Saturday, May 19, 2012
May 19: Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Africa
See Prayer Information
Geography
Area: 1,106,000 sq kmFertile, mountain plateau surrounded by the drought-prone lowlands and deserts of the Red Sea coast; borders on Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya and Sudan. Landlocked since the secession of Eritrea.
Population: 84,975,606 Annual Growth: 2.62%
Capital: Addis Ababa
Urbanites: 17.6%
HDI Rank: 171 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Peoples: 116 (17% unreached) All peoplesUnreached Peoples Prayer Card
Official language: Amharic; majority of the population are able to speak it; English widely taught. Regional languages are very important Languages: 88 All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: Christian| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 51,563,198 | 60.68 | 2.7 |
| Evangelicals | 16,657,376 | 19.6 | 4.3 |
Answer to Prayer
Unity among believers, forged through suffering, continues. The Italian occupation (1936-1941) and Marxist period (1974-1990) saw harsh persecution. Many were martyred, but millions were won to Christ. Evangelical churches in Ethiopia suffered together then and are working together now. Bold and dynamic plans for church planting and evangelism among the less evangelized are being implemented.For an additional 3 Answers to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
Challenge for Prayer
Poverty defines the lasting images of Ethiopia,from the famines of the 1980s until now. Marxist mismanagement and droughts made Ethiopia dependent on hundreds of thousands of tonnes of food aid every year. This dependency continues, unbalancing the domestic economy and undermining local agriculture, and yet tens of thousands die annually of malnutrition. The careless application of aid can do more harm than good. Pray for better harvests, wise economic governance and outside assistance rightly applied.For an additional 11 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
More Information
The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Ethiopia.Exodus 20 (with text - press on more info. of video on the side)
Exodus 20 (New International Version)
Exodus 20
The Ten Commandments
1 And God spoke all these words:
2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
3 "You shall have no other gods before [a] me.
4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
13 "You shall not murder.
14 "You shall not commit adultery.
15 "You shall not steal.
16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die."
20 Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning."
21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
Idols and Altars
22 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites this: 'You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven: 23 Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.
24 " 'Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, [b] your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. 25 If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it. 26 And do not go up to my altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it.'
Proverbs 19 (with text - press on more info.)
Proverbs 19 (New International Version)
Proverbs 19
1 Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse.
2 It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.
3 A man's own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the LORD.
4 Wealth brings many friends, but a poor man's friend deserts him.
5 A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will not go free.
6 Many curry favor with a ruler, and everyone is the friend of a man who gives gifts.
7 A poor man is shunned by all his relatives— how much more do his friends avoid him! Though he pursues them with pleading, they are nowhere to be found. [a]
8 He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who cherishes understanding prospers.
9 A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will perish.
10 It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury— how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!
11 A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.
12 A king's rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.
13 A foolish son is his father's ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping.
14 Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.
15 Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry.
16 He who obeys instructions guards his life, but he who is contemptuous of his ways will die.
17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.
18 Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death.
19 A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty; if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.
20 Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.
21 Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.
22 What a man desires is unfailing love [b] ; better to be poor than a liar.
23 The fear of the LORD leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.
24 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth!
25 Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence; rebuke a discerning man, and he will gain knowledge.
26 He who robs his father and drives out his mother is a son who brings shame and disgrace.
27 Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.
28 A corrupt witness mocks at justice, and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.
29 Penalties are prepared for mockers, and beatings for the backs of fools.
Psalm 105 (with text - press on more info.)
Psalm 105 (New International Version)
Psalm 105
1 Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
2 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.
3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4 Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.
5 Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
6 O descendants of Abraham his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.
7 He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
8 He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.
10 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
11 "To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit."
12 When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it,
13 they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.
14 He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings:
15 "Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm."
16 He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food;
17 and he sent a man before them— Joseph, sold as a slave.
18 They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons,
19 till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the LORD proved him true.
20 The king sent and released him, the ruler of peoples set him free.
21 He made him master of his household, ruler over all he possessed,
22 to instruct his princes as he pleased and teach his elders wisdom.
23 Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.
24 The LORD made his people very fruitful; he made them too numerous for their foes,
25 whose hearts he turned to hate his people, to conspire against his servants.
26 He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27 They performed his miraculous signs among them, his wonders in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness and made the land dark— for had they not rebelled against his words?
29 He turned their waters into blood, causing their fish to die.
30 Their land teemed with frogs, which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.
31 He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country.
32 He turned their rain into hail, with lightning throughout their land;
33 he struck down their vines and fig trees and shattered the trees of their country.
34 He spoke, and the locusts came, grasshoppers without number;
35 they ate up every green thing in their land, ate up the produce of their soil.
36 Then he struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their manhood.
37 He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold, and from among their tribes no one faltered.
38 Egypt was glad when they left, because dread of Israel had fallen on them.
39 He spread out a cloud as a covering, and a fire to give light at night.
40 They asked, and he brought them quail and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out; like a river it flowed in the desert.
42 For he remembered his holy promise given to his servant Abraham.
43 He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy;
44 he gave them the lands of the nations, and they fell heir to what others had toiled for-
45 that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws. Praise the LORD.
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