[Ramadan 2024 Day 6] The heart of the nations that will complete the final revival along the Silk Road, Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan means "a nation with its own king" and "an independent nation not ruled by other nations”. It is part of the Turkic Belt, the least evangelized region in the world, and is located in the heart of Central Asia. With a population of over 35 million people, Uzbekistan is the most populous country in Central Asia and is home to around 120 ethnic minority groups, and was once a center of the Silk Road, where trade, as well as religion and culture, flourished. The Uzbek people have long practiced folk Islam, a combination of folk beliefs and shamanism, and while most do not know much about the Qur'an (Islamic Holy Book) and do not pray, they nevertheless consider themselves Muslims.

After the country’s economy become more difficult due to the COVID pandemic, many young people, out of the poorness of their hearts, have turned to watching videos about the Day of Judgment or the Qur'an, while others are indifferent to spiritual things and have been filling their empty hearts with material things. There have even been incidents of people jumping into the subway train because they can't bear the starkness of this reality.

But all the people, are trying to keep the fast and accumulate good deeds during Ramadan to wash away their sins. Taxi drivers fast without even swallowing their own saliva, which led to a higher rate of road accidents during Ramadan last year due to speeding.

The Uzbek nation has very strong family ties and kinship. Generations of Uzbeks have passed down their traditional culture, and they recognize and follow Islam as the religion of their family and nation. As a result, practicing a religion other than Islam is the same as being expelled from the family and the uprooting of one's identity. In this social climate, Uzbek Christians who make a decision to come to faith during Ramadan are often forced to consider returning to Islam because of the persecution they face from family and relatives.

Thankfully, however, there are some Uzbek Christians who confess that they will be even more vigilant during Ramadan, fasting and praying for Muslims. One brother confessed, “The people of Uzbekistan are friends of faith who will take their leper friend to Jesus to be healed by any means necessary!" As this brother confessed, may the Christians in the land of Uzbekistan be used as channels of the gospel with strong faith, conquering fear with the love of the Lord. Amen!

It has been 30 years since Uzbekistan gained independence and the mission history of Uzbekistan has also been about 30 years. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Uzbekistan experienced a remarkable revival for nearly a decade as the Korean church intensively ministered to the nation during the Great Depression. However, as the religious laws were tightened, missionaries were deported, and strict monitoring and persecution of churches caused Christians to be scattered, making it difficult to keep the faith. Nevertheless, there are faithful Christians and churches that God has left behind.

At 0.02%, Uzbeks have one of the lowest evangelization rates in Central Asia, and because of their long-standing sense of ethnic community, traditions, and deeply rooted Islam, Uzbeks are like a man with two hands and two feet tied, unable to come to Jesus on their own without someone helping them.

And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:4-5)

But when we give our faith and lead the Uzbek people to the Lord like the four friends, the Uzbek people will become like the four riends to save all nations! Sister L was a Muslim by birth, but she accepted Jesus after hearing the gospel through a friend. She faces difficulties from her family, work, and society, but she confessed, "Jesus had nowhere to put his head. Like Jesus, I too have nowhere to put my head, so I am thankful to follow Jesus." Sister L and her friends served Middle East Asia as student missionaries, and the young people who met Jesus through them became a church in Middle East Asia.

Hallelujah! The Uzbek people are the heart of all nations, who will embrace, comfort, and revive other suffering and persecuted nations. The Uzbek people, together with the peoples of Central Asia, will save all nations! Especially during this Ramadan, there is a gathering of believers from all over Central Asia for worship. For the first time, gatherings are being organized according to each generation. Lord, would you pour out your promised Holy Spirit upon Central Asia and Uzbekistan! Raise up those who will not turn back in the face of any hardship or persecution in these end times, but may they prepare for your coming with all their lives! Would you raise up all our brothers and sisters who have been scattered in small numbers, keeping their faith alone, and may they break their fears and stand together in faith! Rise up! The CRAZY 2% who are crazy about Jesus who will save the nations!

[Today’s Prayer]

1. God, who has given life to the Uzbek people, may their thirst for the truth be satisfied in Jesus alone! May a people arise from all regions of Uzbekistan, not deceived by lies, but who respond to the truth. In the name of Jesus Christ, all fears and lies, which deceive and mislead people and blind them to the truth, depart from the Uzbek people! All the humanism that makes people prove themselves by their works, depart from Uzbekistan! May the gospel of life give life to the children of God, and may strong churches be planted, whom the gates of Hades shall not prevail!

2. For the Uzbek Christians, strengthen their faith especially those who have recently come to faith in Jesus! May they see the power of God's love conquering all fears and setting them free! Would you add to the boldness among Uzbek Christians during Ramadan so that they can clearly confess Jesus as the Christ in the midst of Islamic customs and surrounding pressures! Through their confessions of faith, would you bring their families and the Uzbek nation back to You!

3. Through this generation gathering in Central Asia during Ramadan, would you raise up those who will not turn back in the face of any hardship or persecution in these end times, but will prepare for the Lord’s coming with all their lives! God has placed stump-like Christians in this land and through them He is showing us what an army crazy about Jesus will be like. They are struggling to meet daily needs and are facing persecution from unbelieving family members, but they are pushing through and running to bring the rest of the body to life. Through the generational Central Asia gathering, rise up CRAZY 2%, the crazy army that will save the nations! Let Uzbekistan be the heart of all nations, saving all peoples who do not know Jesus!