By PRAY 4 MALAYSIA

“A Call To Prayer” is taken from the website www.pray4malaysia.org . This website was set up by a group of senior church leaders in Malaysia from across the denominations. The issues raised for prayer are available in four different languages: Bahasa Melayu, Chinese, English and Tamil.

1. Humbling Ourselves to Seek God in Prayer
Pray that the Malaysian church will seek the face of God together earnestly and with perseverance, so that He will open the heavens, reveal His glory and pour His power upon our nation. Let us claim His promise that “if my people … humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

2. Emphasising Holiness and Righteousness in the Church
a. Pray that pastors, church leaders and members will strive to live godly lives at home, in church, and in the market place and the public square.
b. Pray that every church will provide systematic teaching on holy living from the pulpit, in our small groups, and at every level of church ministry.

3. Fostering Church Unity and the Ministry Of Reconciliation
a. Pray that Christians will make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit, embracing reconciliation within the Christian community.
b. Pray that as Christian leaders, local churches and whole denominations learn to live in unity, through forgiveness and reconciliation, we will model ethnic reconciliation powerfully in our nation.

4. Teaching Christians the Cost of Discipleship
a. Pray that Christians will understand what true discipleship means, and be willing to take up their cross daily and suffer for Christ.
b. Pray that many Christian professionals and countless university students studying abroad will return with a clear vision to build both the church and nation.
c. Pray that Christian parents will encourage their children to come home or to remain in Malaysia to serve God here.

5. Developing Godly Leadership for Our Churches
a. Pray that church leaders, both pastoral and lay, will grow in depth and maturity as true shepherds of Christ. Pray that they will have a real hunger for God’s Word, a firm commitment to God’s truth and to live by it, and the courage to teach the same to their flocks.
b. Pray that the present generation of leaders will strive to lay strong foundations for churches and Christian organizations in our country, to model godly and humble servanthood, and to manage succession plans well, as they gradually hand over the baton of leadership to younger people.

6. Empowering Bumiputra Churches, Especially Those in East Malaysia
a. Pray for the increasing availability of both the Bible and discipleship materials in Bahasa Malaysia.
b. Pray for a growing and effective partnership in ministry and mission between the churches in West Malaysia and in East Malaysia.
c. Pray for the increasing emergence of strong churches among Bumiputra communities in our land, and the rising up of bold and God-fearing leaders among them.

7. Being “Salt and Light” in Our Nation
a. Pray that God will continue to bless our nation with strong and steady growth of the national economy so that all citizens will be blessed. Pray for the equitable sharing of the wealth of this nation among all races.
b. Pray against the twin problems of badly formulated policies and prevalent corruption, both of which combine to adversely affect national economic growth.
c. Pray that the smaller and economically weaker communities will not be marginalised. In particular, pray that the rights and means of livelihood of the native people of Sabah and Sarawak, and the Orang Asli in West Malaysia will be legally recognised and safe-guarded, especially their land rights.
d. Pray that the church will take the lead in reaching out with concrete acts of love and compassion to the poor, including refugees and migrant workers, regardless of race or religion.

8. Defending the Supremacy of the Federal Constitution and Fundamental Human Liberties
a. Pray that the church, civil society and the rakyat in general will defend the Federal Constitution so that fundamental liberties of all citizens, especially religious freedom, will be upheld. 
b. Pray that the government will genuinely seek to uphold the principle of equal citizenship rights for all Malaysians, which had been forged originally against a diverse background of race, religion and culture. Pray against all efforts made at asserting ethnic and religious supremacy which, if unchecked, will destroy the foundations of our nation.
c. Pray that the democratic processes and institutions will mature and, if necessary, be revitalised in our country, especially the Parliament, State Assemblies, the Judiciary and the Civil Service.

9. Electing Politicians Who Are Competent and Genuine, and Committed to Integrity and Justice
a. Pray that our citizens will have the discernment and wisdom to elect sincere and politically competent leaders who will govern the nation with compassion, integrity, righteousness and justice.
b. Pray that Christians will take their responsibility as voters seriously and do what is right.
c. Pray that in the up-coming 13th General Elections that God will so overrule that governments which will be faithful to the mandate to rule for the good of the nation will come into power. Pray specially against the work of unseen spiritual powers that seek to keep the nation under their control through evil of all kinds.

10. Making Malaysia a Model Nation
Pray that Malaysia, by God’s grace, will develop into an advanced economy and a stable and harmonious democracy, in which all citizens are equal, with fundamental liberties protected by the Constitution and a legal framework which protect the weakest and the least. This will make Malaysia a model nation for others.