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Monday, August 16
“You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man’s heart.” (Psalm 104:14–15 ESV)
“Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty.” (Psalm 104:1 ESV) Lord, we thank you today that you display your majesty in nature. You have stretched out the heavens as a tent (Ps. 104:2); you have set the earth on its foundations (v. 5); and you have caused the land to bring forth the things we human beings need. You give us grass for livestock, plants that we may cultivate, food for our tables. We humbly thank you for these things. Forgive us, Lord, that we often forget that they are from you. Lord, today we pray for the economy of the entire world. We ask that poor countries may have the resources, the laws, and the freedom they need to develop and become wealthy. We ask that international trade may benefit all partners. We ask that each nation may share its skills with the rest of the world. And we ask that this global development may occur without causing undue harm to the environment. Let all people have the benefits of modern medicine, modern transportation, electricity, and abundant food. Man does not live by bread alone, but bread is important to us. We ask for an end to poverty and famine.
We continue lifting up our own prayers, especially for countries struggling to develop:
In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Tuesday, August 17
“And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Revelation 21:22–27 ESV)
Father of Lights, we praise you for your eternal glory. You are almighty, all-knowing, ever-present, and all-wise. All things come from you, belong to you, and bear witness to you. You are the source of all beauty, truth, and goodness. You are the light of the world, the truth our souls need. Lord, we praise you that you have given human beings the ability to create. We can write music, tell stories, develop science, build buildings, make computer programs. We thank you also for the promise that one day we will bring the fruits of our cultural creation into the eternal city. Today we pray especially for the cultures of Taiwan. The different ethnic groups of Taiwan have their own special traditions. There is Taiwanese music, art, dance, and food. We ask that the things we create may more and more reflect the truth of the gospel. We ask that our culture may honor you, that it may help people to see you and know you. Let us create things that we may proudly offer back to you as thanks for your salvation.
We continue lifting up our own prayers, especially for Taiwan’s artists, musicians, and scientists:
In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Wednesday, August 18
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:34–39 ESV)
Lord Jesus, we thank you for the privilege of following you. You are our King, our Lord, our God. You are of more value than the entire created world. It is better that we should have you and lose all other things, than that we should gain the world but not know you. Thank you that you have graciously called us to become your disciples.
Lord, we know that each Christian must pay some price to follow you. But there are many who must endure anger and rejection from their own families. Some are disowned by their parents when they choose to become Christians. Some experience years of ridicule from husbands, wives, parents, or children. This is so painful to us, because we love our family members! You have given us our families. You have taught us to love our spouses, parents, and children. And yet, at times we must choose between them and you. In those times, we know that we must put you first.
Stand close to all who are experiencing this pain right now. Give them courage to persevere in faith, knowing that in the long run, they can do more for their family members by becoming strong Christians than they could in any other way. Give them patience with those who persecute them. Help them to fulfill their responsibilities. Remind them to pray. Give them hope. And give courage to those who are still trying to decide whether to become your disciples. Let each of us take up our own cross and follow you.
We continue lifting up our own prayers, especially for those who experience family conflict because of Christ:
In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Thursday, August 19
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:4–9 ESV)
Our heavenly Father, today we think again of the importance of children and youth. You told the people of Israel that they must teach their children your ways. You have given the same responsibility to Christian parents. But we know that in our society the responsibility of educating the young involves not only parents but also schools and teachers. Today we pray for the kindergarten, elementary school, and middle and high school that are affiliated with Tunghai University. We pray that you will give great wisdom to the principals and teachers of these schools. We pray that the standard of education will be high, and that our students will learn well. We also thank you for the Christian influence in these schools. Let these be places where children, parents, and teachers may hear the gospel and come to know you. Let many of them then become members of our church. Even when students do not become Christians, let their teachers plant seeds of truth into their lives, seeds that may later grow into faith. Give special wisdom to Christian teachers and administrators, and to Chaplain’s Office coworkers who minister in these schools, that they may carry with them the fragrance of Christ.
We continue lifting up our own prayers, especially for the schools associated with Tunghai University:
In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Friday, August 20
“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” (Matthew 28:18–20 ESV)
Merciful, gracious God, we thank you again today for your mercy toward the whole world. You are not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved. We thank you, also, that you have given to us the unspeakable privilege of being your witnesses. Today we want to remember one missionary family in particular. We thank you for Wayne Chen, who grew up in our church. We thank you also for his wife Gail, and for their two daughters. We praise you that both Wayne and Gail sought theological education. They gained experience pastoring a church. And then, just when most couples would seek a stable, prosperous life, they took their daughters with them to a small island where there was no knowledge of Christ. They labored there for many years, learning two languages, explaining the gospel, translating the Bible, establishing a church. And now, through their school Radius Asia, they are teaching other people how to do this critically important work of reaching the unreached. Lord, we are so proud of them! We pray that you bless and encourage them. We ask that their school may succeed in training many good missionaries. We ask you to take away Gail’s cancer and give her abundant health. We pray for their daughters, that they may love you as much as their parents do. And we ask that Wayne may not be the last missionary produced by our church! Take the Spirit you have given to him and place that same Spirit on all of us.
We continue lifting up our own prayers, especially for the Chens and for Radius Asia:
In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Saturday, August 21
“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:1–5 ESV)
O Shepherd of our Souls, we thank you today for the gift of preaching and preachers. We thank you for those who labor in our church and in all churches to expound the Word of God to us, that our souls may be fed and we may grow strong in Christ. Thank you for the seminaries in Taiwan; may they hold fast to your truth and educate thousands of church leaders and preachers. Thank you for all the pastors, teachers, and guest speakers who feed us your Word here at Tunghai Church. Encourage them in this crucial work! Let them always continue honing their skills. Let them study your Word carefully and accurately. Let them think deeply about what it means for us and how they can communicate it to us. Uphold them as they study, pray, prepare, and preach. And help us to be good listeners! Let us not listen with lazy, sleepy hearts. Instead, let us seize every opportunity to learn and every invitation to draw nearer to you. Through your preachers, please build up our church in your truth.
We continue lifting up our own prayers, especially for those who preach the Word of God:
In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Sunday, August 22
“When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.” (Daniel 6:10 ESV)
“Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.” (Psalm 55:17 ESV)
God of eternity, our lives are hurrying by. “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12 ESV) As this day of rest comes to an end and we look toward a week of work, we ask for special grace to amend our ways and improve our habits. Daniel prayed to you three times a day; why is it so hard for us to pray even once? The Psalmist looked to you evening, morning, and noon; why do we go through entire days without thinking of you? Help us to develop a closer walk with you. Make us creative in finding time to spend with you. Cause us to hunger for your presence. Stir up in us a deep love of your Word and a great eagerness to present to you all of our desires and needs. Thank you for the way you have been encouraging our prayer lives in these last few weeks. Help us to grow still more. Prayer was central to the life of Christ our Lord. Let prayer also be the center of our lives.
We continue lifting up our own prayers, especially for our own spiritual renewal:
In Jesus’ name, amen.
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