Saturday, January 7, 2012

praying for Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia, Faeroe Islands

We continue praying for all the nations of the world. This coming week we turn to one of the largest populations in Africa – Egypt. Today, Sunday & Monday we will pray for 85 million people living in that land of the Bible stories. Adventists had been working in Egypt for decades with a little impact. Only 750 believers are present in the whole country, many are foreign missionaries. Since 1954 our church operates Nile Union Academy, boarding school trains 135 students from Egypt and Sudan.
Christianity had been present in Egypt from the earliest witness of apostles. The strongest Christian presence has been maintained by the Coptic Orthodox church. However their attitude toward evangelical developments is not the most accepting. Pray for revival and reformation of true Christianity there. Majority of population are Muslims, and in view of recent political developments much prayer is needed that Islam will not take over militantly, but freedom for Christian witness would remain. Egypt is a multicultural country and has the largest in the world presence of Gypsies. Pray for openness to the Gospel among these nomadic people. Special prayer is needed for the upper Egypt Nubian region, Christian until 17th century, when it was forcefully islamisized, the people need to rediscover their Christian roots.
Tuesday we will pray for Eritrea, independent from Ethiopia for 20 years, the wound of civil war are fresh. Coptic Christianity is very defensive of both, Islam and Evangelical churches. Among 5 million there are about 500 Adventists only, whereas in Ethiopia Adventist church counts nearly 200,000. The ethnic allegiance make conversion difficult.
On Friday we will begin three days of Prayer for 85 million of people in Ethiopia, the land that claims strong Christian heritage and even Sabbath-keeping roots, but in need of revival and spiritual reawakening.
Wednesday we will lift in prayer Estonia. A former Soviet republic that gained independence 20 years ago and is focused on rediscovering national identity, disconnection from anything Russian. Adventist church with its Russian roots there is also under challenges, even as other evangelical churches are growing. Pray for wisdom for church leaders to navigate in the pluralistic materialistic postmodern environment.
Faroe Islands are autonomous self-governing territory north of Denmark, striving for more independence. Adventist presence is relatively similar to the rest of continental Europe 1:1000. Pray for the revival among nominal Christians. And pray for the single church of 60 believers in Torshavn.
As you are praying weekly, daily for all nations, I trust your awareness of how large the harvest is grows too. Pray the Lord of the Harvest to make you a labourer!

No comments:

Post a Comment