Part of the former Soviet Union, Estonia is rapidly emerging into a free market society and is considered one of the most successful post-Soviet economies. Estonia's story of freedom is beautiful; I highly encourage you to watch The Singing Revolution (also available as a DVD rental on Netflix).
Yet all is not well within Estonia. The country has the highest rate of AIDS in Europe, is a major hub of human trafficking, and - most grievously of all - is filled with people who by and large do not recognize their need for God. They don't necessarily follow another religion - they just have no desire for spiritual things at all.
Though only 1% attend church, there is much to praise God for. In an attempt to kill off the church the Soviets closed the churches and forced all believers to meet together instead of as separate groups/denominations. HA - talk about serving God's purposes. They became incredibly unified and revival broke out. Even today, with complete freedom of religion, the church remains tight-knit and unified. A huge need in Estonia is Scripture. There is an Estonian Bible, but it is very expensive and quite out of date. Wycliffe is planning to new translation so with God's help that need will be met quickly.
A missionary to Estonia sent the following additional items for prayer:
Estonia's young people find themselves in a world where materialism is their god. Many of them have an attitude of "no need of or belief in a higher power". They also face a very real potential of getting HIV/AIDS as Estonia has the highest incidences of HIV/AIDS in Europe. God is so gracious in that He has brought the small numbers of Estonian Christians into a unity that is typically unheard of in most countries
Pray for continued unity and for the next generation to
embrace Christ and Christian morality. The Lord has been sending workers
from all over the world in recent month. Pray the Lord of the Harvest
to continue to send the workers.
Let's pray for Estonia together today.
My prayer for today: Lord, Estonia is one of the darkest places in Europe, the new Dark Continent. We are so thankful for what You did during the Soviet days, Lord, but we fear that in the bright economic outlook the people have forgotten You. Lord, we pray for the government to maintain freedom of religion but also exemplify the need for religion. We pray for them to model righteousness and Biblical values. We pray for Your Word to be available quickly and affordably, to fight the lies the enemy is bringing in through cults and other errors. We pray for unity in the church to continue to be a witness to the world, and for the church to lead the way in helping meet the needs of the people of Estonia. Lord, let Your light shine brighter in Estonia and push back the darkness. In Jesus' powerful name, amen.
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