Shalom:
A 30 day prayer guide for Jakarta’s Urban Poor
by Anita Rahma and Joy Baker
You will be moved to tears, and to prayer, by the beautiful words and images in this brand new 30 day prayer guide for Jakarta’s urban poor. Anita Rahma and Joy Baker have joined together to compile stories of real life in Jakarta’s slums, and group them into themes under the banner of Shalom – the blessing of life being the way God intends it to be.
From the Introduction …
. . . they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid. —Micah 4:4
The Greater Jakarta metropolitan area is home to more than 30 million people. The rich live in leafy suburbs or air-conditioned high-rises, and the poor are packed into densely populated areas with up to ninety thousand people per square kilometre. Though the rich and poor live in close proximity in this huge, sprawling metropolis, they are largely oblivious to one another.
Along with other local and expat Jesus-followers, we are trying to bridge this gap by living among the poor, embracing the heat, noise, and chaos while looking for meaningful ways to get to know and serve our neighbours. The urban poor are arguably the world’s largest and fastest growing unreached people segment. Our longing for the poor of Jakarta is not that they would become wealthy, but that they would experience shalom: the peace and the wellbeing that come from knowing God and living under his blessing. Our prayer is that all would be able to work for a fair wage, live in safety, and support a healthy family life—each under their own vine.
For over the past decade, we have made this amazing city of Jakarta our home. As foreigners, we are living here by choice, not because of exile, but we resonate with the message God sent through the prophet Jeremiah to those who were living in exile in Babylon: “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jer 29:7). As Christians, we are all living as foreigners and exiles on earth, for we are citizens of God’s kingdom. Yet we are called to work for the coming of that kingdom here and now by seeking the welfare—the shalom—of the places where we make our home.
Real life Stories
The book offers stories and prompts for prayer, under six themes:
We long for shalom—for Safety.
We long for shalom—for Health.
We long for shalom—for Attitudes marked by hope.
We long for shalom—for Love.
We long for shalom—for Opportunity.
We long for shalom—for Meaning.
The stories either recount tales told by friends and neighbors, or are composed from scenarios observed by the authors and their colleagues while living among the urban poor in Jakarta. They are stories of children needing safer spaces to play, fires and floods that destroy homes and livelihoods, the struggle against tuberculosis, the love of reading, pressures on families, and discovering meaning amidst all these challenges.
Start praying now …
This beautifully presented booklet is available now for free download.
