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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 Yemen.
Yemeni Children
Photo credit: Emily B.
The people of Yemen suffer in the midst of a terrible civil war. Over a million have cholera, and 15 million are on the brink of starvation. Many have fled to other nations, some with conditions as bad or worse than Yemen. Please join us this month to pray for the people of Yemen as YWAM’s monthly prayer day, called The Invitation, focuses on this war-torn nation.
Located on the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen is the second largest Arab state. Historically, there have been political clashes in this nation leading to corruption, unemployment, scarcity of food, lack of safe drinking water, and cholera outbreaks. Most recently, the capital city of Sanaa has been under rebel control since 2015. There are ongoing conflicts between the Houthis, who are backed by Iran, and the Sunnis, backed by a coalition made up of Saudi Arabia, the United States, the United Kingdom and France. This conflict impacts the entire country.
In 2019 the United Nations reported that Yemen is the country with the most people in need of humanitarian aid, with 24.1 million people in need.
Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba [ancient Yemen] will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.
Isaiah 60:6 (NIV)
Despite the pressures of their lives in the middle of war and as refugees, the Yemeni people are still open to the Gospel and God is moving. Please join us this month during The Invitation prayer day on Thursday, December 12 as we pray for the people of Yemen. If you only have a few moments to pray please pray that the wickedness of the wicked would come to an end so that conditions will get better in Yemen and pray that God will save those in Yemen who are upright in heart.
Thank you for being part of The Invitation. We would love to receive stories from you regarding how you prayed. You can email us at prayer@ywam.org.
A Yemeni Village Woman
Photo Credit: Caleb L.
Prepare to Pray:
Conduct the following activities with a group or on your own:
- Study this map that includes Yemen and the Horn of Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Sudan).
Map Showing Yemen and Horn of Africa
Source: www.welt-atlas.de
- Watch the 2:14 minute video at the bottom of this page: https://borgenproject.org/yemen-refugees/
- Read these tragic facts about Yemen:
- According to the UNHCR (https://www.unrefugees.org/emergencies/yemen/) 3 million people have been forced to flee, 75% of the population requires humanitarian assistance, more than 15 million (53%) of the population are on the brink of starvation, and 1.1 million are struggling with cholera.
- According to Human Rights Watch (https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/yemen) 6,872 civilians have been killed and 10,768 wounded as of November 2018.
- The UNHCR (https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/protection/operations/4c907a4a9/yemen-fact-sheet.html) has 267,675 Yemeni refugees and 2,430,178 Yemenis are internally displaced (IDPs). UNHCR registered refugees and asylum seekers are displaced in Somalia (253,547), Ethiopia (5,707), Iraq (3,043), and other, such as Djibouti (1,972). These are only the official numbers but the actual numbers are probably much higher.
- Discuss the statement from the end of the video: “It’s an exodus that seems unlikely to end anytime soon, from one troubled country to another.” Put yourself in the shoes of those who have fled and those who remain in Yemen.
- Ask the Lord to reveal how you should pray for these people.
A server at a restaurant
Photo credit: Emily B.
Pray for Yemen:
- Pray for hope in the midst of a very desperate situation.
- Pray for an end to the violence. Currently, no one seems to have any solutions to end the fighting.
- Pray for justice.
Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just; for the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. My defense is of God, who saves the upright in heart.
Psalm 7:9-10 (NKJV)
- Pray against hunger since 15 million Yemenis are on the brink of starvation. Pray for access to food and clean water.
- Pray against cholera and other health concerns. The organization Open Doors reports that 80 percent of Yemenis are dependent on humanitarian aid. Pray for access to medicines, doctors, and healthcare.
- Pray for the scattering of Yemeni believers throughout the world. Believers in Yemen face great persecution and abuse from family, society, and religious leaders. If they don’t face more extreme forms of persecution, they often find it difficult to get jobs, get married, or have access to basic needs. Believers outside of Yemen may find themselves ostracized or isolated from their families or their social groups. Pray for encouragement, discipleship, community, and relationships which will help them grow in their faith.
The LORD watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
Psalm 146:9 (NIV)
Sanaa Old City Market
Photo credit: Emily B.
Take Action
- Research and learn more about Yemen and its people from the Joshua Project (https://joshuaproject.net/countries/YM#languages).
- Commit to pray for Yemen:
- Learn more ways to pray at https://www.pray-ap.info/yemen.html
- Download and pray through the prayer guide at https://www.pray-ap.info/downloads/yemenprayerguide-usletter.pdf
- Download and pray through the prayer guide for Yemen at https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b048fb6a2772c053c594968/t/5b6c8823b8a045439891778e/1533839398174/30+Day+Prayer+Guide.pdf
- More detail regarding Yemen and how to pray can be found in the book Operation World (https://www.ywampublishing.com/p-382-operation-worldbrthe-definitive-prayer-guide-to-every-nation.aspx).
Yemeni Village Boys
Photo credit: Emily B.
- 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.
How We Prayed
November 2019 – Tokyo
- YWAM Ethiopia sent greetings to YWAM Tokyo through The Invitation. “Dear YWAM Tokyo, Beautiful Tokyo people will be okay. We will pray, because God is able to bring solutions for prayers. Don’t be afraid, God is present with you (Hebrews 6:10).”
- Another individual claimed the promises in Deuteronomy 33:26-27 for Tokyo.
- A young man received this impression from God: “The presence of God is resting on the city and as His presence rests the people will begin to see God’s glory and the glory of God will draw the people to God.”
- There was significant dialog on YWAM’s Facebook page about praying for Tokyo with 80 comments and 167 shares.
- YWAM, Tokyo thanked people for praying with them.
- Another person suggested that we pray for Tokyo every day.
- “Japan, Jesus loves you” was a statement from another on Facebook.
- Singer Hannah Ford posted her song Mercy dedicated to Japan:
Future Topics:
Series: Spiritual Principles from YWAM’s Early Days
- January 9: Seeking God (Loren Cunningham)
- February 13: Holy Living (Lynn Green)
- March 12: Fear of God (Maureen Menard)
- April 9: Lordship of Christ (Darlene Cunningham)
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.
