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Continues to deteriorate. The Taliban's opium-funded insurgency is advancing. No liberty or
security.
The nation:
for God to graciously reveal himself to Afghanis (Isaiah 65:1) and to intervene to frustrate the ways of the Taliban ( Psalm 146:9).
for God to move powerfully amongst the Afghan Diaspora, so that Afghanis in exile may become the parents, Christians, leaders and nation builders of the future Afghanistan.
The Church:
for God to bless Afghanistan's secret believers and keep them safe so the Afghan Church may live and grow to be an instrument of blessing (salt), transformation (yeast), and truth-giving (light) for the nation.
ALGERIA
Al-Qaeda terrorism escalating. Government appeasing Islamists and state persecution of Christians intensifying.
The nation:
for God to give the government of President Bouteflika the foresight and courage to resist Islamist pressure to Islamise the state and repress the Church. May the repressive, anti-Christian law
on religion be repealed.
for the Holy Spirit to powerfully bless the gospel message of life, hope and salvation as it goes out into a nation traumatised and disillusioned by Islamic terrorism; may Christ bring new life to Algeria.
The Church:
for continued Church growth and perseverance
despite repressive legislation against proselytising (mission) and unregistered house
churches.
BANGLADESH
Worsened since October 2001 due to Islamic
radicalisation.
The nation (which once fought to be secular):
for an honest and just government, and for
the people to resist
the false promises of
Islamists.
The Church:
for God to protect and sustain the small but growing persecuted Church from increasingly
intolerant and often violent Islamic elements.
BELARUS
Appears to be losing the favour of its patron, Russia.
The nation:
that the Holy Spirit will
bring revival to the
Orthodox Church, and a
great hunger for
openness, liberty and
true spirituality to the
masses.
for God to turn President Lukashenka away from
isolation (traditionally sustained by Russia)
towards openness, global engagement and
liberty.
The Church:
that during these days of repression, the Church will grow in prayerfulness, wisdom, grace and unity in the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:3), fully
prepared and sanctified for the days of liberty
ahead.
Transformation under way; emerging
democracy; spiritual warfare expected.
The nation:
for God to bless those who are leading Bhutan from isolated repression into openness and liberty. Pray especially that God will unite the Bhutanese people behind these leaders; may their fears dissolve and may they find so much joy in liberty that Buddhist nationalism cannot gain a foothold.
The Church:
for God to give the young Bhutanese Church great heavenly wisdom, so she may be a wise and sensitive agent of blessing through these days of transformation when many Buddhists are anxious.
Intensive isolation and severe ethnic and
religious repression.
The nation:
for God to give
Burma an honest
and just
government that
promotes religious
liberty and equity
for God to give
Burma an honest
and just government that promotes religious
liberty and equity.
The Church:
that God will protect and preserve the violently
persecuted and hunted ethnic minority Christians.
that the Holy Spirit will take and wield the
gospel message of Burmese Christians so it
penetrates the hearts of the highly resistant
Burmese Buddhist majority.
Wrestling with transformation. Intense spiritual
warfare guaranteed.
The nation:
that God will continue to awaken and enlighten Chinese consciences. May China's pursuit of 'harmonious society' lead
many to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
for God to give the government divine wisdom in
dealing with the immensely complex issues of
such a large and multi-cultural nation. May there
be security with justice, and development with
sensitivity.
that China's a vast network of some 1100 'loagai'
(reform-through-labour prison camps, most used
for forced labour) will be relegated to history.
The Church:
that God will be the refuge and strength of
China's imprisoned believers, healing their
physical and emotional wounds and that the
ever-present Holy Spirit may comfort and
counsel their hearts.
for continued church growth in the midst of
oppression and suffering. May Bibles be plentiful
and may God raise up more Christian pastors
and evangelists to meet the enormous demand
created by nation-wide spiritual hunger. May he
continue preparing the Church for the coming
days of liberty.
for God to reveal himself to the Egyptians (Isaiah 19:19-25) as they struggle with issues of apostasy, religious
liberty, and Islamic
repression. Pray for an Arab Awakening.
