Greece on Fire
An update by Sofia Aftzoglou
The terrible disaster of the recent fires in Greece came as a sudden blow that hit directly into the heart of the nation. Our beautiful country, so richly blessed by the Lord with a natural beauty of remarkable variety and diversity that is enjoyed not only by its people but also by its numerous visitors, has been severely scarred.
Thousands of houses and households, and dozens of small villages that lay hidden in the green of its mountains - refreshing havens in the heat of summertime, places of rest and peace for man’s body and soul - were affected by the fires. Forested slopes, where different species of animals lived and where hikers enjoyed their long walks in the cooling shadow of hundreds of thousands of acres of Mediterranean woods, have turned into grey and empty places.
During the first 24 hours, more than 50 people were caught in the flames and perished while attempting to escape from the devouring inferno. We are very grateful that in the days that followed the death toll did not rise very much. Maybe the first tragic deaths gave people an understanding on how to protect themselves or maybe… maybe the Lord answered our prayers and spared the lives of the people, the lives of our fellow citizens for whom we pray and hope to see them saved and blessed, redeemed sheep in His eternal flock.
This critical time became a time that we believers in Greece knelt before God and prayed with a real burden for our country and its people. We prayed with a new realization that we can intervene, that we have a God-given “potential” to shape the destiny of our country and our fellow citizens.
Nevertheless, the rain did not come as we prayed that it would, and the fires kept burning for days… and in that sad way they gave us an opportunity to realize that since the Lord’s hand is still mighty we need to turn to ourselves and look into our hearts. We need to examine our walk before the Lord, we need to listen to Him more attentively and more obediently, we need to seek Him more fervently.
The consequences of the disaster
The fact that really left us all with a deep numbness in our hearts is the trauma that these fires caused to the rather weak economy of the country and to the lives of the individuals, mainly farmers and livestock keepers, who saw their crops and their source of income vanishing in the flames, as well as the possible damage to the soil and water reserves.
Greece does not have heavy industries and a lot of its national product depends on tourism and the export of agricultural products. The damaged areas were popular tourist destinations and at the same time they produced probably the best olive oil, one of Greece’s major export products.
So now, the financial burden for the country is not only to rebuild houses and villages and to create the infrastructure that will protect the places from floods and other natural disasters due to deforestation, but to also support those people until they grow their crops and flocks again. However, olive-trees only give their fruit after 10-15 years. Is there a possibility for other crops? I really do not know. But the area seems to have always been the natural habitat for olive-trees and since it is not flat but sloppy, it is definitely more suitable for growing trees.
In the light of all these, one cannot possibly calculate with precision the consequences, but it surely seems that they can be pretty serious.
What then?
As we turn to the Lord, however, our hearts are filled with courage and gratitude. Greece has been through many disasters, the greatest of which was the Muslim Ottoman occupation, which lasted for 4 centuries (5 centuries in many areas), and yet God helped us to survive as a Christian country.
Even more, how can we not be grateful when we think that the Gospel of Jesus was preached here right from the beginning? Surely, the prayers lifted by Paul, Peter, Silas, Timothy, Titus, Luke, Achilles, Priscilla and the rest of the early believers are still standing before the throne of the Lord for Greece.
I like to often visit Kavala (the ancient Neapolis), where Paul arrived by sea from Asia Minor. I go and walk on the remains of the cobble stoned Via Egnatia, where he had paced on his way to Philippi. I try to imagine how he might have felt as he was going to fulfill the clear mandate he was given, how his heart was pounding with expectation for the work of salvation that lay ahead.
And then, near the ruins of ancient Philippi, I stop by the river where Lydia and the other women were gathering for prayer. How great their longing for God must have been that it motivated heaven and, as a result, Paul received his divine vision!
I think of Paul’s sermon in Athens and the Lord’s promise that He had a lot of people for Him in Corinth (some places around Corinth were also burnt). I think of Beroia, where Paul’s message was promptly accepted. I think of his letters of love, admonition and encouragement to the young churches in Greece. Finally, I drive through Amphipolis and Apollonia and I arrive home in my much-cherished Thessaloniki, where Paul brought the gospel not only “ in words, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction” (1 Thessalonians 1:5).
And it is these words of Paul’s that have become the cry of the hearts of all the believers in Greece and our prayer to the Lord.
May the Lord guide you to also join us. May this physical disaster become a turning point that will lead to the physical and the spiritual healing of Greece.
Should you wish to pray…
Sunday, the 16th September 2007 could be a good day for a united prayer for Greece, since it is the day of national elections.
We could pray for the election of MPs and a Prime Minister who will be honest and God fearing people that will work for the good of the country with commitment and integrity, with wisdom from God to not only restore the recent damages but to also correct all malfunctions in public life and services.
We could pray for the believers and the churches in Greece to grow spiritually and to walk in obedience to God’s Word and to the guidance of His Holy Spirit.
We could pray for spiritual freedom in Greece from spirits that oppose to the preaching of the Gospel, oppress people and keep them in spiritual blindness.
We could pray for the development of spiritual hunger and thirst for the presence of Jesus, throughout the nation.
We could pray that the Gospel will once again come to Greece in words, in power, in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction, for the glory of our Lord Jesus.
May the Lord Jesus bless you as you bless us and may He also bless all the nations and individuals who helped us at this difficult hour.
Should the Lord motivate you to pray and you receive a specific message, please let us know by answering to the person who sent you this email.