Day 20
Brunei
Father God, we pray for Brunei today. This nation has so much wealth that it rarely needs much. And yet, wealth can still make people feel like they want more or don’t have enough. So we pray for the right motivations to lead the way in how the government leads the nation, and in how Christian leaders lead the Church. We pray for a revival in the corporate prayer life of the Church in this nation so that they will intercede with the right motivations and find that their prayers are answered (The Bible, James 4:3).
Brunei has boasted a small but prosperous economy. Its wealthy standard of living surely contributes to the wild popularity of its sultan who provides free health care, housing, and education to his countrymen. The nation has begun exploring alternative sources of income as it foresees its oil reserves running out. Sharia (Islamic) law was fully implemented in 2019. The enormous international backlash against the death penalty by stoning for homosexual acts resulted in the Sultan reneging and claiming the death penalty will not be applied, but concerns about the fate of Christians in the country remained out of the spotlight. Propagating any other religion than Islam is illegal.
Day 20
Lebanon
Lord, we pray for unfaithful Church leaders, the adulterous people, who don’t know that friendship with the world means enmity against You. Make the New Testament Churches realize that the Church is like a bride. It is the bride of Christ. We pray for those who do not love God as they should. Instead, they love the things of the world. We pray for Christian Believers who are drawn away from You by desire for wealth, power and pleasure that governs those of the world. Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of You. Let not people turn away from you and do things that oppose You (The Bible, James 4:4).
Michel Aoun is the president of the Lebanese Republic and the head of state of Lebanon since 31 October 2016. The current prime minister is Najib Mikati, having taken office on 10 September 2021. Lebanon has suffered profound economic problems. The value of its currency has plummeted. Ramifications of the pandemic and its explosion in Beirut have added to the ongoing crisis. Unemployment and inflation have soared. Political turmoil continues. The emigration of Christian nationals is expected to heighten. Believers fleeing persecution in neighboring countries have commonly sought new beginnings in Lebanon, but the inability to find employment increasingly drives them to leave the MENA region. Christian organizations struggle to support destitute believers. In addition to Lebanon’s political and financial woes, another major challenge the country faces is the issue of refugees and the religious imbalance their presence represents.
