Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Tokyo.
Photo from the Conqueror Virtual Challenges app
1. Pray for the Lord to bring a gospel witness into the life of each pedestrian wearing orange who will cross this intersection today.
2. Namivoke Shrine is the most important Shinto shrine in the Okinawa Prefecture, and was originally built around 700 years ago. Its name mean “above the waves,” and reflects its location above the sea. Visitors to the shrine have historically prayed for safety at sea and blessings on family events like marriage and childbirth. Pray for someone searching for the truth who has visited Namivoke Shrine to come to know the only true Protector on a personal level, through the crosswork of His Son.
3. Pray for Tokyo’s Christian deacons and their wives to sense the presence of the Lord today, and walk with Him in a Godly manner.
Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Tokyo.
Photo from the Conqueror Virtual Challenges app
1. Pictured above is a popular Japanese restaurant that serves kushikatsu, deep fried skewers of pork, beef, shrimp, lotus root, and pickled ginger, served with a special dipping sauce. Pray for the salvation of a family planning to eat supper there today.
2.A block over from our current map location is the Koko Hotel. The name Koko means “stork,” and is a symbol of good luck and a prosperous long life. Another common good luck symbol in Japan is Maneki-neko, a cat with a raised beckoning paw. Different colors of the cat symbolize different types of hoped for luck; for example, a gold cat with a beckoning paw placed in front of a business is supposed to draw a customers in, bringing wealth to the business owner. Pray for a worker at the Koko Hotel to meet and have a good gospel conversation with a Christian coming to stay at the hotel. Pray for the worker to realize that people don’t need to trust in good luck charms, because the one true God is both sovereign and benevolent.
3. For several decades in the last century, girl names ending in “ko” were very popular (Yuko, Kamiko, etc.). Pray for a Japanese lady whose name ends in “ko” to be born again into God’s family this week.
Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Tokyo.
Photo from the Conqueror Virtual Challenges app
1. It is estimated that there are over 500 bridges in Tokyo. The Kachidoki Bridge is significant to Japanese culture for three reasons: it was an engineering marvel at the time of its construction (1940, and it used advanced double-leaf bascule technology); it is the Sumida River’s sole drawbridge; and it commemorates Japanese victory in the Russo-Japanese War. Kachidoki means “shout of victory.” Pray for a Christian traversing this bridge to live in the reality of the fact that God always causes us to triumph in Christ (2 Cor. 2:14).
2. Pray for the pictured individual to come to know Christ, and faithfully love / serve the Lord all the days of his life.
3. Praying for any living grandchildren of the bridge’s original architects to meet Christians, see Jesus in their lives, and trust Him for themselves as the only Bridge to the Father and eternal life.
Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Tokyo.
Photo from the Conqueror Virtual Challenges app
1. Bicycles are very common in Japan, not just for leisure, but as an important practical means of transportation. All bicycles are registered with local police stations. Cyclists are required to use the left side of the road to ride, unless they are under 13 years old, over 70, or have physical disabilities, in which case they can use the sidewalk. If someone wishes to carry a bicycle on a passenger train, it must be disassembled and carried in a rinko bag. Pray for the five owners of the pictured bicycles to hear about the love of Jesus, and trust in His atoning work on their behalf.
2. Higashikawagishi means “river bank,” and is an apt moniker for the street that runs along the water. Pray for a person working at a business on Higashikawagishi St. whose soul is thirsty to come to Jesus, that he may experience the rivers of living water described in John 7:37-39.
3. Bill and Becky Petite are missionaries in Japan (Becky is a second generation missionary there). Also, Bill and Becky’s two grown children have married Japanese nationals, and serve the Lord in Japan. Bill and Becky are getting older and facing health challenges. In addition to starting Japanese churches, they minister to the deaf of Japan. Pray for the Lord to meet all of their needs, and continue to bless their ministry for Him.
Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Tokyo.
Photo from the Conqueror Virtual Challenges app
Many Japanese have a synchretistic religious belief system consisting of both Shintoism and Buddhism. For example, many people have Shinto weddings and Buddhist funerals. Shinto’s focus is on spirits found in nature, in everything from trees and rocks to human ancestors. Rituals such as hand-washing and mouth rinsing are important in interaction with the spirits. In Buddhism, families often perform daily rituals at their home altars for deceased ancestors. Morality and a coping-with-suffering philosophy are the focus of Buddhism.
1. Pray that someone driving over this bridge who has recently attended a Buddhist funeral will hear the gospel message of the Resurrection and the Life, and have courage to believe the truth.
2. Less than half of 1% of Japanese people claim to be evangelical Christians. Translated to approximate real numbers, this means that around only 620,000 of Japan’s 124,000,000 people claim to know Christ. There are less than 1,000 missionaries (from various groups) in the country. Pray for the Lord to mightily bless the efforts of His children, both Japanese nationals and foreign missionaries, who are trying to reach Japan for Christ.
3. Japan has one of the highest suicide rates of any industrialized nation, especially among people 15 to 29 years old. Pray for the Lord to interject Himself into the thoughts and lives of a dozen people contemplating suicide who will cross this bridge over the next few weeks. Pray for them to then turn to the Light of the World for deliverance from darkness.
Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Tokyo.
Photo from the Conqueror Virtual Challenges app
1.The pictured building is Uniqlo Daiwa House, a large clothing company. Pray for an employee working there to know Jesus Christ, that she may one day wear a robe of righteousness in heaven.
