AN AFGHAN PASTOR’S PRAYER FOR HIS COUNTRY

Faced with heartbreaking events such as those in Afghanistan, it is easy to wonder just how we can pray. To help guide your prayers, we look to Afghan church leader Shoaib Ebadi, and he, in turn, prays the way our Father taught us: through the Lord’s prayer. Please pray with us now for Afghanistan.

“Our Heavenly Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. We praise You, Lord. You are a loving God. You are merciful and almighty, God. We worship You.

Thy Kingdom come. Your Kingdom come here in Canada and throughout the world, and Your Kingdom come in Afghanistan. Your Kingdom come in the hearts of people there. Your reign come in that forbidding land.

Thy will be done in our lives, and thy will be done in the lives of Afghans. Your will is perfect. Your will is for us to know Jesus and for us to live in peace. Lord, I pray that everlasting peace through the Lord Jesus will be established in Afghanistan. Your will be done, as it is in Heaven.

Lord, give us our daily bread. Lord, I pray for those suffering in this moment – for the thousands of displaced people in Kabul and other provinces – that You will give them their daily bread and provide for them from heaven. I do not know how; it seems impossible, but You are God. You are God, and we pray that You will give them, and us, our daily bread.

Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lord, I pray that You forgive us. On behalf of the nation of Afghanistan, there has been much sin committed in the past centuries. Lord, I pray that You forgive us our sins.

And also, with a heavy heart, I say that we forgive the Taliban. You know how heavy our hearts are, but this is Your command. Lord, we forgive them. I pray that You reveal Yourself in Your son Jesus Christ, reveal Yourself to them so that they turn from killing and violence. Lord, this is heavy on our hearts, but we give it into Your hand. Forgive them Lord, and forgive us. We thank You, Lord.

Protect us from evil and temptation. Lord, I pray that you protect all Afghan women and girls from evil. People are being oppressed in so many ways, at every moment – even now, in this moment. Lord, I pray that by Your sovereignty, You protect them from evil.

For Thine is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory. Lord, I pray that You establish Your Church in Afghanistan. I pray that thousands will come to know You, and that You use the believers in every province as salt and light – to love, to forgive, and to bring Your peace.

Lord, we give this land into Your hand. Have mercy on the people of Afghanistan. Lord, I pray for all of us who live in the West, that You will help us to share their burdens, and to bear one another’s burdens.

Thank you, Lord, in the Name of Jesus.

Amen.

Pastor Shoaib Ebadi presents Secret of Life, a live Christian teaching program in Dari, a regional variety of the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan. From Afghanistan and now based in Canada, he is also Executive Director of Square One World Media.