Dear Lord,You are everywhere...I'm not alert enough to see You everywhere when I'm at home, but here (even though not many know you) I see you in the people. The events. The words. The clubs. The performances.
Lord help me to always remember at the heart that You are everywhere, working and loving. Thank You, Lord, for being so close to Your people here at Suita Bible Gospel Church. Thank You for revealing yourself to them...and for how you've made their faithful and willing hearts.
I pray that You would use our team to effectively minister to the SBGC Body. I pray that they would, despite the cultural barriers and potential rejection, be courageous (by Your strength and the joy of knowing You) to touch others as well. I pray that their desire to further the kingdom would not only be manifested in serving within the church, because You call each believer to make You known.
I pray that the people of Osaka would yearn to know You...that they would be curious about the gospel. That their hearts would be softened right now to how You are going to love and bless them, even within this very day. Help them to see that all they have really doesn't come from their own deeds. Help them to wonder where they will be after this life. Help them to be thankful for the good things, and give them eyes to see how the struggles have/will help them. Lord, change the hearts of those who have been exposed to the gospel. Protect the hearts of those who have accepted You, Christ Savior.
Lord, I lift up the JS Club to You. Thank You for invading their hearts/lives and drawing them to SBGC. I pray that our time spent with them would be edifying and filled with the truth. I pray that we would depend on You for the words to say, the gestures to make, the topics that we talk about.
I pray for Yuka. Lord, thank You for knowing her and loving her. For creating her to be a beautiful woman and deep thinker. I pray that You would invade and change her heart. She is 20 and has been coming to church since April to practice English. I know that You were sovereign over the moment that she decided to come. I pray that she would accept Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. I pray that she would get any questions answered and see how good You are and I commit Yuka's heart to You now.
I pray for our day trip to Tokyo today. Help us to see hwo You love Japan and how You have created their culture. Lord, help us to see Japan how You see Japan. Thank You for loving the Japanese and really desiring to reveal Yourself to them....each one who is not even seeking.
I pray for the basketball camp that will start tomorrow. Give us, Lord, the right sensitivity to their hearts so that we can effectively minister/witness to those who don't come to SBGC. May this time of fun/teamwork/good company be glorifying to You. I pray that all who come tomorrow only see Your name glorified. I pray that those who don't see you at all would be drawn to the Body of Christ.
I pray for the English Time in the afternoons, that they would be filled with words and relationships glorifying to You. That as we build these relationships and eventually leave, JS and SBGC would see that that brother/sisterhood can be an everyday experience. Thank You for such a consistent opportunity in the next few days to build a strong relationship with Your people.
Lord, I see Your glory here even though most of the Japanese don't know You and even though the culture is filled with things other than You. I see Your glory in the commitment, the discipline, the kindness/hospitality, the respect. But Lord, I know that You aren't being heard about and thus recognized. I pray that there would be a mass movement of exposure and love as You work in Japan.
Lord I praise You for bringing me here, to Japan where I never would have expected to love this much. I pray that I would keep my eyes open to how You want to grow me, use me, and even bless me. Thank You, Lord, for all that You will be doing.
