When the protests began in Egypt and other Middle Eastern nations, World Evangelical Alliance (WEA, http://www.worldevangelicals.org/) and Evangelical Fellowship of Egypt called on believers around the world to pray. We still need to be in prayer because the protests in Egypt, now almost three weeks old, may have reached their most critical and dangerous stage. President Mubarak has appointed a vice president—the first time to do so in 30 years of power—and his government is offering reforms that are not acceptable to the protesters, so the movement continues to grow and demands his ouster. The latest, as of February 10, is that Mubarak refuses to step down as president though he has handed over some powers to his new vice-president.
Two Egyptian prayer leaders that have been affiliated with the IPC walked around Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the protests, earlier today and sensed strongly the presence of spirits of rebellion and oppression. Please pray that violence may be averted on Friday, February 11th, the Muslim prayer day, that is being called the “Day of Martyrs” and in the days to come. May there be an orderly and peaceful transition of power to those democratic reforms and government that the people are calling for. Pray that radical elements such as the Muslim Brotherhood will be stopped from subverting this process and taking power as they did in Iran.
On February 2, 2011, WEA issued a news release calling urgently for global prayer for Egypt that is still relevant:
“The WEA communicated to the Evangelical Fellowship of Egypt (EFE) its concern over the current unrest in the country and asked how the WEA community can effectively pray. The EFE confirmed that the church all over Egypt is united in prayer for the country and called on the church globally to pray with them. Since WEA’s contact with EFE, the situation has become more violent and unstable. Nobody knows what the changes in Egypt will be, but evangelicals in Egypt know that God is in control. Though they are a small minority, they are deeply committed to being good citizens and contributing positively to the future health and development of their nation.
They are asking prayer for:
• wisdom for all leaders in Egypt – both for the present government and for the future leadership of the country
• safety of the young people in Tahrir Square – some of them are Christian; some of them are Muslim. The Christians believe strongly that most Muslims and Christians are united in their common concern for the welfare of the nation.
• peaceful change
• positive outcomes that will benefit the country as a whole and will bring glory to God
• positive impact on the region and the wider world as a result of the change in Egypt”
The World Evangelical Alliance is made up of 128 national evangelical alliances located in 7 regions and 104 associate member organizations and global networks. The WEA is the world’s largest association of evangelical Christians serving a constituency of 600 million people. The WEA is a voice to governments, media, and other faith communities and holds consultative status at the United Nations.
Also, pray for the overthrow of evil that is secretive, deceptive, and subtle that will try to take advantage of the vulnerability of the government and those who are protesting their lack of justice and freedom.