Tag: Syria

Please pray for Syrian believers – Day 5

Peanut Gallery: Please pray for the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who have been forced out of their homes and have fled the country.

“Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when  did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my  brothers,you did it to me.’”  Matthew 25.37-40 ESV

Open Doors: An estimated, “300,000 people are now refugees from Syria, that’s triple the level of just three months ago,” reports Jerry Dykstra from Open Doors. In spite of the traumatic and chaotic circumstance, God continues to draw people to Himself. Dykstra adds, “We hear reports that many Christians are sharing with their Muslim neighbors. So even in the midst of this terrible tragedy, we see the Lord working.”

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have fled the country into such neighboring countries as Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon, according to the United Nations.

“The violence has pushed people out of their homes, fleeing for their lives,” a Christian pastor in Syria paints a picture for Christians in the West of the rapidly deteriorating, horrific conditions in the war-torn country. “Many are displaced internally and many others are external refugees living in the most humiliating circumstances, deprived of even shelter, clean water, power, food and medical care.” (Open Doors)

Meanwhile, the refugee crisis grew ever more acute, with the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR saying that between 2,000 and 3,000 people were fleeing across borders every day from Syria.

The total number of refugees now stood at more than 340,000, Melissa Fleming, a UNHCR spokeswoman, said in Geneva.

“And now into the winter months, more and more of these people are going to be living in camp situations. So more and more of these people are going to be spending the winter in tents,” she said.  (Reuters)

Please join me in prayer: “My people are hurting….”

  • For peace in the country and an end to the bloodshed. For God’s rich mercies on the suffering people.
  • For the safety and protection of the churches, keeping the church’s faithful witness.
  • For wisdom and vision for church leaders.
  • For the glory of the living God to dwell in the Church.
  • To empower the Church to reach out to the suffering, to share the divine cure of the gospel, and to speak the word of the Lord in all boldness.
  • That the evil powers of darkness will be defeated in our land.
  • That the values of false religion will be exposed for what they are and despised and rejected by many.
  • For many souls to come to know the love and forgiveness of Christ and to enjoy His saving grace.
  • That the Lord would send wise, God-fearing counselors to the decision-makers in all parties in the country.

Please pray for Syrian believers – Day 4

Peanut Gallery: “Loving your enemies” is literally being put to the test by Christians in Syria.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”  Matthew 5:43-45  NKJV

Context: Over the past 20 months, the civil war between President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and the Free Syrian Army has caused approximately 30,000 casualties, mostly civilians, according to several reports….

The cities of Aleppo and Homs have become especially dangerous for Christians. “A lot is being destroyed in Aleppo,” one of Open Doors’ contacts in the city reports. “Extreme violence is being experienced in the last few weeks. You can see the results of it in the old city and in other neighborhoods and surrounding villages. There is a lot of destruction. We see that their apartments are easily confiscated by the rebels to be used for snipers,” the spokesman continues.

“The Christian community is the only group that doesn’t fight back or doesn’t protect property with guns. So when the rebels search a place to stay or to use for their battle, they choose the houses and apartments of the softest target – the Christians.” (Open Doors)

The City of Homs is a major industrial center, and with a population of at least 652,609 people, it is the third largest city in Syria after Aleppo to the north and the capital Damascus to the south. Its population reflects Syria’s general religious diversity, composed mostly of Arabic-speaking Sunni Muslims and Alawite and Christian minorities. The city boasts a number of historic mosques and churches and is close to the Krak des Chevaliers, a world heritage site.  (Wikipedia)

Please join me in prayer…

■  For peace in the country and an end to the bloodshed. For God’s rich mercies on the suffering people.
■  For the safety and protection of the churches, keeping the church’s faithful witness.
■  For wisdom and vision for church leaders.
■  For the glory of the living God to dwell in the Church.
■  To empower the Church to reach out to the suffering, to share the divine cure of the gospel, and to speak the word of the Lord in all boldness.
■  That the evil powers of darkness will be defeated in our land.
■  That the values of false religion will be exposed for what they are and despised and rejected by many.
■  For many souls to come to know the love and forgiveness of Christ and to enjoy His saving grace.
■  That the Lord would send wise, God-fearing counselors to the decision-makers in all parties in the country.

Please pray for Syrian believers – Day 3

Christians Emboldened as Syria Spirals into Chaos 
reported by Open Doors USA

“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 NLT

Chaos Creating Opportunity: On the surface, the news from Syria appears completely bleak. An estimated, “300,000 people are now refugees from Syria, that’s triple the level of just three months ago,” reports Jerry Dykstra from Open Doors. In spite of the traumatic and chaotic circumstance, God continues to draw people to Himself. Dykstra adds, “We hear reports that many Christians are sharing with their Muslim neighbors. So even in the midst of this terrible tragedy, we see the Lord working.”

“The violence has pushed people out of their homes, fleeing for their lives,” a Christian pastor in Syria paints a picture for Christians in the West of the rapidly deteriorating, horrific conditions in the war-torn country. “Many are displaced internally and many others are external refugees living in the most humiliating circumstances, deprived of even shelter, clean water, power, food and medical care.”  (Open Doors)

Please join me in prayer…

  • For peace in the country and an end to the bloodshed. For God’s rich mercies on the suffering people.
  • For the safety and protection of the churches, keeping the church’s faithful witness.
  • Wisdom and vision for church leaders.
  • For the glory of the living God to dwell in the Church.
  • To empower the Church to reach out to the suffering, to share the divine cure of the gospel, and to speak the word of the Lord in all boldness.
  • That the evil powers of darkness will be defeated in our land.
  • That the values of false religion will be exposed for what they are and despised and rejected by many.
  • For many souls to come to know the love and forgiveness of Christ and to enjoy His saving grace.
  • That the Lord would send wise, God-fearing counselors to the decision-makers in all parties in the country.

