that will be ready in a project run by our partner, Bangladesh Nazarene Mission. Pray that this planning will save lives.
SATURDAY 28 APRIL
Dear Lord, we lift up to you the suffering caused by food shortages in the poor mountain areas of Bolivia where high food prices are resulting in hunger and the worst food crisis in decades. Give your daily bread to the struggling people of Bolivia. Amen.
Welcome to the weekend – creative prayer idea
Keep your prayers about people in poverty fervent and fresh. Check out the overseas news this weekend and ‘adopt’ a country, putting its people and their needs at the forefront of your prayers.
29 APRIL – 5 MAYRENEWED MINDS
Transform – Tearfund's experience trips to visit our partners across the world – is celebrating its 40th year in 2012. Over those 40 years, thousands of people have had their minds transformed by seeing and experiencing poverty first-hand. We celebrate Transform this week.
SUNDAY 29 APRIL
Peter Graves, one of the leaders on the first Transform trip, says, ‘Those three weeks remain unique in my life, and to know that they began a Tearfund programme that has continued for nearly 40 years adds to the sense of privilege.’ Praise God for lives transformed over four decades.
MONDAY 30 APRIL
Original Transform leader Peter Graves says, ‘My visit 40 years ago reinforced in me the conviction that serving the kingdom is as much about helping poor and dispossessed people, as it is about preaching the word.’ Ask God to continue to change minds with an understanding of the whole gospel.
TUESDAY 1 MAY
Miriam Grimshaw from Fishguard in Pembrokeshire recently visited Kigezi village in Uganda. She says: ‘It was an enjoyable challenge being pushed out of my comfort zone and having to rely on God. Living in a community who have very little in the way of resources challenged my own personal cultural values.’ Ask God where you have become comfortable, and how you can take steps into the uncomfortable.