Myanmar: What Can We Do?

It is a spiritual battle. Make no mistake about it. Any progress – yes, any progress that happens for the sake of the Kingdom comes only because of prayer, not because of our strategies, plans, or activities. Yes, we can and must plan and act, but the success comes from God’s power, not our actions alone. (See Daniel 10:1-14 and Ephesians 6:10-20 for just two of many biblical examples of this truth.)

It is through this lens that we must look at the country of Myanmar (or Burma as it used to be called). They have suffered one of the worst tragedies in recent history. As of today, over 22,000 are known to have perished and many believe the death toll may easily reach 60,000 or even higher. Yet in the midst of such utter devastation, the military government continues to cling to power. They had a two day warning that the cyclone would hit, yet they did virtually nothing to warn or prepare the people. Today as many as 3 million are homeless, yet the government denies visa permits and hinders the swift assistance of international aid for those in need.

What would cause a government to be so willing to let their people suffer? The obvious reason is their desire to maintain power and control over the people. It is why they reacted so violently against the protests last August. But the issue is deeper than that. It is a spiritual darkness that keeps them from showing common human decency and allowing free access to foreign aid during this crisis.

What will change this? Political pressure and world opinion really don’t matter much. Threats don’t hold much weight. The only option that has any true chance for success is prayer.

The problem is we don’t really believe that to be true. If we did, we would spend more time personally and corporately wrestling for the soul of this nation. We would be moved to intercede on behalf of millions of people who are facing disease, starvation, and abject poverty and who have no hope for eternity.

The time to act is now. Pray for Myanmar. Pray for the light of Christ to shine brightly from the highest government official to the poorest person in the land. Pray for those impacted by this natural disaster. Pray for the love of Christ to bring life and hope to those in need. Start there, and in the weeks ahead, I will share more requests about this country that is covered in spiritual darkness.

(Go to this map to see where the cyclone hit and the impact it had on the country.)