Praying for Afghanistan

Before you can pray for Christians in Afghanistan it’s important to understand something about them and the situation they’re faced with. These are people who truly understand the meaning of Luke 9:23:

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

They understand that following Christ requires a sacrifice from them. This means that they must set aside everything on this side of eternity so they can enjoy eternity with the Lord they love so much. Herein lies the main reason why we must pray for Afghanistan: the believers there need God’s strength.

What Life Under Religious Persecution in Afghanistan is Like

Unfortunately, Christians in Afghanistan can’t live out their faith openly. This is because it’s considered shameful for anyone to leave the Islamic religion behind. When new converts are discovered they face extreme religious persecution in Afghanistan, even by their own families. In fact, if they don’t flee the country, it’s quite likely they’ll be martyred. Their families believe that doing so is an “honor.” Sometimes these Christians are even sent to a psychiatric hospital because Muslims believe that leaving their religion is a sure sign of insanity.

This is why it’s so important for us to pray for Afghanistan Christians. These Christians continue to practice their faith and live according to the Bible even though they are facing religious persecution in Afghanistan for doing so. For this reason, there aren’t any public churches. Instead, most Christians in Afghanistan either worship alone or in house churches.

Praying for Christians in Afghanistan

We must pray for Christians in Afghanistan because it takes a lot of faith for them to stand strong and believe that God will deliver them from harm. However, it takes an even more radical faith to believe that if God doesn’t deliver them everything will still be fine. This is a level of faith that we in America find difficult to understand.

Faced with religious persecution in Afghanistan our brothers and sisters in Christ aren’t living a life of ease. These people also don’t have an expansive knowledge of theology. However, they’ve lived through difficulties that have deepened and empowered their faith. In doing so they’ve learned what 2 Corinthians 5:7 means when it says that we:

Walk by faith, not by sight

Yet we must still pray for Afghanistan – not only the Christians but also everyone living there.

Pray for Afghanistan and the Situation There

• Pray that God protects and provides for the 38 million Afghanistan people.
• Pray that God will allow Afghanistan people to safely escape the country and safely arrive in new homelands.
• Pray for the Christians who are trying to help these people. May God provide wisdom and guidance so they can continue their work on the Taliban’s rule.

Praying for Military Members and Their Families

• Pray that God will provide peace and comfort for those who’ve served in Afghanistan as there are conversations and images being displayed of this country.
• Pray for the families and friends who’ve lost their lives in the war. Pray that their community will surround them and share God’s love and comfort with them.
• Pray for veterans who are suffering from PTSD that they’ll find the help they need.

Pray for Women and Children (Especially those under religious persecution in Afghanistan)

• Pray for Afghanistan women who fear that under Taliban rule they won’t be able to get an education.
• Pray that the violence and trauma (e.g. rape) would end and that God would protect anyone who’s faced with religious persecution in Afghanistan. 
• Pray that the children will be able to remain with their parents and that their parents will be able to protect them.

Pray for Christians in Afghanistan Who are Under Persecution

• Pray for those who are undergoing religious persecution in Afghanistan and throughout the rest of the world.
• Pray for Christians in Afghanistan to have peace, find strength, and that God will show them who they can trust.
• Pray for Afghanistan believers to be able to find other believers with whom they can connect and fellowship.
• Pray that even though Christians may undergo religious persecution in Afghanistan they’ll know that they aren’t alone – that Christians all over the world are praying for them.
• Pray for Afghanistan that they may have easier access to the Bible.

Praying for the Taliban

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you ~ Matthew 5:44

• Pray that the Gospel will continue moving forward bringing more Muslims to salvation.
• Pray that the Gospel will become more attractive as people lose any sense of security they had in the past.
• Pray that God will give people dreams and visions that draw them unto Him.

Conclusion

Christians in Afghanistan are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Therefore in Romans 12:15, we are instructed to:

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

This is something we should know so that we can understand why it’s so important to pray for Afghanistan. Life under the Taliban will mean that the men and women in this land will be faced with even greater religious persecution in Afghanistan. The Taliban’s only agenda is to cause Christians in Afghanistan to suffer as Christ suffered, thus crucifying them as our Lord was crucified. This is why we must pray for Afghanistan.