A Journey Through The Alliance Vision Prayer | Week 1

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Week 1

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Intercessor Guide

O God, with all our hearts, we long for You.  Come, transform us to be Christ-centred, Spirit-empowered, Mission-focused people, multiplying disciples everywhere.

Day 1

Bible Readings:

Psalm 42; Psalm 84

Reflection Questions:

• When was the last time you wept in longing for the presence of God?
• In what ways are you pouring out your soul before God these days? Is your soul downcast because it feels like he is absent?
• Is dwelling close to God the greatest longing of your soul? Would you trade 1000 days doing something else for a single chance to be with him?

Prayer Prompts:

• That God would increase the intensity of our longing for him —so much that we would physically feel it.
• That we would do everything we can to be close to his presence.
• That our trust and pursuit of God would be strong even when our souls are downcast, and grief overwhelms us.
• If even the sparrow can find a home near God’s presence, how much more the Yazidis? Pray that Jesus would reveal Himself to them.

Listening Prayer:

• Jesus, are there any griefs keeping me from dwelling in your presence?
• How do you want to meet me in my grief today?

Yazidi:

Although most of the 700,000 Yazidis live in the Middle East, Canada hosts a small population of about 1,500. The Yazidi practice Yazidism, a monotheistic ethnic religion that includes elements common to other faiths, like baptism, fasting, a holy pilgrimage site, and a spring holiday where they decorate eggs. Less than 0.25% of the Yazidi people would consider themselves Christian; however, there is some openness to the Gospel among younger people.

There is a three-level caste system in the Yazidi society, with many dialects across the locations and the castes. Marriages are usually arranged by their parents and kept within the same caste. However, a couple can secretly elope to get around this. Yazidis are incredibly hospitable. They have a unique style of music and dancing, and they love to dance!

Pray with us:

Living God, we were made for Your courts. Father, we bless the Yazidi people with souls that long for Your presence, with hearts and flesh that cry out for you, the only true God. We pray that their souls would long after you like the deer pants for water. Would Your Spirit awaken their hearts to their need for you? We pray that the Yazidi people would discover that you are the only One who can fully satisfy their hunger and give them the fullness of life. Please grant them a deep desire to know you more. We bless them with the discovery that you are close to them and accessible. Amen.

Day 2

Bible Readings:

Genesis 32:22–32; Colossians 2:1–3; 4:12

Reflection Questions:

• How could you cultivate more longing for God?
• In what ways does your prayer life reflect a struggle on behalf of others?
• How much wrestling with God are you willing to do to receive his blessing and multiply disciples who are firm in obeying his will?

Prayer Prompts:

• That we would long for God’s blessing as much as Jacob did.
• That we would be relentless in seeking God on behalf of the disciples he has called us to make.
• That we would have perseverance in prayer until he blesses our disciples and us.
• That God would give us his longing for the Arab Diaspora to become disciples.

Listening Prayer:

• Jesus, am I longing and wrestling for the right things?
• What do you want me to contend for in prayer until you answer?

Arab Diaspora:

Canada has a substantial population of Arab diaspora. Approximately 1 million Arabs living in Canada are from Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, and Iraq. Many people from the Arab diaspora have left their passport countries for better career opportunities and political stability.

Most Arabs are Muslim and deeply value hospitality, close family ties, and Islamic ideals. They are often resistant and can even be hostile towards gospel witnesses. Believers who convert from a Muslim background are often disowned by family and ostracized by their community. In many cases, even their lives are threatened. The exact number of Muslim background believers is not known but thought to be minimal.

Pray with us:

Father, we bless Arab Muslims with a pouring out of Your Spirit through dreams and visions.

May they encounter faithful Christian witnesses. We bless them to understand the kind of peace. you offer. Through entering a relationship with you, we pray that they would experience the peace and freedom that comes from knowing that you have already paid the debt for all sin.

Flood them with Your perfect love that washes away all fear. We bless the believers among them with courage, boldness, and perseverance to bear witness to the Gospel—even through suffering and persecution. We bless their witness to bear fruit, resulting in an increased harvest of souls. Amen.

Day 3

Bible Readings:

Psalm 63; Isaiah 55:1–6

Reflection Questions:

• How thirsty are you for God’s presence? In what ways has his presence been satisfying your soul?
• How are you enjoying God’s love that is better than life?
• What connection might there be between us accepting God’s invitation to come to the waters and summoning the nations as those endowed with splendour?

Prayer Prompts:

• That God would increase our thirst for his presence.
• That we would experience and behold the love, power, and glory of God daily.
• That we would be so endowed with the splendour of Jesus so that the nations would be attracted to God in us.
• That our international workers would effectively reveal the beauty of Jesus to Sasak.

Listening Prayer:

• Jesus, what good and beautiful gift do you have for me as I seek after you today?

Sasak

Islam is the main religion of the 3.3 million Sasak who predominately live in Indonesia. Only 0.01% of Sasak follow Jesus.

Sasak typically work as farmers, fishers, and artisans. In Sasak culture, family life is fragile because of high divorce rates. When getting married, many Sasak follow the custom of eloping. The woman voluntarily allows herself to be “kidnapped” and “hides” while the “kidnapper” negotiates the wedding terms with her family. After the terms are set, the wedding ceremony follows.

