24/7 Watch Prayer (22.05.2022 -28.05. 2022)
(1) Matters of intercession for the country
1. Enter into destiny – Gratitude and Self-cleansing
(1) Give thanks to:
【1 Timothy 2:4-6】who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.
【John 3:16-17】For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
With the opening of New Zealand’s borders, we will see students and new immigrants flocking to New Zealand again, and missionaries and pastors from abroad will come to hold physical gatherings one after another. Thank God for giving us the opportunity to gather freely and preach the gospel. May we cherish and long for all kinds of training opportunities, and actively preach the gospel. The Holy Spirit is poured out on all flesh, so that the hungry and thirsty can be satisfied, and the broken hearts can be healed and restored.
(2) Self-purification and repentance:
[Luke 21:1-4] As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
In an environment where the political and economic situation is being shaken and prices are soaring, please forgive us that we often worry about money and forget that God is the rich rewarder. We have also shortened the hands of doing good, only sweeping the snow before our doors, and no longer caring for the needs of the poor; we are also afraid of power, and when we see injustice, we dare not speak up, so that the wicked act recklessly. May the Lord forgive our weakness and indebtedness, and raise up the church to be the army of the Lord, to love, and to bravely do Your glorious will.
2. For Kings and the reigning
[Psalm 36:5-6] Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.
[Isaiah 1:26] I will restore your leaders as in days of old,
your rulers as at the beginning.
Afterward you will be called
the City of Righteousness,
the Faithful City.”
Budget 2022 will allocate funds to support frontline policing, reaching the target of an additional 1800 police officers by the end of this year to match population growth, which will ensure at least one police officer for every 480 people. The government has also announced that it will do its best to tackle gang violence, gun crime and the recent increase in juvenile crime.
Thank you Lord for hearing our cry, and pray that You will continue to be gracious to the New Zealand Police, giving them wisdom, strategies and capabilities to effectively control crime rates.
(2) Intercede for the people of this land
【Isaiah 61:2-3】to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
[Psalm 145:8-9] The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
Due to the raging epidemic, a sluggish economy, and unstable security, many families are feeling the pressure: domestic violence, alcoholism, suicide and assault, and other family problems emerge one after another. Pray for God’s love and mercy to heal broken families, and especially protect children who are physically and mentally injured.
Lord, You are the God who cares for the orphans and widows. Please replace the spirit of sorrow with your joy, replace despair with hope, and replace weakness with strength. Your kindness leads hearts to turn. Please bring comfort and encouragement to families in darkness, so that the function of the family is restored as You first intended it to be.
(3) Pray for the church
【Romans 8:27-28】And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
[Psalm 8:5-9] You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet:
all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
When the church is being refined by God in hard times, let us learn to focus on the Lord and align with Him. Pray for God to raise up His mighty people in the churches to be good stewards of the kingdom of God, with wisdom, strategy and courage, to use heavenly gifts and God-given resources, to rise up and shine in every field, and to take back governance and authority from the enemy.
(4) Pray for Israel and the nations
1. For Israel
[Psalm 147:12-14] Extol the Lord, Jerusalem;
praise your God, Zion.
He strengthens the bars of your gates
and blesses your people within you.
He grants peace to your borders
and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.
[Psalm 102:15-16] The nations will fear the name of the Lord,
all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.
For the Lord will rebuild Zion
and appear in his glory.
When Israel celebrates the anniversary of its independence, it is the beginning of “displacement” for Palestinians. This contrast has led to a potential conflict between the Jewish Temple Mount movement and Hamas, calling for people to go to the Temple Mount.
O God, You are the Holy One of Israel, who protects Israel from dozing or sleeping. Lord, protect Jerusalem in the midst of this turmoil. Although the siege of nations tries to divide the integrity of Jerusalem’s sovereignty, You can make it an unshakable rock. Arise, O God, and make Jerusalem a glorious city where all the earth praises and worships You!
2. Areas of persecution of Christians
【Psalm 96:3-4】Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
【Matt 5:11-12】“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
According to the World Watch List (WWL) released this year by the international Christian charity organisation Open Doors, Afghanistan ranks first among the top 50 countries in the most dangerous and difficult situations for Christians, while in the world there are 360 million Christians living in countries where they are persecuted or discriminated against. Every day, Christians are killed, attacked, unjustly arrested or imprisoned because of their faith.
Although darkness covers the earth, darkness covers all peoples, the enemy persecutes believers and persecutes the church, Lord! Let us gaze upon your nail-scarred hands and understand that You gave Your life for us in love and that you have conquered death, giving comfort and hope to our spiritual family in the midst of persecution and discrimination, giving them confidence and courage in times of trouble to keep following the Lord to the end.