A Call To Pray For Syria
The eyes of the world are on the country of Syria. While nations debate the military and political responses to the ongoing civil war, the tide of suffering mounts. Despite the disturbing tragedy, whose horrifying images confront us each day, the Lord loves the Syrian people. In the midst of the conflict, God and His people are at work, reaching out to those displaced from their homes and communities.
On a recent Sunday, a church in Beirut was startled when they welcomed over 130 Sunni Muslims into their morning worship service! These refugees received food aid, and were attracted by the care and love shown by those who delivered the portions to them in their time of need. One believer said with a big smile, "It was a disaster! We've gone to two services because the size of the church has doubled. Some of the refugees smelled, but never mind. This is good."
One of our workers wrote: Last night I preached in a small church in the Bekaa Valley here in Lebanon. I walked in to find that half of the 30 people there were Muslims. Last year at this time it was the rare church in Lebanon that was reaching out to Sunni Muslims; this year small Lebanese churches all over the place are ministering to these folks. I was talking with a 21-year-old Lebanese girl on Saturday and she said, "The situation is terrible for the refugees, but this is their opportunity to hear about Jesus!"
Please be in prayer for Syria and its people. Perhaps you can have a special time of prayer on Sunday for this nation and the 2 million refugees that have spilled out to neighboring countries. As the church of Jesus Christ, we must see the bigger picture. While the world focuses on the military and political issues of this crisis, let us engage with our weapons of prayer and the Word of God.
Pray for:
- An end to the violence and senseless killing of innocent people
- A resolution of the civil war
- God to build His church in Syria
- Syrians to come to faith in Jesus Christ, both inside Syria and in refugee camps in neighboring countries
- For those working with the refugees-strength, wisdom, resources, favor and love
If you or your church would like to send an offering to help OM reach out to the Syrian refugees in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon, please go to Help Syrian Refugees or call Keith Haywood at 770-692-5130. You can also email Keith at keith.haywood@om.org.
Please watch the video clip below, which highlights the work of the Near East Initiative (NEI) - of which OM is a part- among Syrian refugees in Lebanon. OM has produced this video which describes what the NEI/OM is doing to help these displaced people.
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Syria: Hope in Conflict |
