Frontlines - Missions Central

August 20th, 2021
by Matt Evans

These are dark days for the country and the people of Afghanistan. Extremism has been spreading, food shortages are severe and a pandemic rages. Then the world watched in horror as the Taliban took city after city, the president fled and many scrambled to get out. Now thousands are caught in the crossfire, with fear, heartache and human suffering on the rise. The first and the best thing we can do is to pray. Will you pray for Afghanistan?

Pray for the Afghan Church

For faith – Many believers are being tested. Reports have come in that some have been told by Talibs that they know who they are and are coming for them. Pray that God would sustain and increase their faith. “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might…” (Colossians 1:11)

For peace and courage – Pray for Afghan believers to not lose heart amid chaos and tragedy. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)

For perseverance – Pray for God to give believers not only courage but a gospel-driven, counterintuitive joy in Jesus that leads to deeper faith. Pray that they would not recant their faith, but hold on. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (James 1:2-3)

For boldness – Pray for believers to not only persevere but to proclaim the gospel with conviction, clarity and the power of the Spirit. “‘Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.’” (Acts 4:29)

For unity – Pray against a spirit of judgment or bitterness between those who have fled and those who stayed. Ask that God would purify and unify the Afghan church around the world. “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:2-3)

Pray for Talibs (Members of the Taliban)

For Talibs to come to Christ — We recognize that Talibs are humans as well, created in the image of God, deceived and in need of God’s mercy. Many of them, like Israel, are “zealous, but not according to knowledge.” Pray that God would open their eyes to the lies of Satan and bring them to Himself. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

Pray for the Country

For God to protect the weak — Most Afghans are simple, family-loving people who just want to live in peace. May God protect them. Young girls are at risk of being taken or sold as wives. Pray that God would shelter, hide and protect them. Pray for the fathers who have to lead their families through these situations. “Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” (Psalm 82:4)

For spiritual awakening — Pray that the disillusionment in Islam, their government and the rest of the world would open doors for the gospel in the hearts of Afghans. “He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him.” (Acts 17:26-27)

Pray for Afghans Worldwide

For Afghans in other places — Nearly 6 million Afghans in other places are grieving for their homeland. Pray that churches, Christians and neighbors would love and serve them well. May we would grieve and weep with them. “Weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15)

For refugees — Pray for the 2.6 million Afghan refugees worldwide and especially those who have very recently fled, many bringing little with them. They are often alone, frightened and away from all they have known. Pray that Christians would lead the way in receiving them. “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Matthew 25:35)

For God to make Himself known — Pray that God would come to Afghans in their fear, pain and loss. May He show Himself to them in dreams and visions and call them to Himself through Jesus and His church. “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” Hebrews 1:1-2

Pray for Those Serving Afghans

For endurance — This is a unique time in the lives of those who know Afghans. Pray for stamina and grit to keep long days sitting with, reaching out to, and sharing with Afghans. “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

For boldness — We want to sit and to listen well. We also don’t want to hold back what we believe: that the ultimate hope for every person on the planet, every Afghan, is not political or civil stability, but Jesus. Pray for Christians to be bold with their faith and for God to open hearts to the truth. “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

For new pathways — When upheaval happens, many foreign workers go home or turn to something else. Pray that God would direct His people to places of maximum gospel impact among Afghan peoples. “Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23)

For new laborers — The ultimate hope for Afghanistan is God Himself. The world’s eyes are once again on these peoples the Lord loves. What is most needed for Afghans is the gospel. Pray for God to raise up and release a new generation of laborers for Afghanistan. “Then (Jesus) said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38

Credit for this week's Frontline article is from Pioneer.org. Click here to download the Prayer Guide.

Posted in Missions