Afghanistan remains in a very challenging and dangerous situation. Below is an update and prayers points from someone who is “boots on the ground.” Let’s continue to cover this nation and its people in a blanket of prayer!

1.  …August 31, was the deadline set by the Taliban for all evacuation efforts to be finished, but there are an estimated “100,000 in imminent danger” at the hands of the Taliban or other terrorist groups, including hundreds of Americans and other expats as well as tens of thousands of Afghans who served the last government or the US and NATO militaries. **Pray for a canopy of God’s protection over all left behind. As Bro Andrew, the renowned “God’s Smuggler” prayed, “Blind their eyes”—a very appropriate way to pray for various ground operations going on at this moment to get high risk Afghan ministry leaders and believers out of the country now that flights are no longer operating. **Pray for Taliban checkpoint and border guards to be blinded and distracted and to just wave them all through. May the Believers have perfect peace, trust and rest in His presence as their vehicles move across the country to hopeful safety. **Pray also for great favor with officials of surrounding nations to let them through. Getting visas if necessary and finding safe refuge on other side of borders are also important concerns.

View Comments (8)

2. Effective, well-coordinated rescue efforts by several organizations.  **Pray for unity and clear communications and that all these efforts can flow together in trust, patience, wisdom, and loving care, for one another as well as the many people they are trying to serve. May resources and contacts be shared discreetly, yet also unselfishly. Some have money and others helpful contacts  but no money. Millions of dollars are needed to finance expensive extractions and cross-border refugee care. 

3. About 30-40% of Afghan believers (my estimate according to what I have heard) want to stay and continue to share Jesus with their people, possibly at the cost of their lives. Dozens have already paid this price in their witness for Christ. **Pray for those remaining to be bold, courageous, and wise in their ministries, and also that they can find safe places to stay all across the country. More such secure places are needed now. 

4.  This whole ill-advised, haphazard pullout of U.S. and NATO forces has caused a “geopolitical catastrophe” as one knowledgeable commentator put it. China will now utilize its alliance with Pakistan and the Taliban, and possibly with Iran and Russia, for its “Belt and Road Initiative” to connect nations across Central Asia. One thinks of that passage in the book of Revelation describing enormous armies of many millions coming from the East to Armageddon. Could this be a preparatory move for such a development in the prophetic calendar for our world? **Let’s pray for the expansionist efforts of China, Russia and Iran to be blocked and thwarted and that they will be stopped in confusion and disunity.

5. **Pray that the Prince of Persia will be bound….**Pray that the Body of Christ in Afghanistan and worldwide will push back in the Spirit against the evil powers of death and destruction and that the Taliban, ISIS and Al Qaeda will be restrained from carrying out the bloodbath prompted by the demonic ideology of mass murderer Mohammad.

6. The Taliban and Muslims from that whole region are celebrating what they think is the defeat of the U.S. and its allies. **Pray for dreams, visions to grip them and for the Gospel to go to them, delivering from darkness to light as Saul became Paul in Acts 9. 

7. For the U.S.A. whose government bears so much blame for this horrible fiasco–how we need new, strong and upright leadership in the executive and legislative branches, Department of Defense and Pentagon. **Let’s ask the Lord to clean the house, removing all wicked, deceitful, self-serving politicians and bureaucrats, giving America a new beginning. May “wokeness,” Critical Race Theory and other manifestations of Marxism be rejected and overthrown throughout society and the government. 

Derek Prince, that superb British Bible teacher so aptly emphasized how crucial our prayers are in such a situation:

“Satan seeks to control the empires of earth through its rulers in order to make its leaders and governments instruments of his will. We must pray for our governments in order to frustrate Satan and to bring our governments under heaven’s control…Before you pray for the sick, the missionaries, the evangelists, even your family…pray for the government…

**Finally, let’s not be controlled by negative news reports but turn them into prayers of faith for the Lord’s intervention and transformation. His bottom-line is the salvation of all concerned.

Please pardon me for a longer update than usual. Thanks for your patience and especially for keeping Afghanistan, its people, and all involved in this ongoing rescue operation in your prayers. 

Yours in Christ,

John Robb

(Photo Credit: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images).