On the 12th March 2006, which has been designated as ‘Global Prayer Day For Burma’, the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) has called on Christians to pray for Burma where its people lived under one of the most autocratic regime in the world.
The Religious Liberty newsletters described the Burma military junta as a ‘brutal repressive regimes whose interest is power.’ Further the Burma military is infamous for its gross breaches of fundamental human rights including: “Forced labour, rape, killings, beheadings, the mutilation of bodies and the use of terror squads.”
Currently, Burma ethnic minorities who have large Christian and pro-democracy elements within them are coming under systematic persecution. The biggest minority group called Karen consists of 40% of the population where 20% are Christians.
Today foreign missionaries are expelled while churches have to be government registered. The government sanctions discrimination and even persecution to Christian defending it as ‘in the public purpose.’ It is reported the government actively encourages via funding and arming Buddhist militias to burn down churches and violently persecute Christians amongst the Karen and Karenni minorities.
Despite all these difficulties, the seed in Burma planted by Adoniram Judson (the pioneering American missionary) and Ko Tha Byu who was the first Karen to be evangelised who subsequently went back to his people to spread the Gospel, seems bright.
It is by the grace of God that the word of Judson seems to be immortalized in Burma today where he observed: “A spirit of inquiry is spreading everywhere, through the whole length and breadth of the land.” In Burma today, there are around 4 millions Christians composing 8.7% of the population and ‘the prospects for Burma are still as bright as the promises of God.’
With this in mind, a set of prayer points had been laid out to help Christians be united in prayers with their brothers and sisters in Burma to herald the promises of God to Burma quickly.
The prayer points are for:
• A miracle of peace to Burma, from our Creator God who brought order to chaos and light to darkness, from our Sovereign God who rules over the nations and holds the hearts of 'kings' in his hands. (Isaiah 40:12-26; Proverbs 22:1) May peace, not power, be the heart desire of all Burmese, especially those in positions of influence and authority. And may peace be accompanied by wisdom, justice, grace and reconciliation.
• God to protect and nurture Karenni and Karen believers, forced to live in constant fear and with abject poverty and hardship, as they face brutal offensives from Buddhist militias and the Burma army. (Isaiah 40:11)
• The Holy Spirit to fix the eyes of all Burma's repressed and suffering Christians firmly on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). 'Consider him [Jesus] who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.' (Hebrews 12:3) May Jesus be their strength, direction and hope
• That God will revisit Burma with another special outpouring of His Holy Spirit that a 'spirit of inquiry' will once again flood the land, so deep it reaches up into the high places of government and military power
• That God's Spirit will bring deep conviction of sin to Burma that the killings and oppression might end with repentance and restoration
For more information and resources please visit: http://www.prayforburma.org