Day 5

MARCH | 2023

Saudi Arabia

PRAYER FOR THIS COUNTRY

Saudi oil giant Aramco lifted the price of its flagship Arab Light grade to Asia for March loadings by $0.20 per barrel to a premium of $2.00 a barrel over the Dubai/Oman average, despite the fact that oil prices have fallen so far this year. That’s the first increase in the official selling prices for Asia, likely reflecting Saudi expectations that demand in Asia will be rising from the second quarter onwards. The move was contrary to expectations in a Reuters survey of four refining sources  in which participants said they expected the price of Arab Light to be cut by around $0.30 for March loadings. It’s also against the Bloomberg poll, in which traders and refiners expected a $0.20 cut from Aramco for next month. Pray for the people and the leaders of Saudi Arabia to realize that the Lord is the judge, the Lord is the lawgiver, the Lord is the king; it is He who will save them and can give them a new life (The Bible. Isaiah 33:22).

Source:

https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Saudi-Arabia-Surprises-Markets-By-Increasing-Oil-Prices-To-Asia.html

MORE ABOUT THIS COUNTRY

As persecution is on the rise, Saudi Arabia moved to 11th position in the World Watch report 2022 by Open Doors for Christian persecution. Mohammed bin Salman is the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, the home of Islam, has outlawed Churches and punished Christian worship for decades. The kingdom’s 1.4 million Christians meet in secret places. According to the human rights report, Saudi Arabia held the presidency of the G20 in 2020 despite the country’s longstanding human rights abuses. The Saudi-led coalition continued a military campaign against the Houthi rebel group in Yemen that has included scores of unlawful airstrikes that killed and wounded thousands of civilians. The majority of the Christians in Saudi Arabia are foreigners who temporarily live and work in the country. They are severely restricted in sharing their Christian faith with Muslims and in gathering for worship, which entails the risk of detention and deportation.

CHIEF OF STATE
King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
HEAD OF GOV.
PM Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
POPULATION
33 million
CHRISTIANS
4.3%
EVANGLICAL CHRISTIANS
0.6%
DOMINANT RELIGION
Islam
PERSECUTION RANKING
14
REFUGEES
70,661
LIFE EXPECTANCY
74.8 yrs
LITERACY RATE
87.2%
POPULATION BELOW POVERTY LINE
Unknown

Day 5

MARCH | 2023

Bhutan

PRAYER FOR THIS COUNTRY

One Christian ministry is involved in teaching Bangladeshi churches how to disciple others. Their heart is to see whole churches capture a missional vision, to be equipped to disciple others in the community in order that small groups multiply, and new churches are born. Praise God for these Bangladeshi men and women who take seriously Jesus’ command to go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Pray that as they obey this in their own communities, in their own nation, many people will come to faith in Christ and be discipled well (The Bible, Mark 16:15).

Source: Christian workers in the region

MORE ABOUT THIS COUNTRY

Known as “the Land of the Thunder Dragon,” Bhutan prides itself on its elevated “happiness” levels despite being considered a least developed country. Rather than relying on Gross Domestic Product as the leading indicator of the small Himalayan nation’s progress, the late King Wangchuk suggested it should examine its “Gross National Happiness.” In South Asia, Bhutan ranks highly in economic freedom and per capita income and ranks low in corruption. It has almost eradicated all extreme poverty and was the first nation to fully vaccinate its entire population against COVID-19. Yet, Christians are sometimes denied employment, free education, and access to electricity and water. Buddhism, mysticism, and animism have dominated the country since the 7th century.

CHIEF OF STATE
King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck
HEAD OF GOV.
PM Lotay Tshering
POPULATION
741,700
CHRISTIANS
1.4%
EVANGLICAL CHRISTIANS
0.4%
DOMINANT RELIGION
Buddhism
PERSECUTION RANKING
43
REFUGEES
23,833
LIFE EXPECTANCY
68.3 yrs
LITERACY RATE
52.8%
POPULATION BELOW POVERTY LINE
12%
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