Fasting and Prayer (Journal Entry)

Day of Fasting for Story-crafters and Kahani People

“Praise the name of God forever and ever,
for he alone has all wisdom and power.
He determines the course of world events;
he removes kings and sets others on the throne.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the scholars.
He reveals deep and mysterious things
and knows what lies hidden in darkness,
though he himself is surrounded by light.
I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors,
for you have given me wisdom and strength.
You have told me what we asked of you
and revealed to us what the king demanded.”

~ Daniel 2:20-23

Praise the Lord for our story-crafters. Praise the Lord for He alone knows who will be the ones to accomplish his work here among the Kahani people. He is the one who decides who the story-crafters will be. He is the one who knows who the story-crafters will not be. He knows how long we will have to wait until a story is complete. He knows how hard we will have to work to get a story right. He knows how patient our story-crafters will have to be with us as we learn. He knows how patient we will have to be with them as we work with them.

Father, you know all things- what a glorious thought. My prayer today is specifically for Sam and Anne. These two people have agreed to work with us- they know somewhat what they are getting into. Probably they know about as much as we do! We aren’t even sure what we’re getting into! We know it is your work and you’ve called us to it- and that is enough for me. I feel I have already learned a lot from researching all that is behind your word. Thank you for the provision of commentaries and resources to learn more from your word.

I pray now for Sam. He is a young man, eager to serve you. He seems a little more literate than we would prefer, but perhaps he will become more non-literate through this process! If he is literate, it is probably that he is respected, and that is not a bad thing. He grew up in the city- again not a bad thing, but does mean that his Kahani is not very good. Please help him as he works with us not to feel as if his Kahani isn’t good enough, but to acknowledge that he too can learn- from Anne. I pray that his background in the church and a Christian family will only aid the project. I pray that he will not try and force things just because it is the way he has heard them. The same prayer I pray for Robin and I- as it is so easy to refer back to the stories we heard in Sunday school and think they are direct from your word. However, so often they miss something amazing or they skip over something important. Please help Sam to learn so much about you through this process. Help him to be humble and really desire to learn. I pray that he won’t feel awkward meeting with three women- but that he would take somewhat of a leader role, but not dominating. I pray that he would see Anne not only as a partner in this work, but also as a girl who needs to know about Jesus. Please help him in his communication with us to remember that he is setting an example for her. I pray that there would be clear communication (in English or Hindi) between Sam and us. I pray that you would change Sam through this process- change him to be more like you.

I pray for Anne. Father, she is not your child, yet. She may never have heard some of the stories we will be sharing. Wow- what an opportunity for her to hear, and for us to share with her. Lord, please give her wisdom in knowing what parts of the stories will connect with the Kahani audience. Please help her to be honest with us in sharing aspects of the culture and religion that may affect the stories. I pray that she does not feel scared, worried or as if we are the ones with all the knowledge. I pray that she would quickly feel comfortable with us- not just as fellow workers on the stories, but as friends. May we somehow establish a great friendship with her. Through our friendship, through the stories- may she know more about You and your love for her. Please open her heart and mind to the stories and what you want to teach her through them. I pray that she would be a great story-teller too…that she would be able to craft stories that people would want to listen to and would want to hear more. I pray that she would craft the stories in a way that is accurate and true. Please help her not to feel bad as the first time a story is crafted it is just the beginning of the process and that it can/will be changed several times. Please help her not to be discouraged when we have to re-do a story. Help her to understand we want to make it better than it was before.

Father, please open the hearts of the Kahani people. Prepare them for the stories from your Word. Prepare the people in the city- the ones who speak Kahani and the ones who don’t- prepare them for the worldview shift that may come from these stories. Prepare the Kahani people in the village. They seem to far from knowing about you. Please give them understanding into the stories when they hear them. Give them a desire to know more and to know you. Show them that these stories are true and they offer eternal life and peace. Help them realize they do not need to change their lifestyle- they do not need to change their clothes, their language, or their culture. Give them insight into the stories- may they become even more excited about you than we are!! May the people worship you and praise you because of the truth they will hear in the stories.

I pray that the Kahani people would respect the story-teller who may travel to their villages and homes. I pray that they would not think the story-teller is anyone special, but that the stories are about Somenoe who is indeed special. I pray that they would see that Someone as one who is personal, unlike the ones just sitting on the shelf.