Pray for Nigeria0

“See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth.  Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor;  a great throng will return.  They will come with weeping;  they will pray as I bring them back.  I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son.”  Jeremiah 31:8-9.

Population:  158, 258, 917

Capital:  Abuja

People:  Yoruba 22.8%, Benue 17.8%, Hausa 16%, Igbo 14.9%

Urbanites:  49.8%

Per capita GDP:  $1,401 (3% of USA)

Official Language:  English.  All languages:  521

Religion:  Christian 51.26%,  Muslim 45.12%

Pray

-Last week, Muslim extremists shot and killed a Church of Christ pastor and his church secretary in Nigeria’s northeastern state of Borno.  This attach is one of many that have resulted in the death of believers or the destruction of their churches and villages.  Many church members have been displaced and scattered throughout the country.

-Tensions between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria remain intense and violent.  Most of Nigeria’s Muslims reside in the north, where nine states have now imposed shari’a law, whereas most Christians live in the southern states.  Pray for Christians undergoing persecution in the north, that they would respond with love, wisdom, peace and spiritual authority.  Ask that they would be able to freely exercise their constitutuional right to testify about Christ.

-Praise God for the continued growth of the Church!  Evangelicals have grown from 2.1 million in 1960 to 49 million in 2010.  Nigeria’s prayer movement is considered one of the world’s strongest, propelled by a genuine desire for revival and evangelization.  One of the largest prayer movements in history was in the Nigerian city of Lagos, with an estimated 3 million participants.

-Praise God for Nigeria’s first successful transition from one civilian government to another.  Ask for wisdom and strength for its current Christian president, Goodluck Jonahthan, as he deals with deep-rooted issues of corruption, poverty, and conflict.

Information provided by Operation World and Joshua Project.  For more information, go to http://www.operationworld.org/nigr.