Pray for what is broken

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He who observes the wind will not sow,
and he who regards the clouds will not reap.
As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.
In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.
(Ecclesiastes 11:4-6 ESV)

Shan-Tai prayer month 2011, day 30

Thirteen months ago I hadn’t even heard of the Shan people. One day I felt convicted that I was too comfortable in my disobedience to the Great Commission, the following day God challenged me with an invitation to pray for an ethnic group I’d never heard of in a nation I knew little about.

Over the month of October 2010, I learned and prayed a lot for the Shan people. Their plight and need for Christ broke into my heart and a seed of concern for them germinated. In the following year it continued to grow. In the last 30 days this concern has borne some fruit in prayer and grown stronger as I have read and written about the Shan.

My hope for them has grown, as I have discovered more people who are labouring to help the Shan, and seeing that there are projects bearing fruit:

The exciting thing is that the training is now purely indigenous, being driven by community leaders who are in our Shan network. This training was initially triggered by strong networking by our Shan nationals and by our Shan and Development teams, training JUST TWO trainers from inside Shan State.
- Stu Corlett, Partners Thailand

I am convinced that God has orchestrated that I become aware of and pray for the Shan people. I also think He wants me to do more, to pray and serve. I don’t know what form this might take, but last time I wrote that phrase on this blog I was surprised, so it could be an exciting year ahead!

Don’t Waste Your Life

By the miracle of God’s common grace of reproduction, there has never been anyone in the whole history of the world exactly like you and me, and there never will be again. We have only one life, and our whole duty is to obey God and live our life as He would have us live it…

Life is a challenge and ministry is full of challenges. So, do not look for excuses. Don’t listen to someone who draws your attention away from the calling of God. Do respond to the call now and go and serve Him right where you are. Do something that will make a positive difference in the lives of people with the word of God. Because there is no greater joy than to invest who we are and what we have in the lives of people that He created for His glory. (Yangon Grace Bible Fellowship)

What has God been speaking into your heart in the last 30 days as you have prayed for the Shan people?

It could be that the Shan people make no impression upon your heart. I would challenge you then, what does?

If anything is wrong with the world that you notice and it concerns you, I challenge you to pray about it. Pray seriously, make a commitment and make it known to someone else. Give it at least a couple of weeks and pray for that thing which is broken in the world. If nothing much happens, fine. If God touches your heart, follow it. Invest in the Kingdom of God.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
(Matthew 6:33 ESV)

Pray for

  • God to use you in building His kingdom (Luke 12:31).
  • Ongoing blessing of the work of Christians amongst the Shan.
  • Increased awareness of the plight of the Shan people.
  • Expansion and deepening of Christian ministry to Shan people.

Other posts related to this topic:

External Resources:

Download the Shan Prayer Guide:

30 Days of Prayer for the Shan
Images of Shan churches: Daphyyy in Thailand, Surehope, MissionsMyanmar.org