Prayer for the Republic of Albania

The Republic of Albania is a Balkan country in Southeastern Europe. It borders Montenegro to the north, Kosovo (Serbia) to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east, and Greece to the south. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the west and a coast on the Ionian Sea to the southwest. Despite its troubled history of foreign rule and internal conflict, the country has been classified as an emerging democracy since the 1990s.The relative stability of the past few years has helped Albania attract foreign banks. These have introduced such novelties as mortgages, which in turn have helped fuel the construction boom. Albania has played a relevant role in managing inter-ethnic tensions in southeastern Europe and is continuing to work toward joining NATO and the European Union.

Albania, in the southeastern corner of Europe, has been populated since prehistoric times and was settled by the Illyrians, ancestors of present-day Albanians, in Paleolithic times. Situated where it is and surrounded by powerful, warring empires, Albania has seen a lot of violence throughout its history. Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Venetians and Ottomans swept through, leaving their mark and their ruins.

Albania has a total area of 28,750 square kilometers. Its coastline is 362 kilometres long and stretches on the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea. The lowlands of the west face the Adriatic Sea. The 70% of the country that is mountainous is rugged and often inaccessible. The highest mountain is Korab situated in the district of Dibra, reaching up to 2,753 metres (9,032 ft).

One of the major legacies of nearly five centuries of Ottoman rule was the conversion of up to 60 percent of the Albanian population to Islam. Therefore, at independence the country emerged as a predominantly Muslim nation. In the mountainous north, the propagation of Islam was strongly opposed by Roman Catholics.


Prayer:

Mighty Father, creator of all creation, I bow humbly before your throne and offer up to you the nation of Albania. We know that you never intended for this this world to be divided up into hundreds of nations or countries but then you have never been nor will you be “caught off guard” as to anything here on your earth.

O Father, bless this land and the people who make this their home. Let them feel the warmth of your love and come to the full understanding of who you are and who your son, Jesus, is. Amen.

Hallelujah! Amen and amen. Holy One, reveal Yourself to them that they might know Who You are and Who Your Son is, in Truth. Please let them know that Christians do not hate the Muslims for we know You do not. Let the division of 'brothers' be brought to unity in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah!