A window of opportunity.
For many years Christians worked and prayed in and for Afghanistan, trusting the Lord to build his church. Prayer teams began visiting the nation to pray. In 1997 a prayer team to Afghanistan symbolically cut the veil over Afghanistan. In another prayer meeting, a believer saw a vision of an open window, with a watch next to the window on the wall. The hands of the watch were ticking off the minutes. The understanding of this vision was, that the Lord was opening a window of opportunity for a specific time, and that the church must grasp this opportunity before the window will close again.
The opening of the window
In 1993 the Taliban, students of Mullah Omar, began their advance to take control of Afghanistan. By 1999 they controlled most of Afghanistan by brutal acts of violence, especially against women and foreigners. Some people taken prisoner by the Taliban were publicly executed.
Then, without warning, on 3 August 2001, eight international and twenty-four local workers from a Christian aid ministry were arrested by the Taliban and charged with proselytising. God used this to trigger a world-wide avalanche of prayer for Afghanistan. Christians from across the world began to pray and the most amazing story of God’s plan, and his faithfulness, began to unfold.
Thirty-eight days after the arrest of the aid workers, on 9 September 2001, Ahmed Masood, the leader of the Northern Alliance, the anti-Taliban coalition, was assassinated. On 11 September 2001, 40 days after the arrest, there was an attack on the World Trade Centre in New York, USA. Two Boeing airplanes flew into the Twin Towers of the WTC and both towers collapsed, killing 2108 people. There was a similar attack on the Pentagon in Washington DC, killing 184 people. A plane was hijacked and crashed near Pennsylvania, killing 40 people. The attacks were orchestrated by Osama bin Ladin and his allies and coordinated by Al Qaeda terrorist organisation.
The arrested aid workers was charged with religious crimes and became hostages of the Taliban. They were now political prisoners of war, used as bargaining chips by the Taliban and Al Qaeda. God, however, used this situation to increase global prayer for their release, and for the looming war against Afghanistan. By 13 September 2001 all foreigners and diplomats in Afghanistan were evacuated to safety. The Taliban moved the hostages to another secret prison to avoid detection by the USA.
On 7 October 2001, 66 days after the arrest, the USA and NATO countries invoked Article 5, and launched a full-scale attack on Afghanistan, with constant daily bombardment. During this time the hostages were constantly moved from one prison to the other to try and conceal their whereabouts. God, however, made sure that someone always revealed where they were. Prisoners around them were sick and constantly tortured. The prisons were filthy. The Taliban constantly threatened to kill them. But God was in control.
From 9-11 November 2001, the Taliban started losing control over the north, the west, the east and the south of Afghanistan. By day 102 of the arrest, on 12 November 2001, the USA and Alliance troops were closing in on Kabul, and the Taliban moved the eight foreign hostages to Ghazni in the south, to escape the advancing US troops. The local aid workers were left in the prison in Kabul. One of them later recounted that a man dressed in white had appeared to him in a dream, and said that he should not be worried because they will soon be released. The night that the Taliban fled Kabul with the foreign hostages, the local aid workers broke the locks on the door of the prison and escaped.
During all the months of being imprisoned the aid workers met daily for bible reading, prayer and worship. They even wrote new songs in prison. God kept encouraging them from the Scriptures, although they feared for their lives as the Taliban discussed to kill the men and to take the women as spoils of the holy war. There was a lot of fighting around the Ghazni prison. The hostages miraculously got a GPS phone and were able to contact the USA army. Half a kilometer away from the prison, was a disused airport. Fighter planes flew over the city. The helicopters arrived but initially had a hard time finding the aid workers. Then suddenly the helicopters disappeared! A few minutes later the aid workers heard a voice: “Do you speak English?”
Finally, after being imprisoned for 105 days, on 15 November 2001, the aid workers were rescued. God proved so faithful. All the aid workers, both foreign and local, were alive. The eight foreign workers were evacuated safely to Pakistan and reunited with their families. In the words of a local Afghan: “Be happy, my heart, for a Rescuer came into this world.”
On 14 November 2001, the United Nations called for a transitional government in Afghanistan. On 5 December 2001, an interim government was formed. On 9 December 2001, the Taliban collapsed and surrendered. On 17 April 2002, President Bush called for the reconstruction of Afghanistan and the window of opportunity was wide open!
Read about the US war in Afghanistan: https://www.cfr.org/timeline/us-war-afghanistan
Is the window closing?
It is not known how many Afghans got saved during this window period, but Afghanistan became the nation that ranks second in terms of church growth!
On 14 April 2021, President Biden announced the complete withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. Emboldened by the withdrawal of US troops, the Taliban resurged and advanced while Afghan Government forces retreated. Cities under Taliban control on 14 August 2021 include Kandahar (south), Herat (west), Lashkar Gah and Ghazni, with heavy fighting in Mazar-i-Sharif in the north and Taliban soldiers advancing on Kabul. Tens of thousands of Afghans have fled their homes to neighbouring countries.
15 August 2021. Taliban forces entered Kabul this morning, after also capturing Mazar-i-Saharif in the north and Jalalabad in the south. Border posts have been ceased. Foreigners are trying to leave the country. Christians are under threat. Women are forced to leave their jobs.
Let us pray!
It is time to pray. While the Afghan window is closing for foreign workers, God has opened a wide door for indigenous Afghan believers in these past 20 years. He will not forsake them. He is the Lord of the Harvest. He is the Head of the Church. He is King over Afghanistan. Jesus Christ will inherit Afghanistan. Let us join our High Priest in heaven as He prays:
For the church to continue growing in spite of all what is happening: “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ” Now therefore, be wise, O kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.” (Psalms 2:7-12)
For the fear of God to fall on the Taliban: “Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord GOD, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?” (Ezekiel 18:23). “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:” (John 16:8)
For Jesus to be revealed even to the Taliban and those who are not saved: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:44)
For God to turn what the enemy meant to benefit His Kingdom, and that all the plans of the devil for Afghanistan will be destroyed: “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)
For the protection of local believers: “and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.” (Romans 4:21); “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith.” (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2)
That all fear will be removed from local believers and that they will be divinely strengthened by the Holy Spirit: “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)
That many unbelievers in the nation would turn to Jesus: “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)
A song written in the Afghan prison and recorded by Trish Morgan. Pray that every Afghan believer will be filled with faith that Jesus is in control and will not forsake them.
Jesus You are my first love, and You will be my last. Forever I sing praises to You. I will praise Your Name, Praise Your Name, Praise Your Name, forever! There is no-one like You Lord. Majestic in holiness! Awesome in glory! I bow down. My Father and King, Father and King, Father and King, forever! Jesus You are my first love, and You will be my last. Forever I sing praises to You. I will praise Your Name, Praise Your Name, Praise Your Name, forever! Alpha, Omega, Beginning and End… Jesus my first love, forever!