Pray for Every Nation: Afghanistan

This series is based on the Radical Experiment by David Platt. You can find more information about my decision to join here. If you would like to participate, please let me know with a comment or email and feel free to grab the button on my sidebar. I hope this journey will enrich your prayer life as much as it does mine!

Comparable to the size of Texas, Afghanistan is located among the war-ridden region of the Middle East. This country ends up in the news fairly often, especially since Obama has many of our troops serving to stabilize the country after the overthrow of the Taliban. But the government will never be considered truly successful until they target the root of the problem - the hearts of the 29,117,489 people residing there.

Here are some startling statistics regarding the religious affiliations of the country: (source)
Muslim - 99.85%
Christian - .05%

I knew that Afghanistan was predominantly Muslim, but I did not realize how small our Christian population existed over there. I see a need......don't you?

Because persecution  runs rampant, I am led to believe there may be a lack of public proclamation of Christianity for fear of their very lives. Leaving the religion of Islam is punishable by death, and quite sadly, the murders are done more by family than the government. In fact, this brother in Christ will be hung in only a few days if he does not turn back to his Islamic faith.  

2/28/11 Update: He has been moved to a safe prison and Afghan authorities are feeling pressure to release him.

Here are some practical ways we can pray for the country of Afghanistan:

1. Pray for the strength of the Muslims who have turned to Christianity. Pray for their discernment in sharing their faith, not denouncement.

2. Pray for the mission agencies that may be present in the country. Afghanistan is considered a Restricted Access country, which means we really do not know which mission organizations have workers over there. Pray for the safety of these missionaries who are trying to reach the Muslim population.

3. Pray that the Taliban will not gain back their control and the "freedoms" which are now given to the people will allow for a greater opening of Christianity into their lives.

Take a few minutes today and pray for these 3 prayer requests. God has the power to turn this country around - we just have to make sure we are doing our part.