Madagascar Update and Prayer Request
November 16, 2014
Please pray for a spirit of reconciliation and unity as Madagascar embarks on a national reconciliation initiative led by the Malagasy Council of Churches (FFKM).
The political situation in Madagascar remains tense following the October 13th return from exile and subsequent detention of former President Marc Ravalomanana, deposed in March 2009 by a coup d’état. (See the prayer request of October 13 for further details).
At a prayer service in the capital, Antananarivo, on Sunday, November 16, the FFKM launched a national reconciliation initiative, with the hope of finding common ground among political leaders that will enable the country to move forward in stability and social unity. The FFKM has been instrumental in brokering social and political accords in the past, most notably in 1992.
Please pray for the success of the FFKM national reconciliation initiative. Please pray in particular that:
- Church and political leaders will participate in the talks with an attitude of humility, speaking to one another truthfully, but without rancour or vindictiveness;
- All who have been wounded by past political and social upheavals in Madagascar, particularly those that have unfolded since the beginning of 2009, will feel called to follow Christ’s example of forgiveness, so that they may be liberated from the burdens of bitterness to pursue genuine reconciliation;
- The Holy Spirit will lead all of the participants, granting them wisdom and insight to make choices that will foster justice, peace and a respect for the rights and dignity of all of Madagascar’s people;
- The people of Madagascar will support and feel included in the process and will refrain from actions that might disrupt the negotiations or trigger discord;
- The FFKM will catalyze ever expanding circles of reconciliation to promote harmony and understanding within and between churches, communities, ethnic groups, military units and government departments.
