Once closed, now open
August 06, 2019
Today we’re traveling on our knees to Albania, a country once considered “closed.” Today we believe by faith that God is at work in Albania through our daily Bible study and through our prayers, even though we haven’t heard much from listeners there.
Fifty years ago this tiny Balkan country was in the deathly grip of a Communist dictator named Hoxha, who systematically imprisoned or executed believers. All practice and talk of any religion was banned. In fact, in 1967 Hoxha declared Albania to be atheistic—the first nation in history to do so. Albania was known in the 1980s as the most closed country in the world. Yet God was still drawing people to Himself. Previous to Hoxha’s regime, several generations of missionaries and faith workers labored there. And quietly, secretly, people still shared the gospel and people came to faith in Jesus Christ.
In the 1990s when Albania began to open, evangelistic efforts began to break down the barriers and share the Good News about Jesus. Today the church exists but struggles to get past the chaos and corruption of the 1990s and 2000s. More than 70% of Albanians follow Islam. Young people see their only hope for a good life as outside Albania’s borders.
Pray for hope found only in Jesus Christ and for God to raise up spiritually mature Christians who can lead others out of their long history of Communism, atheism, or Islam. God is at work in Albania—pray in faith that He would use His Word taught on Thru the Bible to lead Albanians into His peace.
We’re on our knees tomorrow for refugees finding a home in Serbia. We’ll meet right here to pray.