Prayer for Aceh

Meditate on Luke 15:11-31

11Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons.12The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

13  “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

17  “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’20So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21  “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22  “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

25  “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.27‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

28  “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.29But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

31  “ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”

The Pak Pak Boang people live in the southern part of Aceh Province. The Pak Pak Boang tribe are part of the Dairi Batak Tribe. The Batak tribes are majority Christian background. Boang is a deriviation of the Indonesian word “buang” which means to “discard or throw away”. The Pakpak Boang people gave themselves this name because they felt discarded by the rest of the tribe when they decided to follow Islam. Like many of the people groups here the Pakpak follow Islam with mixed in Animistic beliefs. There are a few believers but no indigenous churches. 

Let’s also pray for the neighbors and close cousins of the Pak Pak Boang peoples known as the Pak Pak Barat (or Pak Pak Dairi) people. A local fellowship began regular trips into this people group and area that is saturated with cultural Christians but not many who have truly experienced the saving grace of Jesus. 

Prayer Points

• The Pakpak Boang live in close proximity to many Batak believers. Pray for reconciliation between these two people groups. 

• Pray that many of the cultural Pak Pak Dairi Christians would truly encounter Jesus and have a heart to take the good news to their Pak Pak Boang cousins. 
• Praise the Lord that we are discovering a number of Pak Pak Boang people and families that believe in Jesus. Pray for several of these individuals who are wanting to start a church among their people.  
• Pray that the powers of darkness over the Pak Pak Boang would be broken by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

• There would soon be an indigenous Pak Pak Boang church that is birthed.