The Church:
for Egypt's Coptic and other Christians to grow in prayerfulness, knowledge of the Lord, grace and faith in the midst of hardship and Islamic persecution. May God be building and
sanctifying his Church in preparation for when
revival comes to Egypt.
for Egypt's growing number of converts from Islam: pray for their safety and that they will live and grow in knowledge of the Lord and in grace, and as lights to their nation.
for God to intervene and bring peace, justice and liberty to Eritrea. (Isaiah 59:15b-19)
The Church:
for God to redeem the Church's suffering so that
good may come from evil. Pray for healing and
comfort for those who have/are suffering. Pray
especially for freedom and justice for more than
2000 Christians presently imprisoned for their
faith.
that the fire of persecution will eliminate religious
competition, fix all eyes on Christ, and forge
unity and brotherly love amongst Eritrea's
Christian denominations and individual believers.
Critical deterioration; grave risk. Federal
election due by May 2009 and Hindu
nationalists are gaining ground.
The nation:
for God to awaken Indians to the dangers of fascist Hindutva (militant Hindu nationalism); may he stir Indian consciences and awaken hearts and minds, so that Hindutva, violence and anti-Christian propaganda will be rejected in preference for truth, harmony and liberty.
The Church:
for God to protect India's Christians, most of whom are vulnerable, poor and without 'voice'.
for God to give great heavenly wisdom and courage to evangelists and bless their witness.
for the Church to grow in prayerfulness, casteless solidarity, wisdom, grace and perseverance in the face of suffering — that she
might emerge from the fire of persecution
refined, sanctified, united and glorious.
Deterioration. Government is appeasing
violence Islamic fundamentalists.
The nation:
for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Vice President Jusuf Kalla and all in authority in Indonesia, that they will have motivation, moral conviction and strength to implement justice and
stand against Islamic radicalisation and violence. (1 Tim 2:1-4)
The Church:
for God to frustrate the ways of the wicked (Psalm 146:9) and protect the churches, pastors, evangelists, Christian leaders and all believers in these days of Islamic radicalisation and escalating violence.
for the Christians of Papua, that God will hear their cries and deliver them
from the potentially genocidal effects of
Javanese Muslim domination and military (TNI)
repression.
Critical deterioration and escalating
belligerence in pursuit of regional hegemony.
The nation:
for God to continue
stirring up within the
people a hunger for liberty, justice, human
rights, scholarship,
beauty and truth — things
Persians historically have delighted in. May God
also give them the courage to pursue liberation.
May God intervene to bring down Iran's
repressive, belligerent, apocalyptic regime
controlled by Shi'ite clerics and enforced by
Islamic Revolutionary Guards.
for God to continue moving powerfully amongst
the Iranian Diaspora, so that Iranian Christian
and political leaders might be raised up and
prepared to serve the nation.
The Church:
for safety, wisdom, provision and perseverance for Iran's violently oppressed and persecuted Christians, including a growing number of converts from Islam who face severe persecution and are at risk of public execution. May they shine as stars in the midst of darkness, displaying their joy and abundant life amidst repression, depression and a culture of death and revolution (Philippians 2:14-15).
Continued deterioration: no liberty and no
security. Religious polarisation. Looming
genocide.
The nation:
that God will still the turmoil of the nation (Psalm 65:5-7), frustrate the ways of the wicked (Psalm 146:9) and intervene against aggressors and all enemies of his Church.
The Church:
for God to protect churches, pastors, evangelists and believers from terrorism and from lawless
violence at this time of intensive insecurity when
murder, torture, kidnap, forced conversions and
rape of non-Muslims are endemic. May God be
their refuge, strength and help (Psalm 46).
that in the midst of violence and trauma, the faith and love of believers (including hundreds of thousands who are refugees) will be a witness to all around them: may all suffering be redeemed.
for the furnace of persecution to produce a
Christ-focused Church that is refined, sanctified,
and united in love and truth across ethnic and
denominational lines.
for understanding and
unity amongst
Jordan's traditional
(mostly ethnic)
Christian
denominations and
the growing
Protestants as Muslim
hostility grows. May all Jordan's churches heed
Christ's call to witness (Matthew 28:19, 20), and
to take up the cross (Luke 14:27), and to be 'as
wise as serpents and as innocent as doves'
(Matthew 10:16 ESV).
