Pray for Canada

Gracious God and Father,

Thank you for your great grace extended to all men through faith in Jesus Christ. Thank you that you gave to Christ all authority over your Kingdom, and that we, his disciples, are sent as sons and daughters of the Kingdom to bring people everywhere to the obedience of faith through the gospel of Christ. Thank you that the Church in Canada was once one of the greatest senders of missionaries into the world.

But now, gracious Lord, this is no longer true. It makes us sad that under the pernicious influence of modernity and now post modernity, many churches have watered down the gospel till it is no gospel at all. Our nation is now totally secular, and it grieves us that godless ideas and philosophies are now indoctrinated in schools and social media to the point that these are unconsciously accepted by some believers. Canada has become a mission field.

Canada has always been a country of immigrants, and recently has welcomed thousands of refugees from Syria to add to the matrix of people from all over the world—from Russia and Eastern Europe; from the Far East and the Middle East; and from Asia and Africa. Now, more than 150 languages are spoken here. Truly this is a mission field, Lord, and we remind ourselves that you sent your disciple to keep making disciples of all ethné.

But Lord, the churches are so weak; Christians don’t study their Bibles any more, some even doubt it is the authoritative Word of God. These weak Christians don’t know how to witness; they are fearful of their Muslim, Hindu and Sikh neighbours; and even when they befriend their neighbours, they have been taught not to offend them by sharing their beliefs.

Our aching hearts cry out to you, O Lord. We pray for this mission field. Stir up the local church through faithful teachers and prophets who will be able to equip the church for the Christ-given task. Help the lively African, Chinese, Korean, Filipino and other churches, who for years have focused on their own people. Now stir up these ethnic churches to lift up their eyes and look on the Canadian fields. And Lord, bless the young Christians, both Canadian and International, at universities and colleges to be powerful bearers of the gospel to the next generation.

Above all, Lord, may all Canadians who truly love you: enlighten hearts and strengthened them by the Spirit. Help them grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ that by knowing him experientially, they may reject the ways of the world in which they live, that in faith and obedience they will live in Christ and for Christ.

To Jesus be ongoing praise and glory. Amen.