Please join millions of others around the world praying for Greece and for Egypt on this weekend of important elections in both countries. Below is an update from Greece received by the WEA to help us all to pray for the great needs of the country.
by Rev. Fotis Romeos
Tomorrow we will be facing- as a nation- the most crucial and critical elections in our modern history. It is going to be crucial because it will determine the short and long term relationship of Greece with the European Union and it is going to be critical because of the difficult financial challenges we are facing as a nation.
There are currently more than 1.2 million unemployed people in Greece. The best brains of the young generation are leaving the country, striving to find a better future in another more promising region of the world. The suicide rate is going up all over the country. Old people see their retirement plan to be cut off dramatically, without having any other means to support themselves, despite their hard work for over 35 or 40 years.
In our small local church, three families are getting ready to emmigrate because of the financial crisis and many others are considering this option as well.
As Nikos Dimou, a well known secular Greek writer underlined in his recent interview for the famous German magazine Spiegel: “Greece is the home not only of democracy, but also of tragedy. The tragic hero is a person who overreaches himself, and violates the natural order of things.”
(You may check the entire interview at: http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/interview-with-greek-writer-nikos-dimou-on-crisis-a-837024.html)
Graffiti in Athens. "Greece leaving the euro zone would be a heavy blow, and not only for Greece," Dimou told SPIEGEL
I would say that we have entered a very tragic period of our history and, tomorrow, we look upon democracy to solve our tragic problem via elections.
To be honest, I do not believe that elections will solve the problems of Greek people, as these problems are rooted deep in our hearts and history. Only if we, as a nation, embraced the principles of God’s Word, would have a chance for the future. The situation in Greece is part of a greater puzzle, as big nations like Spain and Italy are facing virtually identical dramatic financial challenges. There is a global tsunami which could affect our entire world. This is the time that God’s people should stand with a message of hope, a mode of prayer and a movement full of compassionate deeds, serving the needs of people.
We will be having elections trusting that our God may lead our people to use their reasoning and not just their feelings… Greece leaving the euro zone would be a heavy blow, creating a huge domino effect phenomenon all over the world. Many of us, we do not anticipate this because it is not the common interest for most nations worldwide…
However, we do need the prayers of God’s people for our country, for our people, and most importantly, for the small faithful remnant of believers who strive to bring glory to God during these difficult times.
We would appreciate your prayers to focus on the following areas:
- Pray for the second elections taking place tomorrow that the Lord may provide a stable government for our country.
- Pray for the variety of summer programs we will be having, serving young children and sharing the message of hope with many people all over Greece.
- Pray for the short term teams we will be hosting here in Greece and those we will be sending from Greece like trips to Romania, Moldova and Egypt.
- Pray for our coworkers as they are facing the tremendous financial pressure on their families. Taxes are coming and the following weeks are anticipated to be extremely challenging, as the government tries to collect funds from everywhere.
- Praise the Lord for all those contributing towards our ministry needs in Greece. God is faithful and we are rejoicing His daily provision.
- Pray for the churches and their leadership as they are trying to bring the message of hope with words and deeds in our communities
- Keep praying for St. Luke’s hospital and the hundreds of families working hard to maintain the best level of services in the only Christian hospital in the biblical city of Thessaloniki. The public health system of Greece is collapsing rapidly…
- Pray for our emotional and physical stability as the pressure is overwhelming and we are common human beings…
- Praise the Lord for the formation of the Migrant Church Network in the side of Greek Evangelical Alliance. Today we finish one more blessed meeting. Only in Athens we do have more than 70 ethnic evangelical congregations! These people are sharing the same pressures and challenges because of the Greek crisis.
- Pray that the Lord may use this huge crisis as an opportunity for the advancement of His kingdom in our land and region.
We deeply appreciate your partnership in the cause of the Gospel, especially during these critical moments for our entire country and our small evangelical community as well.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Fotis Romeos
General Secretary
Panhellenic Evangelical Alliance
"Rejoice in the Lord always.." Philippians 4:4
Panhellenic Evangelical Alliance
G. Souri 14
185 47 N. Faliro
Greece
Tel (0030) 210 4834 001
Fax (0030) 210 4834 000
www.evangelicals.gr
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