Colorful Canopies

Most traditional markets on Sumatra have canopies. On hot, sunny days they provide shade. On damp, rainy days they keep things relatively dry. Light in the market is filtered through these patchwork canopies and give everything an otherworldly tint – blue, orange, green and so on.

Just as the canopies act as filters that changes how things are perceived, so the peoples of Sumatra have filters of religion, culture and tradition. These filters serve the important functions of giving stability, protection and a shared framework for interpreting life events. They can also become barriers to considering and receiving God’s truth. Many people on Sumatra hear and reject the Gospel because their internal filters distort the message they are hearing and make it unpalatable to them.

Pray for workers to have wisdom to understand the filters of their people groups and to learn how to communicate the Gospel in a culturally sensitive and relevant way.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to work through the barriers of religion, tradition and culture to allow lost people on Sumatra to focus on the truth that can set them free.

Pray for all the people groups on Sumatra to see that receiving the Gospel need not destroy the uniqueness of their cultural identity. In fact, faith in Christ will make them become a more noble expression of their core cultural values, because they will have His power to enable them to do the right things in life.