21 Days of Prayer & Fasting for the UofN

Posted on August 6, 2019 by Bill Hutchison

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Thank you for joining us this month as we take up “The Invitation” and join together with thousands of YWAMers from around the world as we pray and hear from God about the 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting for the University of the Nations (UofN).

From left to right: YWAM Lausanne; University of the Nations graduation.
Photo credits: YWAM Lausanne, Emily Ranquist

This year, YWAM is celebrating 50 years of training. It all began with a small group of young adults studying evangelism in Lausanne, Switzerland. This year YWAM has set aside time to remember, to pray, and to look to the future of YWAM’s training, which has now grown into a global university called the University of the Nations. Please join us on August 8, for YWAM’s global prayer day, called The Invitation, as we pray for YWAM’s training.

This day is also the kickoff for 21 days of prayer and fasting for the University of the Nations from August 8 – August 28.   This will be a time as a family of ministries where we seek God together, wait on Him and pray what He has shown us. We believe the Lord is leading us in a time of transition and a time of going deeper in Him for His purposes for the U of N. We believe your prayer will provide a protection and preparation for the Holy Spirit to lead us afresh into this phase of growth and multiplication.

Please find the simple prayer guide to help give daily prayer focus at this link:

We encourage your family, ministries and teams to enter into this time, to give up some type of normal indulgence such as food or media and to seek God together. Together we will pray and fast and look at some of our foundations in the U of N and look to the Lord for His direction and leading into the future.

If you only have a few moments to pray please pray that everyone involved in YWAM’s training will receive direction and leading from the Lord into the future.

Thank-you for taking part in this as the Lord leads you. We would love to receive stories from you regarding how you prayed. You can email us at prayer@ywam.org.

Prepare to Pray:

The spiritual practice of fasting has been interpreted in diverse ways in different Christian traditions. The purpose of this month’s prayer guidelines is not to dictate the way in which you choose to fast. Rather, through fasting we are deliberately taking our physical or emotional hunger, and turning our hearts towards the things of God. That is, we embrace an increase of natural hunger and allow it to become a prompt that turns our awareness – the intentions of our hearts – towards God.

During the 21 days covered by this month’s prayer guide, you may choose to fast in the way that you sense the Holy Spirit nudging you. While this will be a personal response – because the Spirit of God knows our individual appetites and what sort of fasting is most helpful for us – you may also agree to a corporate rhythm of fasting with your community or team.

  • You could choose to fast from one meal each day, or on certain days over the 21 days. This mealtime can then become a time of prayer.
  • You could choose to fast from food for an entire day, on certain days over the 3 weeks. Again, these days can become special times of focused prayer.
  • You could opt for simple meals throughout the 3 weeks, choosing not to eat meat, sweets, or rich foods, for example.
  • You could choose to disconnect from social media, or other entertainment for 3 weeks.
  • You could choose to avoid all purchases for 3 weeks, other than absolute necessities.

The point here is that during the fasting period, when your attention is captured by your desire for food, or sweets, or for entertainment or distraction, you pause and reflect:

  • To what extent does your hunger for God and His good future exceed your hunger for these passing satisfactions?
  • In what way can this appetite for something temporary remind you to turn to God out of longing for Him?

When you do have the opportunity to gather as a group, reflect together on the ways God has deepened your desire for His purposes to be fulfilled as you have engaged in fasting.

YWAM ministry in Hong Kong
Photo credits: YWAM Tuen Mun, Hong Kong

Pray for the UofN:

  • Praise God for his vision for, creation of and sustainment of YWAM’s University of the Nations (U of N).
  • Pray for the 50th celebration in Lausanne from August 30 to September 2. Pray for heart preparation for those attending and pray for the YWAM family unable to attend – that God would be speaking to all.
  • Pray for God’s leading and revelation in prayer over these next 21 days.
  • Pray for God’s strategies for YWAM’s training programs as we enter this new season. Ask God to take YWAM deeper into His understanding and heart for training and discipleship.
  • Pray that the foundations that shaped the U of N would remain firm as we continue to build and multiply geographically, into all spheres of society and in all aspects of the Great Commission.
  • Pray for appropriate structures for the U of N in a time of growth.
  • Pray for the Holy Spirit to teach us His way forward and to teach us His strategies for development.
  • Pray that all of our training and teaching would be filled with the compassion of Jesus (Mark 6:34).

When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.

Mark 6:34 (ESV)

  • Pray for effective servant leadership in every school, every campus, and every ministry associated with our campuses.
  • Pray for revelation in areas of His vision, ways of teaching, managing, communicating and working together in community.
  • Ask God to place safeguards so that the U of N globally and in your area will flourish for the next generations.
  • Pray for insight into new training courses and release of workers from your location.
  • Pray for standards of excellence and God’s favor.
  • Pray for DTSes in your region.
  • Pray for greater capacity to train people from everywhere to go everywhere.
  • Pray that every U of N campus would be an educational resource to the nations.
  • Pray that all generations would continue to serve and train together at all levels in honoring, loving and biblical ways.
  • Pray for a fresh wave of prayer.

Giving out Bibles in Thailand.
Photo credits: YWAM Together 2018

Take Action

Learning aquaponics at YWAM in Colorado.
Photo credits: YWAM Emerge

  • If you are interested in prayer and communication, you can be part of The Invitation. Contact us at prayer@ywam.org. We need an administrator/coordinator; photographers/videographers; researchers; and a French translator.
  • Share on facebook.com/youthwithamission, post a picture and add a comment about how you prayed.
  • Go to twitter.com; search for #praywithywam and tweet about your prayer time/post a picture. You can also post a photo on Instagram and use the same hashtag, #praywithywam.
  • Send an email to prayer@ywam.org letting us know how you prayed and what God revealed to you.

YWAM King’s Gardens – Pune, India prayed for Central Europe
Photo credits: Ferdinand Pakyntein

How We Prayed

 July 2019 – Central Europe

  • YWAM King’s Gardens – Pune, India sent in the two photos shown above of their prayer time and reported that they “always have a powerful and blessed time when we join in The Invitation.” They are very grateful for the privilege.
  • YWAM Seamill, Scotland prayed for Central Europe and reported that God revealed something for each country with Hungary highlighted. For Hungary they sensed an angel like a lion roaring over the nation proclaiming His love for the nation. They also sensed Jesus is washing the feet of the nation, cleansing them from all condemnation and shame of the past. And finally, from the cracks of division the Lord will display His union of the body to Jesus.

Future Topics: 

  • September 12: Hindu World
  • October 10: Children at Risk
  • November 14: Tokyo

Don’t Miss The Invitation:

  • Sign up for prayer updates. Go to ywam.org, find the “Stay Connected” box on the home page, put in your email address and click “Sign Up.”
  • Download prayer updates in a specific language. Go to ywam.org/theinvitation. (Currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Korean or request other languages.)
  • Join the conversation about how God is leading in these prayer times. Comment on the Facebook page on the second Thursday at facebook.com/youthwithamission or on Twitter @ywam, hashtag #praywithywam. You can also post a photo on Instagram and use the same hashtag, #praywithywam.
  • You can now listen to The Invitation as a podcast. To sign up or listen to past episodes, go to: ywampodcast.net/prayer.
  • If you sense God giving you a word or a direction for YWAM’s prayer, please contact us: prayer@ywam.org.

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