MaryBeth Hall – Page 28 – Targeted Global Prayer

God’s Chesed & Yakutsk, Sakha Republic, Russia

Psalm 103

V. 2 – Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:

V. 4 – Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with chesed and tender mercies.

V. 8 – The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in chesed.

V. 11 – For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His chesed toward those who hear Him.

V. 17 – But the chesed of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on them who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children,“

Chesed is the Hebrew word often translated “lovingkindness” or “mercy” in the Old Testament. When used in reference to the Lord, it is very often tied to His forgiveness of the sins of those who look to Him (as an example, read the in-between verses of Psalm 103, which were only omitted above to save space). Interestingly, when the Lord passes by Moses in Exodus 34, He mentions His chesed twice as He proclaims His character (“…abundant in chesed and truth, keeping chesed for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…” vs. 6-7). Truly, we all stand in need of God’s chesed, not just at salvation, but on a daily basis. What a wondrous thing it is, therefore, that chesed is an integral part of His very nature. Come and drink deeply!

1. Pray for the ambulance driver of the above vehicle – who offers physical chesed to those in need – to himself experience the spiritual chesed of God.

2. The world’s largest diamond mine is near Yakutsk. Pray that today, the Lord will redeem the life of a diamond miner, crowning him with His invaluable chesed and tender mercies.

3. Pray for the Father to be glorified in Yakutsk for His chesed!

God’s Holiness & Sabga, Cameroon

Isaiah 6:3

“And one cried to another and said, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is filled with His glory.”

Revelation 4:8

“The four living creatures…do not rest day or night, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”

Both the Old and New Testaments repeatedly emphasize the holiness of our God. He has made us in His image, yet He stands distinctly other than and above all of His created universe. Because there is none like Him, it is a wholly authentic command for Him to say, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). Nothing – whether tribal spirit worship of nature or American materialism – should be allowed to ascend the throne of our hearts. He is holy. There is none like Him. “He is to be revered above all gods” (Psalm 96:4-5). Amen!

1. The village of Sagba was sent in by a former missionary as a special request. Pray for the Lord to so impress upon a family living there a sense of awe at His holiness that they will forsake other religious beliefs to turn to the true and living God.

2. Also in both Testaments, the command is given to “be holy, for I am holy.” In fact, 1 Peter 1:13-16 states that God’s holiness should influence all of our conduct. This starts with girding up the loins of our minds (v. 13). Pray for any Christians interacting with Sagba – whether villagers themselves or others coming there for outreach endeavors – to yield to the Spirit’s sanctifying work in their lives today.

3. Sagba’s 10-day weather forecast has rain predicted every day, as the rainy season is in full swing. Pray for a person who, in the middle of both a physical and emotional downpour, will look at the hills on the horizon and wonder where help will come from, to be given the gospel witness that help can “come from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” The first verse listed above states that the whole earth is full of God’s glory, so pray that God will use His general revelation to draw this struggling individual to special revelation and the way of salvation.

God’s Immutability & Buenos Aires, Argentina

Malachi 3:6

“For I am the LORD, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”

Hebrews 13:8

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

The immutability of God means that His character does not change. He will always be Who He is. This attribute is the most stabilizing truth in the world. Because He will not change, His Word will not change. His children can therefore bank absolutely everything on Who the Scripture declares Him to be. Praise our Lord for His wonderful immutability!

1. There are about 200,000 Jewish residents in Buenos Aires. This makes the city home to Latin America’s largest Jewish community. As of March this year, 200 Holocaust survivors live in Argentina. Thank God that because of His immutability, there will always be Jewish people. Also because of His immutability, we know that He is still “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Therefore, pray that He will once again today stir the heart of every Jewish person in Buenos Aires to turn to Jesus Christ as the only hope of salvation, and that many would respond in obedience.

2. Pray or someone who works in the lighted building (in the foreground of the picture above) to think about the consistent laws of nature – tides, gravity, seedtime/harvest, day/night, etc. – and through that be drawn to the Creator Who does not change.

3. Pray for the Holy Spirit to encourage every Christian in Buenos Aires with the stability of His immutability in relation to such promises as “I am with you always… I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

New Series Introduction

TGP regularly rotates through cities from all the continents, working our way through every country of the world. Sometimes, that is combined with a particular theme, such as categories of church workers, a focus on places with a high level of religious persecution, or cities located near large lakes/rivers. Also included every day is at least one Scripture reference, often relating directly to the goal of making Jesus known to the peoples of the world. Today marks the introduction for a new month long series.

