A.F.W.I.S.: O LORD, You have searched me and You know me.: Psalm 139 (New International Version) For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. 1 O LORD, you have searched me and you kno...
Monday, March 31, 2014
AFWIS Joins Operation World in Prayer for the Central African Republic - Africa
Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)
Mar 31: Central African Republic
Central African Republic
République Centrafricaine
Africa
See Prayer Information
Geography
Area: 622,436 sq kmA landlocked state in Africa’s geographical centre. Variation from tropical forest in the southwest to semi-desert in the northeast.
Population: 4,505,945 Annual Growth: 1.90%
Capital: Bangui
Urbanites: 38.9%
HDI Rank: 179 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Peoples: 88 (9% unreached) All peoplesUnreached Peoples Prayer Card
Official language: French and Sango (trade language used by most of the population Languages: 82 All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: Christian| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 3,441,190 | 76.37 | 1.9 |
| Evangelicals | 1,453,346 | 32.2 | 2.3 |
Challenges for Prayer
The less-reached. The CAR was one of the world’s most evangelized nations (at least on a superficial level), but the upheavals here and in Chad and Sudan have spelled backward progress in several regions.a) The northern lobe is increasingly volatile and dangerous with churches and missions looted and burned. Pray specifically for the Runga (90% Muslim, 26,000), Sara Kaba (50% Animist, 17,000) and the Gula/Kara (65% Muslim, 16,000). AMI, BMM, Eglise Coopération Evangélique and the Apostolic Church work among these groups, and there is some breakthrough among the Kara. Pray also for the groups filtering in from neighbouring countries.
b) Muslims are increasing numerically on a modest level, but are seeing massive growth in influence and visibility, especially in cities. They have a disproportionately large control over trade and business, including imports and exports. Relatively little outreach is directed specifically at them, and few Christians feel equipped for this. Pray specifically for:
i The influential urban Muslims (Arab, Hausa) and the nomadic Shuwa Arabs and Fulbe/Fulani. The Mbororo are the major Fulani subgroup in CAR. GBIM, Nations en Marche and others are working among them.
ii The increasing Muslim minorities among Christianized peoples. Sudanese influence and Libyan and Saudi money in the form of free education and medical care draw many nominal Christians into Islam.
iii Converts from Islam to Jesus are very influential within their community. Pray for these believers – their potential impact is great.
c) The forest areas. The need is great for adequate research, but there are pockets of unreached among the Bayaka (Pygmy) and other smaller-numbering peoples. Officially, there are 13,000 Bayaka, but some believe they may number several times more. They speak six languages. At least 10 agencies work with them in various ways.
Mission agencies play an important role in education, health and work with children at risk as well as in planting churches, translating the Scriptures and other areas. The largest are BMM, Grace Brethren, InterAct, ELCA, RG. Pray now for greater partnerships between the emerging national mission movements and foreign missions. Both have great talents and gifts to bring to a partnership.
a) Mission vision and interest in unevangelized peoples are growing in CAR and spreading to neighbouring countries. Adonai Missions runs a Bible school in Bangui with an emphasis on cross-cultural missions. Nations en Marche founded a polytechnic school for missionary training and a newly opened Bayaka Bible training school in the forest. These two ministries plus Mission d’Evangelisation Pour le Salut du Monde and others contribute to sending missionaries. Pray that all denominations will send students to be trained as missionaries and that those so trained will not be tempted to become city pastors.
b) Church planting movements. Church Planting Institute (CPI) and PIEVCA encourage church planting movements and local church initiatives all across the sub-region. A stronger emphasis on training indigenous church planters now bears great fruit. Pray for greater involvement by denominational leaders.
For an additional 7 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 Central African Republic.
Daniel 2 (NIV) and Matthew Henry Commentary (Concise)
Daniel 2
New International Version (NIV)
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
2 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. 2 So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers[a] to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king, 3 he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means.[b]”
4 Then the astrologers answered the king,[c] “May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”5 The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. 6 But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.”
7 Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”
8 Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: 9 If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.”
10 The astrologers answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. 11 What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.”
12 This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.
14 When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. 15 He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. 16 At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.
17 Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 18 He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven 20 and said:
“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.
21 He changes times and seasons;
he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
22 He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.
23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:
You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king.”
wisdom and power are his.
21 He changes times and seasons;
he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
22 He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.
23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:
You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king.”
Daniel Interprets the Dream
24 Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.”25 Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means.”
26 The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?”
27 Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these:
29 “As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. 30 As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.
31 “Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. 32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. 34 While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.
36 “This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. 37 Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; 38 in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.
39 “After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. 40 Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. 41 Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. 42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
44 “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.
“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.”
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. 47 The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”
48 Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. 49 Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.
Footnotes:
- Daniel 2:2 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 4, 5 and 10
- Daniel 2:3 Or was
- Daniel 2:4 At this point the Hebrew text has in Aramaic, indicating that the text from here through the end of chapter 7 is in Aramaic.
Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Concise)