Category: Africa

Luke 1:37

“For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

Isaiah 40:25-26

“‘To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal?’ says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and see Who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing.”

God has both authority and power over everything. The focus of His omnipotence is the reality that He can do anything He wants to do. He is limited by no one and nothing. Psalm 104 beautifully describes His power using many examples from creation. In the New Testament, the Incarnate Son continues to demonstrate all-encompassing power; indeed, all things are literally held together by Him. He is the Mighty God.

One of the ways the kindness of our God is seen is that He uses His power for our benefit. Psalm 107 illustrates this, calling us to praise Him for the coupling of omnipotence with goodness. Just three verses down from Isaiah’s words (see the above), we read that “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.” The God Who can do anything graciously lends His power to us. Let us – the inadequate but enabled – go forth today in His strength.

1.   Pray for the omnipotent Lord to interject Himself into the life/thoughts of someone who will pick up mail from one of these PO boxes today.

2.   Due to their role in being a stopping-off port in the exploration of the New World, the Canary Islands became an important link between Africa, Europe, North America, and South America. Pray for the One Who is omnipotent over all four of these continents to be honored as so in the life of an individual from each of these four continents who currently resides on Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands.

3.   Los Cristianos (‘the Christians’) has a Spanish Catholic background. Interestingly, the city is now the headquarters for the Islamic Federation of the Canary Islands. Pray for two families, one steeped in each of these religions, to be reached with the gospel of the God Who is so powerful that He can even facilitate change in long-held belief systems.

Galatians 6:7

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”

Psalm 103:6

“The LORD executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.”

In a world where people seem to get away with wrongs ranging from snide comments to great atrocities, it is good to know that there is a just Judge Who will rectify all. His hands are the best place to leave everything regarding vengeance, for only He is wise and capable enough for the job.

The greatest wrong that could ever be committed is sin against that Holy God. He is at once both the Just One and the Justifier of those who humbly receive the gift of His salvation (Rom. 3:26). Accepting the fact that the Son took sin’s punishment on their behalf is the only means by which the condemned guilty may be declared righteous.

1.   An interesting fact to notice from this photo is that both the road markings and side of the road that drivers use are different from the USA. Pray that a driver traveling this highway today will choose the narrow spiritual road that leads to life, coming to the Just One alone for justification.

2.   Pray for the Lord to execute righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed in Osana, and for them to recognize His hand in that.

3.   Pray for any Christians in Osana to imitate their just Father by seeking to be impartial in their day to day decisions, basing those judgment calls on objective truth.

Isaiah 6:3

“And one cried to another and said, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is filled with His glory.”

Revelation 4:8

“The four living creatures…do not rest day or night, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”

Both the Old and New Testaments repeatedly emphasize the holiness of our God. He has made us in His image, yet He stands distinctly other than and above all of His created universe. Because there is none like Him, it is a wholly authentic command for Him to say, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). Nothing – whether tribal spirit worship of nature or American materialism – should be allowed to ascend the throne of our hearts. He is holy. There is none like Him. “He is to be revered above all gods” (Psalm 96:4-5). Amen!

1.   The village of Sagba was sent in by a former missionary as a special request. Pray for the Lord to so impress upon a family living there a sense of awe at His holiness that they will forsake other religious beliefs to turn to the true and living God.

2.   Also in both Testaments, the command is given to “be holy, for I am holy.” In fact, 1 Peter 1:13-16 states that God’s holiness should influence all of our conduct. This starts with girding up the loins of our minds (v. 13). Pray for any Christians interacting with Sagba – whether villagers themselves or others coming there for outreach endeavors – to yield to the Spirit’s sanctifying work in their lives today.

3.   Sagba’s 10-day weather forecast has rain predicted every day, as the rainy season is in full swing. Pray for a person who, in the middle of both a physical and emotional downpour, will look at the hills on the horizon and wonder where help will come from, to be given the gospel witness that help can “come from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” The first verse listed above states that the whole earth is full of God’s glory, so pray that God will use His general revelation to draw this struggling individual to special revelation and the way of salvation.

