Prayer Fuel
The Uzbek People
Photo: www.rferl.org
The Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan are a minority group, and have been there for generations. Most of them are located in the south of the country in cities that used to be a part of Uzbekistan. Around 1917 the Soviet Union changed the borders saying that Kyrgyzstan needed to have a more populated southern city. There are estimated to be roughly one hundred Uzbek believers in southern Kyrgyzstan, quite a few being secret believers. Everyone knows everyone in these communities, which makes it more difficult for them to accept Christ. The believers are a very tight knit people group. Accepting Christ means disowning family, relatives–basically everyone you know. Uzbek believers face heavy persecution in the region. This has caused a lot of them to scatter to other regions and countries.
Exalting His Name
Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55: 6-7)
Father, please reveal yourself to Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan today as the God who is ready to show compassion, ready to forgive through Jesus.
Praying for the Harvest
Islam is deeply engraved into the Uzbeks of southern Kyrgyzstan. Due to their struggle with their identity in Kyrgyzstan after the division of Central Asian countries, it is believed that the Uzbeks made Islam one of their main identities. There may be some competition with the Kyrgyz as to who can be more Muslim. This has made them very closed to Christianity.
- Pray for the Holy Spirit to give the Uzbek people teachable and understanding hearts.
- Pray for Uzbek families to be drawn by the Holy Spirit to seek forgiveness, and to understand the adequacy of Christ’s work on the cross.
- Pray that a strong movement of the Holy Spirit will bring entire Uzbek families in Kyrgyzstan into a rich experience of God’s blessing in Christ.
Praying for the Church
Believers have struggled with their Identity. They are treated more poorly by the government/ police despite them owning a majority of the businesses in the south. Though they face community pressures there are several small home churches which provide teaching from the Word and worship in the Uzbek language, available to minister to their communities.
- Please pray for believers to see that Jesus is worth every cost, and for them to truly fear God, Jesus the king of kings above man.
- Pray for protection and courage for the believers living there.
- Pray for teams of believers to do sustained, focused prayer for the Lord to open the hearts of Uzbek family leaders to the gospel.
- Pray for believers to boldly proclaim the gospel.
Worshipping and Waiting
This time can be an opportunity to simply sit still, turn on a worship song and ask the Lord if there’s anything else he’d like you to pray for today for the Uzbek people in Kyrgyzstan.
Praying by Name
You can pray for your friends from the scripture above–may they seek the Lord, cry out to the Lord, return to the Lord and receive compassion and pardon from the Lord through Christ.
Closing Prayer
Jesus, we rejoice in your work in this minority group in Kyrgyzstan. We thank you for your grace extended towards them. We pray blessing over their lives and freedom from the blindness of Islam. We pray for dreams and visions of Jesus among the Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan, and miracles done in his name. We pray for the Holy Spirit to lead them into the marvelous light of the gospel. We pray for believers to walk in their identity and proclaim the truth in the midst of difficult circumstances.
Thanks to K and J for their contribution to today’s prayer fuel, and to Joshua Project for some of the prayer points used.
