Our hearts are grieving for many reasons about the situation in Afghanistan. We grieve over the soldiers who have died, over the disappointment of evil seeming to prevail, and over the danger to Christians and other good people, to name a few.
A church that I know well in Ohio has a ministry partner who helps church planters in Afghanistan (and other -- Stan countries). All of the church planters in their network in Afghanistan are now in grave danger. Some of the pastors’ wives and/or daughters have been raped or abducted by the Taliban. This Ohio church is raising money to try to get them and the believers in their churches (1600 people) to safety.
One of our IBC members called to ask me what Scriptures to pray for Afghanistan. It’s a good question, because when we pray Scripture, we pray in the will of God. Here are two suggestions:
1. Pray the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) and apply each request to the situation as the Holy Spirit guides your words and heart. Pray for God’s will to be done in Afghanistan and also among the leaders of our own country. When you pray for our daily bread, include the hungry Christians and other people faced with food shortages there. When you pray “deliver us from evil (and the evil one),” pray for physical, emotional, and spiritual deliverance.
2. Pray Ephesians 3:14-21. When you pray to the Father, “from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,” pray for families in Afghanistan to come to know the true heavenly Father and have families with loving dads that cherish wives and nurture children. Pray for God’s spiritual strength in your inner being (3:16) even when you hear bad news. Pray that the Afghan people will come to know “the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (3:19). Pray to “Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think” to receive “glory in the church and in Christ Jesus” in this generation and forever.
If you didn’t hear it yet, I highly recommend Pastor John’s sermon on this Ephesians passage from August 29, called “What Do You Pray For?” The link is here:
And as many are asking, “where is our world headed?” I encourage you to invite them to the sermon series that I begin this Sunday, September 5 on “Unveiling the Future.” And, as we study Bible prophecy, let’s join the Apostle John in the prayer, “Even so come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20). He is the hope of our world.