Many Sasak are traumatized by frequent earthquakes, floods, poverty, high maternal mortality rates, and child mortality.

Pray with us:

Father, we thank You for Your amazing love for the Sasak. Soften their hearts so that they would understand their need for You. Bless them to know you as their Savior, Sanctifier, Healer, and Coming King.

Beckon them to Yourself, Jesus, and draw them into the intimacy of relationship with You. We ask that they receive an invitation to the wedding supper of the Lamb. Bless them with eternal salvation, we pray. Amen.

Day 4

Bible Readings:

Joel 2:12–27; Acts 2:36–41

Reflection Questions:

• Does your hunger/longing for God lead you to mourn over the sin that keeps you from his presence?
• Do you fast, pray and repent of sin?
• How sensitive is your heart to the conviction of the Spirit?
• How does fasting help you express your longing for God’s presence?

Prayer Prompts:

• That we would immediately recognize when we are out of step with the Spirit and quickly repent.
• That we would be quick to radically repent from the heart, not just with religious words.
• That in God’s kindness, he would grant the gift of repentance and faith to the Minnan.

Listening Prayer:

• Jesus, please show me any places where my heart has become insensitive to the conviction of Your Spirit.
• Are there any specific ways you call me to show my longing for more of Your presence?

Minnan:

Worldwide there are 58.2 million Minnan. 13.4 million Minnan call Taiwan home. The majority religion of Minnan is a mix of Taoism, Buddhism, folk religion, and ancestor worship. Evangelical Christians make up 3.7%. Many Minnan believe that all religions are the same. They are reluctant to follow Jesus if it means forsaking ancestor worship because filial piety is central to Taiwanese culture.

The Taiwanese work very long hours. They prioritize education for their children, and most elementary school students go to cram schools after school.

Approximately 14,000 Minnan Chinese live in Canada. Pray God would work in the hearts of the Minnan living both here and abroad!

Pray with us:

Our Lord, You are the one who opened blind eyes. Would You bless Minnan people with the awareness that what they long for in the depths of their being are You and Your salvation? Grant them sight to see You. Open their spiritual eyes to envision God’s plan for their lives and see themselves as worshipers of the One true God.

Show them the risen Jesus in all his glory. Light of the world, break through the darkness, causing every lie to fall, and bless them with visions and dreams of the Saviour of the world. May all praise, honour, and glory be to You! Amen.

Day 5

Bible Readings:

Genesis 3:1–10; Daniel 9:1–19; Phil.4:8

Reflection Questions:

• What do you find to be pleasing to the eye and most desirable these days? Is your greatest longing: All Things Jesus?
• Does your shame cause you to hide from God or pursue him through repentance with fasting and tears?
• How does your longing for the glory of God and his reputation among the nations motivate your prayers?

Prayer Prompts:

• That ‘All Things Jesus’ would be the most desirable longing of our lives and that all other longings would pale in comparison.
• That our hearts would be quick to repent to restore intimacy with God rather than to hide in shame.
• That we would humbly plead with God for his forgiveness and that he would use us to reveal his Name to the nations.
• That the Fulani in Senegal would see Jesus in our international workers.

Listening Prayer:

• Jesus, in what ways have the eyes of my heart drifted to desire other things more than You?

Fulani in Senegal:

Fulani pride themselves on being the group that brought Islam across the Sahara to Western Africa.

They are reluctant to leave this heritage behind and renounce Islam to follow Jesus. Senegalese are hospitable, polite, and open to dialogue, and they will quickly listen to the Gospel. However, turning from their own beliefs and practices to exclusively follow Jesus is very difficult. New believers often face persecution and rejection by their families.

Only 0.2% of the 3.9 million Fulani are believers, and there are only a couple of local fellowships among them. There are around 5000 Fulani that reside in Canada.

Pray with us:

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the love You have lavished on us! Please bless the Fulani people with Your banner of love.

We long for the Fulani to come into Your family, and we call forth their destiny as children of God.  Pour out Your love on entire families. Bless Fulani marriages to be made whole.

We call forth the new things You are doing. Make a way in the wilderness and let the rivers flow in the desert. We bless Fulani believers who are being persecuted and rejected with great endurance. May they be faithful in sharing Your Word despite hardships. Bless the Fulani with a new name, Lord; may they be Your beloved, Your children! “To the one who overcomes… I will also give him a white stone inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it” (Revelation 2:17). Amen.

Day 6

Bible Readings:

Isaiah 60:1–5; Ephesians 5:1–20

Reflection Questions:

• Is your greatest longing for the glory of the Lord to rise upon you and to light up our world? What difference will it make for you when he satisfies that longing?
• Is there any hint of immorality or greed in your life? Any darkness?
• What earthly longings do you need to release to create more space to long for God?

Prayer Prompts:

• That God would awaken our hearts with deep longing and ravenous hunger for more of him.
• That our hearts would be filled with joy as the glory of God descends upon us.
• That all dark desires would be banished from our hearts and that we would wholeheartedly long for the beauty of God.
• That each people group we’ve prayed for this week (Yazidi, Arab Diaspora, Sasak, Minnan, and Fulani in Senegal) would see the glory of God revealed in Christ.

Listening Prayer:

• Jesus, are there any self-centred longings that need to die and be replaced with Christ-centred ones?