Two days ago, I was listening to a sermon on intercessory prayer by Dr. Mark Ballard. In it, he mentioned that we should base our prayers on both the character and Word of God. This practice can often be seen in the prayers recorded in Scripture. While TGP has prayed in direct reference to many Scriptures, we have not had a specific focus on the attributes of our great God, so that will be theme for June’s posts.

Subtracting Saturday’s posts (which are used to recap the week), that leaves twenty-four qualities of our Lord to pray through as they relate to worldwide evangelism and discipleship. If there is a particular attribute you would like to be included, please email that to targetedglobalprayer@gmail.com.

Tomorrow begins this focus. As always, thank you for praying!

Saturday Morning Recap

Matthew 7:7-8

“Ask, and it will be given to you;

seek, and you will find;

knock, and it will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives,

and he who seeks finds,

and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

1. Lodz, Poland: In the nineteenth century, Lodz was a major hub for the textile industry. The Central Museum of Textiles showcases different aspects of that history. Pray for a family visiting the museum this summer to trust Jesus for salvation, that each member of the family may one day wear the white robes given to heaven’s saints.

2. Zwang Wen Shi: Pray for the release of this Christian deacon from a North Korean prison, where he has been held for a decade. Pray that he would be returned to his home in China safely.

3. Southern Brazil: Pray for the recovery of a missionary family with dengue.

4. Your Choice: Please pray for a request that you remember from the other cities featured this week:

Vang Vieng, Laos

May Pen, Jamaica

Campo Grande, Brazil

Lenakel, Vanuatu

Thank you for praying!

Lenakel, Vanuatu

Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Lenakel.

1. Pray that many people in Lenakel would be hungry for the Word of God, and eager to gather whenever they have a chance to hear it proclaimed.

2. Vanuatu is a country in Oceania comprised of about eighty islands. On the island of Tanna, Lenakel is a major port city. Pray for a sailor coming into port there to follow the examples of other sailors who have believed in Jehovah as the only God (Jonah 1:16, John Newton, etc.).

3. Pray for a surgeon at the Lenakel Hospital to personally meet the Great Physician, and be changed forever.

Psalm 107:15

This post was originally published on April 13, 2023.

May Pen, Jamaica

Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of May Pen.

1. Notice the contrasting objects in the background and foreground: an unused planting box with trash thrown into it, and an architecturally appealing clock tower. Pray for someone walking on this street today who feels as valueless as trash, and for someone who views himself to be like the stately clock tower. Pray that both of them will recognize their need for the Savior and their value in His estimation, which is what really counts.

2. Pray for the current spiritual, volunteer, and financial needs of Biblical churches in Jamaica to be met.

3. May Pen was first established as a British cattle farm settlement around 1670. Pray for every living descendant of those original town settlers to hear a clear presentation of the gospel, and believe.

Psalm 67:2

This post was originally published on September 22, 2023.

Lodz, Poland

Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Lodz.

1. The above mirror is on the corner of a street, so that drivers can see around the sharp curve. Pray for an unsaved individual coming around the curve who pays attention to the mirror to also pay attention to the Holy Spirit’s work to convict hearts of coming judgment and the need to turn to Christ for salvation. (John 16:8-11).

2. On the theme of mirrors, pray for a Christian in Lodz to look into the Word of God today and see His glory, allowing the Spirit to transform his life further into the image of the Son (2 Cor. 3:18).

3. In the nineteenth century, Lodz was a major hub for the textile industry. The Central Museum of Textiles showcases different aspects of that history. Pray for a family visiting the museum this summer to trust Jesus for salvation, that each member of the family may one day wear the white robes given to heaven’s saints.

Matthew 7:7-8

Vang Vieng, Laos

Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Vang Vieng.

Pray for a person going inner tubing down the Nam Song River today to ponder his standing before the God of Eternity, and yield to the Spirit’s working in his life.
Pray for a Christian mom in Vang Vieng who struggles with stress paralysis to know how to appropriate the Lord’s gracious help in meeting challenges.
Vang Vieng is “surrounded by striking limestone mountains and caves.” (google.com) Limestone is a soft rock easily dissolved by water, which is why many caves worldwide are made of limestone. Pray for someone in Vang Vieng to hear about and take refuge in the Rock of Ages, Who never wears down and whose power can never be eaten away by any dissolvent.

John 14:6

This post was originally published on May 26, 2022.

Campo Grande, Brazil

1. Pray for a mechanic at this business to become a Christian.

2. Campo Grande is a city in central Brazil with close to a million residents. People from around the world have immigrated there, including many from Okinawa, Japan. Pray for one of these residents to hear the gospel in his heart language of Japanese, and believe it.

3. Pray for the recovery of a missionary family in south Brazil who have been sick with the mosquito borne illness of dengue.

Matthew 7:7-8