Day 29
Maldives
In the book of Romans, it says, “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.” Pray that the nation of Maldives will be set free from Islam and that many will become children of God. Pray for Christian Believers not to be afraid of what persecution may come, but that they will be strengthened in the Lord today (The Bible, Romans 8:14-17).
The Maldives is Asia’s smallest country by area and population known for its lucrative tourism industry. It is an extremely closed country, claiming to be 100 percent Muslim, and heavily repressing any Christian influence. Only a handful of secret Believers live in the Maldives. Dozens of Maldivians joined IS in the last decade; the island nation is believed to be “fertile ground for recruitment” to radical Islam. Surprising results in general elections a few years ago saw the opposition leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih defeating the former president, Abdulla Yameen who was charged and jailed on corruption charges. The new government began reforms but has struggled to see any real effective change take place. COVID-19 had a significant impact on the tourism industry in 2020 and 2021 but has shown good signs of recovery in 2022.
