Prayers by Country, Today’s Prayer

Tuvalu & Tokelau
November 19th

“Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us worship God with reverence and awe, in a way that pleases Him!”

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,(Hebrews 12:28,NIV)

Tuvalu

》 Country Profile

Continent | Oceania
Population | 11,000
Area | 26㎢, composed of nine low-lying coral atolls and islets near the equator in the South Pacific.
Capital City | Funafuti (7,000 people)
People Groups | Total 2 groups, Tuvaluans 99.2%, I-Kiribati 0.8%
Unreached People Groups | 0
Official Language(s) | Tuvaluan, English
Total Languages | 2
Bible Translations | Completed 2
Religion | Christianity 98.8% (Protestant 95%, Catholic 1.5%), Non-religious 1%, Evangelical 23.1% (2,500 people)

》 About Tuvalu

Tuvalu has been home to people for about 2,000 years. Most are Polynesians who likely came from Samoa and Tonga. In 1819, a British ship captain visited Funafuti and named the islands “Ellice’s Islands” after his friend. By the 1820s, Europeans became more aware of the islands. In 1865, Samoan missionaries sent by the London Missionary Society started spreading Christianity. This weakened the authority of traditional tribal chiefs, and Christian culture became a big influence. In 1886, Tuvalu came under British control. It officially became a British colony in 1916 as part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. In 1975, due to tensions between the Polynesian people of Tuvalu and the Micronesian people of Kiribati, the islands separated. Tuvalu became a separate territory and gained independence in 1978. It is now part of the Commonwealth, with the British King as head of state. Pelleti Teo has been serving as Prime Minister since 2024.

Tuvalu is one of the world’s poorest countries. It earns money through fishing, remittances from workers abroad (mostly sailors), fishing license fees, profits from a national trust fund, and leasing its internet domain (.tv). In 2001, experts warned that rising sea levels could flood the islands by 2060. Tuvalu then began planning for people to move abroad. Since 2002, New Zealand has been accepting Tuvaluan migrants through a special immigration quota.
Tuvalu’s GDP per capita is approximately $6,344.

》 Scripture Focus

Hebrews 12:12–14, 22–29(NIV)
12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.
13 “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,
23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?
26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”
27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,
29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”

》 Prayer Points

1. Tuvalu is often called a “sinking island nation” because rising sea levels from climate change may cause it to disappear from the map. Many residents are moving from outer islands to the capital, Funafuti, where they live in makeshift shelters near the coast, often around old U.S. military trenches. Frequent flooding makes farming nearly impossible. Many Tuvaluans have already migrated to countries like Australia and New Zealand for jobs and education. Recently, Australia agreed to issue 280 special visas each year for Tuvaluans. Let us pray that as the people of Tuvalu watch their land sink and face the crisis of losing their nation, they would cry out to God. Let them stop putting hope in things that change and do not last, and instead long for the unshakable, eternal Kingdom of God. Let them overcome the fear and loss of their homeland, and hold on to everlasting hope. Let us also pray that those who have moved abroad will live as those who belong to God’s Kingdom—with joy in serving Him and boldness in sharing the gospel.

2. The phrase “Tuvalu for the Almighty” is written on the national emblem, and the Church of Tuvalu is the national church. Although most people identify as Christians, like many Pacific islands, traditional beliefs and liberal ideas are often mixed in. Let us pray that the church in Tuvalu would awaken—realizing their true spiritual condition, lifting feeble hands and strengthening weak knees. Let them return to Jesus and stand firm again through the gospel of the cross. Let us also pray they do not forget the grace they received, that they would not fall away or become stagnant, but continue to seek God and become a nation that serves Him with reverence and joy.

Tokelau

》About Tokelau

In 1889, Tokelau became a British protectorate, and in 1925, it was transferred to the administration of New Zealand. It is currently a territory of New Zealand, gradually gaining autonomy and developing its own administrative system.

Its economy is limited by its small size (three villages), isolation, and lack of natural resources. Agriculture remains at a subsistence level. Main income sources include copra, stamps, souvenir coins, and handicrafts. Remittances come from Tokelauans in New Zealand, and government funding relies heavily on New Zealand aid, which covers around 80% of the national budget.
Tokelau’s GDP per capita is approximately $6,004.

》 Prayer Points

1. Tokelau is a small island nation in the Pacific with a small population, most of whom identify as christians. However, secularism and nominal Christianity are spreading quickly, and much of the Christian heritage is fading fast. As sea levels rise, many have left the islands and moved to New Zealand. Those who remain face isolation and serious economic hardship. Let us pray that the people of Tokelau will not lose heart in the face of what seems to be a hopeless reality. Let the gospel of the cross, confirmed by the blood of the new covenant through Jesus Christ, be heard clearly once again. Let them put their hope in the unshakable and eternal Kingdom of the God who speaks and keeps His promises, and not lose their joy and gratitude. Let us pray that as they face real threats like climate change and daily challenges, they would cry out to the Lord and be guided by His good and faithful hand.

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