Africa & AIDS: Day 8

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say this --
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.
Psalm 107:1-3

In 1998, sub-Saharan Africa experienced 4 million new HIV infections; 3.8 million were expected in 2001. Fewer than 50 percent of the South Africans alive now will live to reach age 60. Population projections for the continent have been revised downward because of the increasing impact of the disease.

I'm not sure, but I think this prayer guide was written in 2001. After I finished typing this, I went to the World Health Organization, which is one of the best places to find up-to-date and reliable estimations on any disease, and especially AIDS. The update from the end of 2006 says this: "In 2006, almost two thirds (63%) of all persons infected with HIV are living in sub-Saharan Africa—24.7 million. An estimated 2.8 million adults and children became infected with HIV in 2006, more than in all other regions of the world combined. The 2.1 million AIDS deaths in sub-Saharan Africa represent 72% of global AIDS deaths. Across this region, women bear a disproportionate part of the AIDS burden: not only are they more likely than men to be infected with HIV, but in most countries they are also more likely to be the ones caring for people infected with HIV."

Ya'll this is a devastating disease and it's destroying an entire continent! God's word tells us in Hebrews 4:16 that we can approach the throne of grace with confidence and receive mercy and grace to help us in our time of need. This is a pandemic. Many are hurting. Dying. Abandoned by family members. Left to die alone. Most are without hope because they do not know Jesus. Urgent prayers are needed.

God, I thank you for who you are. You are bigger than any pandemic we see in our time. I thank you for this burden you've placed on my heart. I stop asking for you to remove it, but instead ask that you use it for Your Glory. I pray that the burden will spread from my heart to those around me. God, I pray that Africans will begin to understand the saving power of Jesus Christ. Amen.