Historically part of Serbia and the official 'church
lands' of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Now a
self-declared independent Albanian Muslim
republic, recognised by 43 of the UN's 192
states.
for comfort, grace and great wisdom for the vulnerable, Serbian Orthodox remnant in what is now the Albanian Muslimmajority self-declared Republic of Kosovo. Pray for God to be their shield (Psalm 33:20), their refuge and strength, their help in times of trouble, and their fortress (Psalm 46).
for the Spirit of God to generate Christian love and solidarity across ethnic and denominational lines so that Kosovo's minority of Albanian Christians (mostly evangelicals) might bring glory to God through demonstrations of
courageous, sacrificial brotherly love and
Christian solidarity.
for an end to the severe Communist oppression of Christianity, and the Lao government's genocidal campaign of terror against the Hmong (a pro-West, largely Christianised ethnic minority).
that rights-affirming nations will use their
influence to leverage human rights reform and
religious liberty in impoverished Laos.
For God to bring spiritual awakening and moral conviction to the dominant, majority ethnic Lao, so they might be instrumental in bringing change to Laos.
The Church:
that Christians (mostly ethnic minority Khmu and Hmong) will be sustained, kept safe, and blessed with faith, peace, assurance of God's love and
presence.
for healing for all those who those have been tortured, beaten, or attacked by the military, especially the Hmong who have been attacked with chemical weapons ('yellow rain'), butchered, starved and driven into exile where there is still no refuge. May God uphold and preserve them, raise up voices on their behalf and deliver them from evil.
for Christians across all
levels and fields of
society to find unity in
what is true, just,
righteous and God-glorifying;
and may they
have the courage to
stand for these principles in spite of the terrifying
opposition. May God protect and preserve his
witness and empower his Church as
peacemaker, light-giver and healer. May
Lebanon know the LORD (Psalm 87:4) and
rejoice (Psalm 29:6).
for God to continue
working in the hearts
of Malaysians,
drawing them towards
openness, progress
and liberty, so that
decades of 'creeping Islamisation' might be
reversed.
The Church:
for God to raise up Christians of great courage
and conviction to speak with wisdom and grace
in these days of searching and questioning.
for King Mohammed
VI and the elected
government in
Morocco to persevere
with reforms: may
they be instruments in
the hand of God for his good purpose so that
religious freedom may become a reality.
Transformation under way; emerging
democracy; spiritual warfare expected.
The nation:
for God to intervene in
Nepal as the new
government writes a
new constitution and
leads the nation into
openness and religious
liberty. Please pray for the government to have
wisdom and sensitivity in pursuit of justice,
equity and peace. Pray for the people to be
united across ethnic and religious lines, and that
they will find so much joy in liberty that they will
not be tempted by Hindu nationalism.
The Church:
for God to give the Nepalese Church great heavenly wisdom, so she may be a wise and sensitive agent of blessing through these days of transformation.
that state, community and religious leaders will have hearts committed to peace, liberty and justice; may they have the wisdom and strength to prevent sectarian tensions and clashes.
The Church:
for God to protect and sustain the Christian minority in northern Nigeria where Islamic Sharia law heightens Islamic zeal and leads to crippling discrimination, repression and violent persecution.
may God give the free and often prosperous
Christians of southern Nigeria a deep burden for
their persecuted and usually impoverished
brothers and sisters in the north; may this be
evident in fervent, unceasing prayer and
sacrificial generosity. (Isaiah 58:5-7)
Severe persecution. However, belligerent
North Korea seems to be losing some of the
support of its patron, China.
The nation:
for the Spirit of Christ to infiltrate the nation, bringing in his gospel and power, through cracks that God will make and doors that God will open, or through supernatural means like dreams and visions. May Christ bring justice, righteousness, healing, comfort, abundant life and salvation to the people, freedom to the prisoners, and healing to the land. (Luke 4:18,19)
for God to move North Korea away from isolation
(traditionally sustained by China) towards
openness, global engagement and liberty.
for the Spirit of God to direct Chinese and South
Korean authorities as they formulate policy
initiatives aimed at improving conditions and
hastening reforms in North Korea.
The Church:
which exists mainly in horrendous prison labour camps as well as in underground, secret house-churches and in exile, that these most cruelly abused believers will be preserved and strengthened in their faith and hope by the ever-present Holy Spirit.
Critical deterioration; grave risk. Northwestern
tribal areas are largely under al-Qaeda-
Taliban control. The Taliban is advancing and
terrorism is escalating.
The nation:
for the government and the Army to have the will and courage to defeat the Taliban and al-Qaeda in the north-west, and confront intolerant, regressive Islamic fundamentalism.
for the present troubles to cause Pakistani
disillusionment with Islam to increase and be the
catalyst which would enable decades of
Islamisation to be reversed.
The Church:
for God to protect Pakistan's Churches and
individual believers from Islamic terrorism. Pray
especially for the small, vulnerable Christian
communities living under Taliban rule and Sharia
law in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas
(FATA) of North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
for God to bless all Christian witness in
increasingly hostile and insecure Pakistan. May
Christian grace and hope be instrumental in
leading many to Christ.
for God's Holy Spirit to infiltrate, bringing a powerful spiritual awakening, supernaturally turning the people's hearts away from the culture of death, hatred and violence that has enslaved so many, towards life, hope and peace. Pray for an Arab Awakening. (Luke 1:37 'Nothing will be impossible with God'.)
for God to open the hearts of Muslim Arabs to
receive the gospel (Acts 16:14), the message of
Pentecost that was given to them 2000 years
ago (Acts 2:11).
The Church:
for God to protect the Christians living in the PT, in particular in Hamas-ruled Gaza, as resurgent, intolerant, militant Islamism replaces Arab nationalism and threatens the existence and future of Christian churches, businesses, homes, livelihoods and families.
for God to grant the Christians of the PT great heavenly discernment and wisdom with great grace and courage so they might demonstrate the gospel truth to their Muslim neighbours,
particularly that through the Cross of Jesus
Christ the two (Jew and Gentile) can be one. (Ephesians 2:15b-16)
for God to protect Christians living in Gaza—which is ruled by Hamas whose patron is Iran— where resurgent, intolerant, militant Islam
threatens the existence and future of Christian
churches, businesses, homes, livelihoods and
families.
Continued risk of unrest and terrorism in Muslim
south.
The nation:
for God to give
the government
great wisdom as
it negotiates
peace with the
south's ethnic
Moro Muslim, so that religious liberty is not
undermined. Pray for peace and for Islamic
terrorism to end.
The Church:
for God to bless the pastors and evangelists of Southern Philippines with wisdom, grace and strength as they risk their lives to witness for Christ in frequently hostile Muslim communities.
Protestants under pressure due to geopolitical
issues.
For the Holy
Spirit to
bring
reforming
revival to
the Russian
Orthodox Church, and for wisdom, grace and
boldness for the growing Protestant minority.
May Russia's churches be united in truth and in
commitment to mission, because Russia faces
profound challenges: fundamentalist and militant
Islam; emerging fascism; escalating materialism;
drug addiction; alcoholism and HIV-AIDS; as
well as the widespread hopelessness and
listlessness that are lingering consequences of
decades of violently imposed atheistic
Communism.
Principal worldwide disseminator of
intolerant, jihadist, Sunni Islam.
that God will give wisdom to Christians in Saudi Arabia—virtually all expatriate workers—to know how to share the gospel and worship without unnecessarily endangering lives; may they be protected from Islamist terror and may the gospel spread in spite
of all the obstacles.
for God to continue to empower and bless those
gospel radio and satellite ministries that are
reaching right into Saudi homes and hearts and
doing the unthinkable: leading Saudi Arabs to
Christ.
for God to intervene and bring the cleric-administered,
state-funded (by oil) national
industry of global dissemination of anti-Semitic,
anti-Christian, pro-jihad and pro-Sharia
Wahhabist Islamic ideology to a decisive end.
Continued deterioration due to jihad. No
security.
for God to protect
and sustain
Somali
Christians: those
living in lawless
war-ravaged
Somalia; those in
Ogaden (Ethiopia); and those who are refugees
in Yemen and Kenya and elsewhere. May they
live and grow in grace and faith.
for many in the Somali Diaspora to receive
Christ and the education they need to return to
Somalia one day as community and church
leaders.
Serious deterioration as civil war resumes and
fuels Buddhist nationalism.