2. Across the street from our map marker is the Koto Wangan Satellite Smart Nursery School. Pray for a family whose child is enrolled there to make Jesus Christ the foundation for their family, for that is the only way to be successful in marriage and child rearing.
3. Below is a portion of the screenshot from our location a couple days ago (when TGP didn’t do a regular post on 9/11). I wanted to include it so that we can pray specifically for the salvation of the pedestrian.
Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Tokyo.
Photo from the Conqueror Virtual Challenges app.
1. In a number comparable to that of other industrialized nations, around 9.7% of Japanese adults identify as something other than a traditional heterosexual orientation. Pray for someone in that number to be saved, and experience the ripple effects of redemption in every area of life.
2. Straight ahead of our map marker is the Statue of Liberty – Odaiba. Permanently given to Japan by France in 2000, it is just one symbolism of the mutual friendship and interchange between the two nations. (Another example is the red and white Tokyo Tower, modeled after the Eiffel Tower, and visible in the left foreground of the header of today’s first picture.) Odaiba’s Statue of Liberty is one-seventh the size of New York’s Lady Liberty. Pray for a visitor to the Odaiba statue to know the ultimate freedom that Jesus the Truth alone brings (John 8:32).
Photo from Google Earth. The suspension bridge to the left of the Statue of Liberty is the Rainbow Bridge Promenade we crossed virtually yesterday.
3.Pray for any Biblical churches that have services scheduled today, that members will sense the presence of God in those meetings, and offer genuine adoration to Him.
Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Tokyo.
Photo from the Conqueror Virtual Challenges app Photo from Google Earth
1. Today we start walking at a really interesting place: the Rainbow Bridge Promenade. Spanning Tokyo Bay, this bi-level bridge takes about 25 minutes to cross on foot. Sometimes, the view is gray and foggy; other times, as in the picture above, it is spectacular. Pray for Christians driving, walking, or riding the automated train across the bridge this month, that even when circumstances in their lives look gray and dismal, they will remember that God is still at work, and one day, the view will be spectacular.
2. The core of Tokyo is made up of 23 special wards, each one functioning as a city within a city. The ward we are currently in is Minato City, composed of businesses, well-to-do residences, and international embassies. Pray for the newest person to have become a Christian in Minato City to understand and practice what it means to be an ambassador for Jesus Christ. Pray for the person who has been saved the longest there to do the same as well.
3. One feature of the app we are using to track our virtual prayer walk is that it highlights local spots of interest. The following photo / info received yesterday is the basis for our third prayer request:
Photo / info from the Conqueror Virtual Challenges app
Pray for a person of the Shinto faith who enjoyed seeing the cherry blossoms last May, but is now facing a terminal illness, to discover and receive the eternal life that only Jesus offers, which transcends the temporary and fragile life on Earth.
Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Tokyo.
Photo from the Conqueror Virtual Challenges app
By way of introduction to this prayer series, it is worth noting that Tokyo, Japan, is the world’s most populated place. Over 37 million people live in the greater Tokyo area (14.05 million in Tokyo proper). We have come virtually to walk some of Tokyo’s streets, praying that many people will hear and believe the gospel. Jesus died for each of those 37 million people, and their eternities are just as real as our own. Truly, the harvest potential for the kingdom of God is great and precious.
1. Notice the traffic flow arrows on the map above, which are opposite the side of the road American drivers use. Also, the street we are on is a significant one in Tokyo. Pray for the Yeti Foot Works truck driver (who may also be the person standing in the rear of the truck) and the two white-shirted people to hear a clear presentation of the gospel before the end of the year, and believe.
2. The Toita Women’s College is 75 years old. Pray for every 75-year old alumnus of the junior college to have an opportunity to accept Jesus as her personal Savior, and to do so before it is too late.
3. Not far from the next intersection is Tully’s Coffee. Pray for the worker who gets there first each morning so meet a Christian customer, and for the Holy Spirit to give the believer words to say that will effectively point to Jesus.
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.“
It’s been on the books for several months, and today is the day for the big reveal: the Lord willing, over the next two and a half years, every TGP team member will be able to go on a virtual prayer walk in each of the remaining five permanently inhabited continents! Last winter we did our first virtual prayer walk together in New York City. That prayer walk was the springboard for the idea of doing one through cities in Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, and South America. We will plan to do one virtual prayer walk each semester for this and the next four semesters. Although it may not be possible for our feet to ever physically walk on each of those continents, our prayers have the potential to make a difference.
So, let’s go! Let’s lace up our virtual tennis shoes, pack our backpacks, and head over to Tokyo, Japan! Our route is a 45-mile walk through the city. My goal is to walk around a mile each day Monday through Friday, using the Conqueror Virtual Challenges app to track progress, and take screenshots of the street view at the end of each day’s walk. The next morning I’ll post that picture and three related prayer requests.
The following map shows our route in its entirety. The cross marker shows our location, and the blue line the path we will follow:
Photo from the Conqueror Virtual Challenges app.
1. Pray for the Lord to guide our prayers for the people of Tokyo over the next 9+ weeks, and use them to make a difference for His eternal kingdom.
2. Pray that at some point during this prayer walk, you will meet a person of Japanese ethnicity, and be able to witness to him / her, even if it’s only the three words “Jesus loves you!”
3. Please consider inviting someone to join us for this virtual prayer walk. You can reply to this post so that I can add that person to a direct email list.
Thank you for joining us on this virtual trip / prayer walk in Tokyo!