Context: Evangelism in Syria – While conversion of Muslims to Christianity is legally possible, the societal obstacles make it virtually unknown.

The first and foremost reason why Syrian Muslims cannot change their religion is not the passive role of the state, but Syrian society. Father Paulo comments “freedom of religion is virtually unthinkable with regard to the cultural role religion plays in everyday Syrian society.” He opines that the “replacing of one’s current religion would not only mean the complete loss of one’s social ties, including one’s own family, friends, and acquaintances, but maybe also professional position.” From this perspective there are no legal but a fortiori social sanctions. Islamic scholar Jørgen S. Nielsen says in the same regard “the state obviously discourages it because it simply rocks the boat.” (Wikipedia)

Please pray for Syrian believers – Day 2

Peanut Gallery: This week I am praying for Syrian believers. I encourage you to pray for them with me, and/or to select another country or people group of your own for which to pray. Information on other countries for which to pray is available here.

Day 2: Please pray for Christian unity among the various denominational sects in the midst of Syria’s civil war strife.

Jesus’ prayer for unity:

“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

“I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one.  John 17:20-22 NLT

Christians have historically represented approximately 10% of the Syrian population with the majority population made up of 74% Sunni Muslims and the remainder scattered among various Shia Muslim sects. (Wikipedia)

Christians in Syria make up about 10% of the population.[1] The country’s largest Christian denomination is an Eastern Orthodox Church of Antioch(officially known as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East),[2][3][4] closely followed by a Uniate[5] Melkite Greek Catholic Church, and then by an Oriental Syriac Orthodox Church; there are also a minority of Protestants. The city of Aleppo is believed to have the largest number of Christians in Syria. (Wikipedia)

Current News – Fighting centered in Aleppo (10/3/2012).

Aleppo, Syria’s commercial capital with a population of 1.7 million people, has become one of the focal points of the nearly 19-month-long crisis in the country. (France24.com)

This video shows the devastation of car bombs detonated in Aleppo – click here France24.com.

Please join me in prayer  –

  • For peace in the country and an end to the bloodshed. For God’s rich mercies on the suffering people.
  • For the safety and protection of the churches, keeping the church’s faithful witness.
  • Wisdom and vision for church leaders.
  • For the glory of the living God to dwell in the Church.
  • To empower the Church to reach out to the suffering, to share the divine cure of the gospel, and to speak the word of the Lord in all boldness.
  • That the evil powers of darkness will be defeated in our land.
  • That the values of false religion will be exposed for what they are and despised and rejected by many.
  • For many souls to come to know the love and forgiveness of Christ and to enjoy His saving grace.
  • That the Lord would send wise, God-fearing counselors to the decision-makers in all parties in the country.

With love… from Syria.

Please pray for believers in Syria – “My people are hurting…”

Peanut Gallery: The Holy Spirit has led me to pray for believers in Syria for the coming week.

This prayer request (sent to Open Doors UK) comes from a pastor in Syria and is self explanatory. See below –

Please join me in prayer…

  1. For peace in the country and an end to the bloodshed. For God’s rich mercies on the suffering people.
  2. For the safety and protection of the churches, keeping the church’s faithful witness.
  3. Wisdom and vision for church leaders.
  4. For the glory of the living God to dwell in the Church.
  5. To empower the Church to reach out to the suffering, to share the divine cure of the gospel, and to speak the word of the Lord in all boldness.
  6. That the evil powers of darkness will be defeated in our land.
  7. That the values of false religion will be exposed for what they are and despised and rejected by many.
  8. For many souls to come to know the love and forgiveness of Christ and to enjoy His saving grace.
  9. That the Lord would send wise, God-fearing counselors to the decision-makers in all parties in the country.

_________________________________________

With love from Syria…

Syria has been closed to the outside world for many weeks. We have since received this letter from a leading pastor in Syria. In it he writes of the situation in Syria, his hopes, fears and trust in the Lord. He also asks for prayer. The pastor writes to the church in the UK – he writes to you. Please read this and keep him in your prayers.

Dear Friend,

My people are hurting...

It was much unexpected turmoil. Not even in our wildest dreams did we imagine the violence that is sweeping across the country now. For many years Syria enjoyed peace and stability in the heart of the unstable Middle East. We were a safe haven for our neighbors. We received displaced people and refugees from other countries like Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan, and even from Somalia and other far away areas. Yet now the violence pushed the host people out of their homes, fleeing for their lives.

Many are displaced internally and many others are external refugees living in the most humiliating circumstances, deprived of even shelter , clean water, power, food, and medical care. Millions are not sleeping in their own beds, forced out of their homes to find themselves with their children homeless and living in public parks or in the wilderness. Others are not sure if they or their children and loved ones will see the light of a new day, tens of thousands of families lost loved ones: a child, a father, a mother, or a husband. Hundreds of the injured died for lack of medical care. Thousands of children go to bed terrified of the sound of shelling. Hundreds of thousands are in camps in neighboring countries. Continue reading “Please pray for believers in Syria – “My people are hurting…”” →