Prayer Guide – Week 39 (May 29 - June 04)

“Dear Father, thank You for blessing Japan with such abundance; a nation of rich culture, food, creativity, and all good things that come from You. I am grateful You have provided the Japanese people with so much for so long!

However, our hearts grieve for the many who do not yet know Jesus. Such a small number know Jesus as the Saviour. We trust you, Lord! You fed the multitude when You multiplied the five loaves and two fishes. We know You are more than able to use Japanese Christians to multiply faith in You across all of Japan! As Luke 18:27 says, by our own strength, it is impossible, but with You, everything is possible.

Please bless all current Japanese Christians with courage and wisdom. Give every Christian in Japan the strength to boldly share the Gospel with their family, friends, and loved ones. May they preach Your great name both in and out of churches; let their lives be testimonies of Your holy greatness! We pray for more Bible study groups to rise up, ushering in a new generation of Japanese worshippers who know, honour, and love Your name.

May more Japanese Christians lift the spiritual veils from fellow citizens’ eyes. Help them make the nation see that believing in Christ is not just a ‘western faith’; it is Your way to eternal life! Lord, as You have shown us, I pray You will also reveal their sins to them. Not to condemn them, but to fill their hearts with the sincere desire to repent. As they draw closer to You, may You choose to also draw closer to them, in Your infinite mercy and love!

Thank You Father for hearing our prayers for Japan, and having mercy on those who do not yet know of Your goodness. In Jesus’ name we pray, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, amen.”

This week's prayer focus is firstly for Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.

In 1549, Francis Xavier landed in Kagoshima to bring knowledge of Jesus to the Japanese. Four and a half centuries later, after bloody persecutions, turmoil, and isolation, Kagoshima remains mostly unreached by the Gospel. What was perhaps the first part of Japan to hear the name of Jesus has yet to call on His name.

Please also pray for:

• The Japanese believers in Kagoshima, that the Holy Spirit would empower them to have deeper and deeper intimacy with Him and also lead them to be bold in sharing the Gospel with others
• Workers to be sent into this harvest field, to gather God's lost sheep of Kagoshima
• The 63 towns and villages with no church presence at all, as well as Kaseda city, with no church presence at all

"O clap your hands, all peoples;
Shout to God with the voice of joy.
For the Lord Most High is to be feared,
A great King over all the earth."
- Psalm 47:1,2

The other prayer focus is Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.

Made up of the 60 Ryukyu Islands, Okinawa is populated by people who are racially and linguistically the same as the rest of Japan. Yet because of the isolation from the mainland, their culture developed differently. Okinawans have the strongest prefectural pride in all of Japan.

Okinawans also differ religiously. Believers in Buddhism only make up 1.7% of the population and Shintoists only 0.3%. Popular folklore beliefs based on ancestor worship are central to Okinawan life. Despite this, Okinawa has the highest rate of church membership and worship attendence in all of Japan - nearly three times the national average.

Okinawa also has many scars from its past. Early government discrimination, horrific WWII battles, and a 27-year American occupation are some of these.

Please pray for:

• The Gospel of hope to spread through all 60 islands
• Okinawan believers to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to make disciples who make disciples
• Strong church leadership unity throughout the prefecture
• More workers to enter this harvest field
• The people of Okinawa to come to know the One True God

"We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks,
For Your name is near;
Men declare Your wondrous works."
- Psalm 75:1

For a safe place for children to spend their time.
For the health of workers to be protected. To provide the necessary number of children.
To protect children from accidents on a daily basis.
That the families who are entrusted with the children will be supported financially and spiritually, and that the relationship between parents and children will be a blessing.
I believe that there are many ministries that have risen up with the mind of Christ. May we continue to stand in the love of the beginning and serve the children and families.