June 2007 has been set aside as a month of fasting and prayer for the Hmong/Miao. Below are prayer suggestions for June 16-30.
What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.’ II Corinthians 6:16
June 16 Heb. 13:15, Ps. 4:5, Ps. 27:56, Ps. 116:17, Rom. 12:1
Scriptures tell of sacrifices we can offer to God: praise, righteousness, joy, thanksgiving, the “living sacrifice of ourselves.
Lord, the lost Miao offer so many sacrifices to demons,, sacrifices offered out of fear and that can plunge them into poverty. Make them yearn for something more. Open their hearts to choose You.
June 17 One definition of the Hebrew word for sacrifice is “to become closely involved in a relationship.” It is giving a gift or giving up one thing for another.
Lord, break down every barrier of pride, unbelief and busyness in Miao believers’ hearts. Give them joy in dying to self and being raised to new life in You. May their surrender and joy be a light to the lost.
June 18 Eph. 5:26
After temple priests had washed in the lavers and offered sacrifices, they immersed themselves in tub with water enough for 2000 baths. Blood-splattered from offering sacrifices, they needed complete bathing to be clean. “Washing with water through the Word” restores, replaces lies with Truth, frees.
Lord, Your Word has not yet been translated into most Miao languages. Raise up translators to get Your Word into the heart languages of the Miao.
June 19 Is. 55:6-9
To enter the Holy Place, priests passed between 2 pillars: Jachin, “in His counsel” and Boaz, “in His strength.”
Walk Miao believers into Your counsel and Your strength, so they no longer do as they have always done or as culture demands. May lost Miao call upon You, forsake their ways and turn to You.
June 20 Hebrews 10:19,22
After passing through the pillars of God’s counsel and strength, the priests stepped into the Holy Place.
Jesus’ sacrifice now opens the way for all of us to have intimacy with a Holy God.
Reveal Your lovef to the Miao. Replace the futile demon worship with the joy of worshipping You. Protect believers from oppression, evil attacks, persecution; enable them to take Your message where it has never been before.
June 21 Col 3:12-14; Romans 13:14
Just before entering the Holy Place, priests changed their clothes.
Give the Miao a desire for purity. Transform them so that they throw off the old self binding them to sin and put on the new self made in Your image. Clothe believers with love, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience that are visible to all around.
June 22 II Cor. 22:15; Rev. 8:3-5
Clean and newly clothed, the priest took a hot coal from his recent sacrifice and put it on the incense altar. “Sweet smoke” rose to the Lord. This incense in the Word stands for praise, prayer, worship.
May Miao believers intercede for the lost with powerful prayer that comes from a cleansed heart surrendered to You. When they call to You, hear them and answer them. Move among the Miao until every person knows You.
June 23 Exodus 25:22
Cleansed, surrendered, walking in God’s counsel, clothed with Christ, offering prayers and praise to God, we meet Him in the inner chambers and learn the secrets of His heart. Moses’ intimacy with God changed Him in ways all could see. Numbers 12:3, 6-8; Exodus 34:29
Lord, communicate with Miao believers as a friend; reveal Your presence, power, love and will to them.
So many Miao are lost and cannot see you as You really are. Open their eyes to see You.
June 24 God met the priests at the incense altar, the Holy Place, the brazen altar, and at the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. He wants to meet with us in every room of the temple of our hearts.
Lord, millions of Miao still don’t even know who You are. Send more than enough laborers to take Your good news to every home, every heart. Don’t leave even one without a chance to know You.
Show mercy to believers who fall into sin. Rescue them from dark places. Forgive and renew them.
June 25 Like
Solomon’s temple, our heart temple has many rooms-- the “outer court” of body, actions, words….the “inner court” of thoughts, emotions, desires…. the “innermost part” of spirit and heart which only God knows. The will is a passage between the inside of my temple and my outside actions.
Unite Miao believers so closely and intimately with You in the inner chambers of their hearts that they become one with You. May the inner chambers of love for You pour into the outer chambers of actions and words, drawing the lost to Yourself.
June 26 I Corinthians 6:17; John 4:23-24
The word “spirit” in this verse means “breath,” but it has broader implications. It is the core of our lives, our being from which flow thoughts, emotions, will, passions.
Unite Miao believers with Your Spirit so intimately that the old self disappears into the new life You give.
May all they think and do flow from this intimacy. Do whatever is necessary to draw the lost to You. Bring believes into their paths, let them hear radio broadcasts they can understand, cause them to travel to places where there are believers. Don’t let them die without knowing of Your love.
June 27 Ezekiel 36:25-28
Lord, remove hearts of stone from the lost Miao and give them hearts of flesh that seek after You. May the Miao be Your people and You be their God. Where believers have grown cold, replace the coldness with intense love for You. May they love what You love, hate what You hate, be passionate about Your passions.
June 28 Hidden rooms near the Holy Place stored items used for worship and some of Israel’s treasures. In Ezekiel 8:6-12 priests had hidden personal, idolatrous worship items there. God wants to clean out hurts, pride, doubts, bitterness that we hide and replace them with treasures to worship Him.
Help Miao believers see what is really in their hearts so they can completely surrender to You. Send Your Light into every dark chamber of their heart; restore righteousness and love. Lord, plant seeds of truth in the hearts of lost Miao. May the truth reach every room of their hearts until they turn to You and become a temple of the Living God.
June 29 I Corinthians 3:16-17; Ephesians 2:13; 19-22
Though each Christian is a temple where God’s Spirit dwells, a larger temple is being built of which each of us is a part—the corporate temple of His church.
Protect not only individual Miao believers but also Your church. Unify believers. Build a church in Miao lands that is so strong and so impenetrable by Satan that Your light will shine there forever.
June 30 Revelation 21:22-27; Revelation 7:9-17
Someday earthly temples will vanish, and all nations will join to worship God before His throne.
Give Miao believers strength to persevere through tribulations—persecution, hunger, cold, even martyrdom. Bring them safely to Your heavenly temple to serve You forever. We pray for the Miao of every tribe and language who do not yet know You. Reveal Yourself to them before it is too late. May they bow together before Your throne in eternity.