The nation:
that God will protect Sri Lanka from the schemes of Buddhist nationalists, so that Christians may serve the poor and needy,
and so Sri Lankan Christians may witness and
worship with liberty and security.
that the authorities will reject hostile anti-Christian militant Buddhist nationalism. May they
uphold the law, defend the weak and respect the
constitutional guarantee of religious liberty.
The Church:
that God will protect and bless his servants as they minister, teach and evangelise in an increasingly dangerous and hostile environment. May the Church continue to grow and provide blessing.
for God to empower the Church as a peacemaker
and light of truth, in the midst of dark civil
conflict.
Religious fault-line nation at grave risk of
disintegration and war.
The nation:
for God to effectually call Christian humanitarian workers across the world—engineers, entrepreneurs, teachers, health-care workers and more—that they may provide all the humanitarian assistance needed for rebuilding the south after decades of destructive jihad.
for the Spirit of Christ to infiltrate and transform the Muslim Arabs of Sudan, softening and
enlightening their hearts and turning them
towards peace and progress.
The Church:
for God to raise up leaders amongst the South Sudanese, in churches, local communities and government. May the church be an instrument of unity, strength, vision and blessing.
for spiritual wisdom for all Sudan's pastors and Christian leaders who serve and minister daily to
a traumatised people who have no desire to
return to war.
Worsening due to escalating Islamic radicalism
and Turkish nationalism.
The nation:
for Turks and Kurds to
resist the pull towards
intolerant Islam and ethnic
nationalism.
for anti-Christian, anti-'missionary', anti-'foreign' and anti-Western propaganda to be exposed as
false and destructive. May it be profoundly
rejected in preference for equity, liberty, peace
and progress.
The Church:
for strength to endure and great wisdom to know how to handle persistent discrimination, harassment, media disinformation, incitement, and increasingly violent persecution.
for increased freedom and security for churches, gospel distribution and prayer ministries.
Under new President after decades of severe
repression.
The nation:
for God to give
President
Berdymukhamdov the
wisdom, foresight,
confidence and courage to keep moving Turkmenistan in a
positive direction one step at a time. May
religious liberty become a reality.
for the Spirit of God to generate a great hunger
in Turkmenistan for openness, liberty and
spiritual truth.
The Church:
for God to give the young, persecuted Church great wisdom so she may negotiate the new Turkmenistan strategically. May God help Turkmenistan's Christians to grow in grace, knowledge and maturity, so they might radiate hope and be ready to share and be a blessing to their hungry nation.
Threatened by revolutionary and militant Islam.
Protestants persecuted primarily for geopolitical
reasons.
The nation:
for Uzbekistan's
relationship with the West
to be repaired and
developed for the
advancement of religious
liberty. Pray especially for
Uzbekistan-European Union ties to promote
confidence and liberty.
The Church:
for God to grant the small, young Uzbek Church comfort, grace, strength and wisdom from the Holy Spirit to stand firm and move forward in faith as persecution mounts against it from both the radicalising Muslim community and the
embattled, embittered government.
for God to bring religious freedom to Vietnam so the Church can minister, serve and witness in freedom and security.
The Church:
for God to heal, comfort and sustain Vietnam's
oppressed, persecuted and imprisoned believers
and their families. May the Church displaying the
refreshing righteousness of Christ in the midst of
a nation struggling with corruption, dictatorship
and injustice (Philippians 2:12-14).
Critical deterioration in 2008. Government
moving against 'missionaries' and 'apostates' for
political gain.
for God to protect,
sustain and encourage
the growing church as
it emerges into a state
riddled with Islamic
fundamentalism and
destabilised by Sunni
vs Shi'ite conflict.
Continued deterioration; grave risk of increased
repression.
The nation:
for God to
intervene in the
political process to
bring peace,
security and good
governance.
that the regime of
Robert Mugabe will stop interfering in and
politicising the Church. May all regime-appointed,
corrupt, persecuting, puppet-priests
be removed.
The Church:
to have great wisdom as it seeks to serve the
nation as peace-maker and healer. May
solidarity across tribal and denominational lines;
conviction regarding to truth and righteousness;
and courage and integrity amidst persecution
mark the Church in these dark days.
to emerge from these days of fiery trial, refined,
united and sanctified - all prepared for the great
days of healing and spiritual blessing ahead.