Pray for Our World: Estonia

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Estonia is one of the most successful of the post-Soviet economies.  Movement to a free market capitalist society has increased economic growth and foreign investments.  They now have complete religious freedom, which is an open door for Christianity but also for religious error.  Marginal groups such as Mormon have a large influence there, and most Estonians have a very limited Christian faith.

Pray for missionaries and the right tools and resources for the people to have access to the truth and light of Jesus Christ.

Pray for Our World: Eritrea

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Eritrea is a small country in the horn of Africa along the coast of the Red Sea.  War with neighboring Ethiopia, a Marxist government, and severe religious restrictions have kept the country very poor.  Literacy rate is 56%, and half the population lives on less than $1 per day.  All religious groups are banned from meeting and practicing their faith except for the four officially recognized religions: Sunni Islam, Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Evangelical Lutheran.  Even then, there is much religious persecution and imprisonment.  Since 2002, almost all missionaries and foreign aid workers of all religions have been expelled.

These people need our prayers.  Pray that Christian aid and resources will be made available to the people.

Pray for Our World: El Salvador

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El Salvador is the smallest and most-densely populated mainland state in the Americas, and is susceptible to earthquakes.  It is an impoverished nation where many of the people work abroad in the service sector.  The Catholic church vocally opposed the oppression and human rights abuses during the previous wars, and as a result several high-profile clergy were murdered.  Since 1992 the government has become more stable and democratic.  And astonishingly, the number of evangelicals increased significantly during the war period from 2% in 1960 to 32% in 2010.

Pray for the missionaries, church, and Christians who are there, that they may be a light of hope to meet the needs of the people of El Salvador.

Beware in your prayers, above everything else, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. Expect unexpected things above all that we ask or think. – Andrew Murray

Pray for Our World: Egypt

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Egypt is mostly desert.  Only 3% is arable land.  92% of the people are Arab-speaking Egyptians, some who claim to be descendants of the ancient Coptic-speaking people of biblical times.  The church there has endured nearly 2000 years of discrimination and persecution, yet the last 20 years has seen an increase.  It’s hard to forget the 21 Coptic Christians who were beheaded on the beach in Egypt a few years ago for refusing to deny Jesus.

Coptic Christians follow the Greek Orthodox Church and are the largest ethno-religious minority in Egypt, making up about 10% of the mostly Muslim population.  They are probably more closely related to the original Egyptian civilization than the Muslims.  The Apostle Mark first brought Christianity to Egypt soon after Christ’s resurrection, and there was a large and influential Christian movement in Egypt prior to the Arab Muslim conquest in AD 640.  Egypt likes to downplay their Christian heritage but the church still survives there, despite many recent bombings, including the Christmas day 2016 bombing in Cairo.

Pray for the church and Christians in Egypt, that they may continue to persevere in this important and historical area of the world.

Pray for Our World: Ecuador

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The people of Ecuador are in two people groups – about half are Spanish and the other half Amerindian.  They are the world’s largest exporter of bananas.  Ecuador has had an unstable government for a very long time, and are starting to align more with the leftist governments in other parts of South America.  The culture is strongly shaped by Catholicism, and there have been some intimidation and violence against other evangelical churches.  Pray for unity among the denominations and an increase in the spiritual life of all.

There has never been a spiritual awakening in any country or locality that did not begin in united prayer. – A.T. Pierson