Prayer Guide – Week 14 (Jan 22-28)

After the greater Tokyo area, the Kansai region is the most populous. It includes well-known areas like Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and Nara. Two of Japan’s ancient capitals are in this region, and many significant religious-historical places have their roots there.

Pray for the greater Osaka area, which is home to more than 20 million people. Pray for a convicting witness of Christians and churches in this megacity amidst its attractions and busyness.

Churches may seem small or weak in comparison to the many beautiful and ancient shrines and temples in this region. But pray that people who visit churches would be convicted and moved by Jesus, the Word, and by the worship offered to him. Pray that Christians would have eager and humble hearts to invite others to church.

Though Protestant missionaries have been in Japan since the mid-1800s, it’s mainly through non-missionary routes that the body of Christ in Japan has grown in diversity. As the world’s third largest economy, Japan is an attractive country for many people to come to for work and educational opportunities.

Ethnic churches have been planted among Brazilian, Filipino, Korean, and Chinese communities. International churches can be found in the major cities. The body of Christ in Japan has an opportunity to testify that God is a God of all nations.

• Pray that churches in Japan have an opportunity to show both the diversity and the unity of the body of Christ – the diversity of languages and ways in which God can be worshipped; and the unity of churches blessing and serving alongside each other.
• Pray that Japanese churches will find good opportunities to work together with international and ethnic churches to reach out to their local communities.

• Let us pray for the Hokuriku area.
• Pray for those who lost their precious things.
• Pray for those who are living in evacuation shelters.
• Pray for the elderly, the disabled, and their families.
• Pray for those who are supporting them.
• For those who do not know their safety and their families.

The cold weather is getting colder and colder. Let us offer intercessory prayers for the affected areas.