Praying

By now, I think most of us are aware of the South Korean Christians being held hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Today a friend in Afghanistan passed on some suggestions for prayer, so I post them here for anyone who wants to join this brother and Christians around the world in praying to our great God. He writes:

- Join our Korean brothers and sisters in asking that above all, God will be honored and glorified through what has already happened and all that will take place over the coming days. Ask for a revival in this land as well as in Korea. (Phil 1:18-21)

- Pray for strength, perseverance, and faith for those in captivity. Pray that their faith may not waver. Pray for boldness, joy, and patience. (Ephesians 3:14-20)

- Many, if not all, of those being held are suffering from health problems. Two of the young ladies are very sick and will likely die soon if they don't get medical treatment. Pray that God will heal them and sustain them. Those of you who have visited Afghanistan before know how easy it is to get sick even when you drink clean water and eat good food. Knowing that these brothers and sisters have likely not had clean drinking water at all and likely don't have much food or any medicine, I imagine most of them are suffering greatly.

- These hostages have unexpected access to a very dark group of people that have likely never been around true believers. I'm sure they are praying, singing, and worshiping as often as possible. Ask that their testimony will soften the hearts and touch the lives of their captors. May they know that there is something incredibly different about the people they are holding.

- Pray that the Holy Spirit will protect each captive's mind and spirit during this ordeal. As they are faced with day after day of fear, uncertainty, and death, pray that this won't have a lasting effect on their hearts and minds.