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Monday, July 26
“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD!’ Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD. There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! ‘May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!’ For my brothers and companions’ sake I will say, ‘Peace be within you!’ For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.” (Psalm 122:1–9 ESV)
O God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we thank you today for revealing yourself to the patriarchs, kings, and prophets of Israel. We praise you for the Old Testament. We thank you for the manifold ways your revelation to Israel paved the way for the coming of the Lord Jesus and the creation of the Church. Lord, as we look at the modern nation of Israel, our hearts are saddened. The vast majority of Jews in Israel have not heard or believed the gospel. They have not received Jesus as the Messiah, but instead live in spiritual darkness. At the same time, they are in perpetual conflict with the Palestinians and with the nations around them. We pray for your mercy on the entire Middle East, Lord. Let Jew and Muslim both hear the word of Christ and receive it! Give them peace: political, military, and spiritual.
We continue to lift up our own prayers, especially for the conversion of the Jewish people to Christ:
In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Tuesday, July 27
“It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.” (Proverbs 25:2 ESV)
Our wise God, your Word does not speak directly about schools and educational systems. Nevertheless, it teaches us that each generation must pass its knowledge to the next. It teaches us that it is good for human beings to seek understanding of the world you have made. It is right for each person to find his or her abilities and use them for the good of society. For this reason, Christians have always cared about education. They have founded schools and universities. They have promoted literacy. They have often been at the forefront of scientific discovery. We pray today for education in Taiwan. We face a decline in the number of school-age children. It is more important than ever that our educational system be well-organized and effective. We pray for wisdom for the Ministry of Education and for school administrators everywhere in Taiwan. We pray for teachers at all levels of instruction, from kindergarten to university. We pray that Taiwan may continue to produce well-educated men and women. We pray that the educational system may never hinder young people from finding Christ but may help them to do so.
We continue lifting up our own prayers, especially for students taking the 大學指考 this week:
In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Wednesday, July 28
“And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 23:22 ESV)
Our generous God, we praise you that you are a protector of the widow and a father to the fatherless. Throughout the Bible you have made it clear that you want us to have regard for the needs of the poor. You have told us to work hard that we may have something to share with those in need. You have taught us to avoid any actions that might cause economic harm to others, and to be steadfast in showing generosity. We pray today for all in our midst or around us who are struggling financially. There are students who must work long hours to earn their own university tuition. There are single parents trying to raise children on inadequate incomes. There are business owners whose livelihood has been devastated by the pandemic. And there are also people who, whether because of mental illness or other reasons, are not able to hold down jobs. We ask you to be gracious and to make us gracious. Let our government have wisdom to help those in great need. Help us as a church and as individuals to be willing to share what we have with others. In every case of financial distress, let us see an opportunity to imitate Christ. Though he was rich, he became poor for our sake, so that in him we might become rich. Let his generosity overflow in our own prayers and actions.
We continue lifting up our own prayers, particularly for those we know to be facing financial hardship:
In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Thursday, July 29
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” (Colossians 4:2–6 ESV)
Our gracious God, we thank you today for the people who brought the gospel to us. Some of us were led to Christ by parents, some by teachers or pastors, some by friends, some by authors. Thank you for all who contributed their efforts to help us believe and be saved. Thank you that you have also given to us the ministry of reconciliation, so that we too may call other people to repent and be saved. Lord, today we pray for our Tuesday-evening student outreach program, Studio Thrive. We thank you for our speakers, who bring lectures that are of great benefit to all students. We thank you for our small-group leaders 桌長, who lead the students in discussion. We thank you for our student-ministry team in the Chaplain’s Office. We ask that this coming school year may be a time when Studio Thrive attracts even more students than before. We ask also that many of these students may go on to give their lives to you. Lord, you are the vine, and we are the branches; apart from you we can do nothing. Use us to take your salvation to hundreds of Tunghai students.
We continue to lift up our own prayers, especially for the small-group leaders and students who will participate in Studio Thrive in this coming school year.
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Friday, July 30
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:9–14 ESV)
God of hosts, we praise you today for your perfect control of history. Your people experience times of peace and times of suffering. The gospel at times seems to prosper in the world, and at other times it languishes. Looking at the state of the world, it is easy for us to become discouraged. But we know that you have your own good plans, and that they most certainly will be fulfilled. In particular, we know that the gospel of the kingdom must be proclaimed everywhere and to all nations. Then and only then will Christ come to bring an end to this present age. Lord, we pray today for your church in Central and South America, and in Africa. In many countries, the number of Christians has exploded in recent decades. But in some cases, Christians are severely persecuted for their faith. In other cases, the church itself has been corrupted by the health-and-wealth gospel. We ask that your people in these countries may have a clear, solid faith. We pray that they may have great courage and boldness. We ask that through them, you will bring great changes to their societies. We ask that through their witness, we may see portions of your truth that we in other cultures have missed. Let the darkness be scattered; let your light shine; let Jesus be magnified!
We continue to lift up our own prayers, especially for evangelism, discipleship, and church-growth in Central and South America and Africa.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Saturday, July 31
“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” (1 Peter 5:1–5 ESV)
Lord of the church, it is your good pleasure to build your kingdom through the efforts of faithful men and women. In the church you have appointed leaders, the most important of which are elders. You have ordained that elders should both teach and lead. You have specified what kind of people they must be and what sort of ministry they must carry out. This is your will, and we submit to it readily. Lord, we thank you for the ministry of our 治理小組 over these past few years. Thank you for their support for our senior pastor. Thank you for their care for the church. We also thank you that we are in the process of adopting new bylaws and will soon be able to transition to leadership by elders. Guide this process. Give us the right leaders, leaders who will be examples to the flock, people of humility and love. Let our whole church grow in maturity, stability, and effectiveness.
We continue to lift up our own prayers, especially for our church leaders:
In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Sunday, August 1
“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” (Hebrews 11:13–16 ESV)
King of Heaven, we praise you for the wonderful eternity you have prepared for us. We look forward to a time when we will have no more temptation to sin. A time when there will be no more death, sadness, or tears. We look forward to a time when we will know you as you really are, without the distortions that come from our own sin. A time when we will rejoice to be with you and with all your saints forever. Lord, you have called us to be diligent in this life. You have given us gifts and expect us to use them. You want us to be active in pursuing your kingdom. But you also want us to be dissatisfied with this present life. You want us to “desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.” Help us never to be so captivated by this world that we forget about heaven. We do not want you to be ashamed to be called our God.
We continue lifting up our own prayers, especially for ourselves, that we may daily fix our eyes on heaven.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
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