1.   New Xade had 1,690 residents in the 2021 census. An aerial view of the village is the best photo that Google Earth can provide. Pray for everyone living in the blue-gray roofed houses to hear a clear presentation of the gospel within the next five years.

2.   New Xade began in 1997, when Botswana’s government relocated people from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. This was the largest resettlement program in the country’s history, and another group was relocated in 2002. New Xade was the administrative name for one of two new village settlements, but the plan was for it to be called Kg’oesakene, which means “looking for life.” That name never really stuck, however, and the village has most often been called New Xade. Pray for someone living there who thinks often about life before the relocation 27 years ago, that he / she will find abundant life in the only One Who offers unchanging stability and purpose.

3.   Pray for a government employee who helps manage New Xade’s infrastructure to become an active disciple of Jesus.

Revelation 22:13

Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Mouflan.

1. Pray for someone in this complex to hear a clear presentation of the gospel this week.

2. A mouflon is a wild sheep thought to be the ancestor of modern domesticated sheep breeds. Pray for a shepherd who lives near the city of Mouflon to personally meet the Good Shepherd, and rejoice in His care.

3. The fennec fox is Algeria’s national animal, as well as the nickname for the country’s national soccer team, Les Fennecs. At 7.9 inches tall, the fennec fox is the smallest member of the canine family in the world, and many aspects of the fox show that it is very well suited by the Creator to thrive in harsh desert climates. Pray for any Christians in Mouflon to be encouraged by the fact that their Father has just as thoughtfully given to them “all things that pertain unto life and godliness,” even though they live in a harsh climate regarding religious freedom (2 Peter 1:2-4).

Revelation 21:5

This post was originally published on November 5, 2023.

Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Bata.

1. Pictured above is a sunset view from Bata, facing the Atlantic Ocean. Pray that many souls in this town will come to Christ during the church age of grace, while the light shines.

2. Equatorial Guinea has the distinction of being the only African nation with Spanish as one of its official languages. Pray for someone in Bata to pray in Spanish today to become a Christian, and to find good discipleship materials in Spanish for subsequent growth.

3. Pray for a janitor in the building with the red corner (left side of picture) to meet the only Person Who can truly clean a heart from the inside out.

Isaiah 45:22

This post was originally published on January 27, 2023.

1. Pray for someone who will stand on this street corner today to become a Christian.

2.   Pray that if any believers happen to be in the striped building above, they will yield to the Spirit’s work in their lives to make them more like the Son for the glory of the Father.

3.   Nicknamed South Africa’s “Mother City,” Cape Town is the country’s legislative capital and oldest city. It has also born the names “Cape of Storms” and “Cape of Good Hope.” Pray that someone experiencing stormy times in life will know the truly good hope found in Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:18

Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Webuye.

1. Pray for the children who have come to live at Encouragement Children’s Home to meet the Father Who longs to welcome each one into His family.

2. Pray for God’s blessings in all areas to be on the director of ECH.

3. Pray for the monthly community outreach events that ECH holds to produce much fruit for eternity.

Revelation 4:11

This post was originally published on February 20, 2023.

Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Janjanbureh.

1. Pray for people relaxing on this veranda of the Sitaba Lodge to meet someone exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit, and want that for their own lives.
2. Pray for any couples in Janjanbureh celebrating their anniversary today to know the Lord Who created marriage.
3. The Wassu stone circles are 14 miles from Janjanbureh. Pray for a historian researching those to also find the Biblical answer for the meaning of life here and beyond the grave.

1 Peter 5:7

This post was originally published on January 18, 2022.

Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Dire Dawa.

1. Pray for the people who design and build gates used in Dire Dawa, that they themselves would enter through the straight gate that leads to everlasting life (Matthew 7:13-14).

2. Pray for anyone in Dire Dawa who has lost / will lose a tooth today to hear the good news about salvation this year.

3. Pray for someone selling produce at the Kafira Market to become a Christian, and then be instrumental in leading his family to Christ.

Psalm 96:3

This post was originally published on May 4, 2023.