Prayer Fuel
Women In Kyrgyz Culture
According to some web sources, over the past 15 years, the state of women’s rights in Kyrgyzstan has vastly improved in a number of areas. As an independent nation, the Kyrgyz Republic holds a good record for promoting gender equality, the marrying of persons under the age of 18 years old is illegal and education is accessible to both boys and girls. While there are a number of positive things to celebrate and give thanks for, there are a number of pressures and challenges that Kyrgyz women face depending on their age and status within society. It is not possible to highlight all pressures and challenges but one specific area that you can lift up to our heavenly Father has to do with relationships.
Within the culture, there is a big cultural expectation for women to marry early and start a family. While this is not at all bad in itself, there are many cases where women are pressured to marry and seen as failures if they haven’t married and had children by a certain age. In conjunction with getting married and being the ‘kilin’- (the daughter-in-law), in a number of families a young wife, or the newest wife to marry into the family is expected to serve the whole family (especially the mother-in-law) and in many cases has little or no rights. While there are certainly families where there is harmony between the wife and her in-laws, there are countless cases of wives being physically, verbally and emotionally abused by their in-laws and especially their mother-in-laws.
Finally, due to the dynamic with in-laws, it is very hard for married couples to cleave to each other wholly and build their marital lives together without interference from outside. This often perpetuates high tensions between couples, division within the home and in a number of cases domestic violence.
Exalting His Name
Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means “well of the Living One who sees me”). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered. (Genesis 16:13-14, NLT)
Our God, You see all things and know the living reality of each person that You have so lovingly created. You see the women who have been rejected by society or who are looked down on because they have ‘failed’ to live up to cultural expectations. You are the One who sees the wives who are being treated harshly and even oppressed in the home which they married into. Father, you see their pain and You deeply care for and yearn for each one of these precious ones.
Praying for the Harvest
“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and he rescued them from their distress.
He led them straight to safety,
to a city where they could live.
Let them praise the Lord for his great love
and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
For he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things. (Psalm 107:6-9, NLT)
- Pray that the women of Kyrgyzstan would encounter the true and living God right in the middle of their distress.
- Pray that they would find and receive the salvation and healing that can only come through Christ our Lord.
- Please pray that they would experience the unconditional and perfect love of God that casts out fear and never fails.
Praying for the Church
As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. (Ephesians 5: 31-33, NLT)
- Pray for wisdom for believers as they navigate the expectations of their culture in relating to their families while trying to demonstrate the biblical injunctive to “leave and cleave.”
- Pray for flourishing marriages that would point to the mystery of Christ’s relationship to the church.
Worship and Waiting
This time can be an opportunity to sit still, turn on a worship song or ask the Lord if there’s anything else he’d like you to pray for women in Kyrgyzstan today.
Praying by Name
For any of the women on your Muslim friends prayer list, pray that God would reveal Himself and show them HIs compassion and help in the midst of any broken family or marital relationships they may have.
Closing Prayer
Oh Lord, Maker of Heaven and Earth, El -Roi – the One who sees, please would you miraculously draw Kyrgyz women from every type of social standing to yourself. Would you open their hearts and eyes to see you the way that Hagar saw you. Would you meet those who are in deep distress and pain, drawing them to yourself with your unfailing chords of love? Open their eyes to see dear Lord Jesus. Let the name of Jesus (Isa) resound loudly in their hearts and may they thirst for you, seek you and find you. Please let them encounter your life changing love. In Jesus’ Mighty and Powerful Name, Amen.
(Thanks to D for their contribution of today’s prayer fuel.)
Unreached People Group of the Day (Visit Joshua Project for more info on Lyuli in Kyrgyzstan)
Father, please send out laborers, open hearts and begin a movement to Christ among the Lezgin in Kyrgyzstan.
