Middle East and North Africa: As If You Were There
For this Prayerline, we pause from the usual student stories to pray more generally for the Middle East and our movements there at this time of increased conflict, destruction, and persecution.
God calls us to remember those who are suffering for Christ as if we were there with them (Hebrews 13:3).
Jamil, Regional Secretary for the Middle East and North Africa, says:
“It’s crucial for us to know that our brothers and sisters are praying for this region.”
Persecution
Those involved in student ministry in high-risk places have faced grave persecution in recent months.
In a country whose movement affiliated to IFES at the last World Assembly, the General Secretary had to flee abroad due to the arrest of a Christian brother with links to him. The detained man is said to be tortured and very ill, with a ransom being demanded for his release.
Additionally, the board chair discovered a microphone planted in their home and has now fled to an undisclosed location.
In a Gulf state, one movement has asked the IFES regional team to cut contact due to hostile scrutiny and pressure from authorities. Some staff workers who were there for international student ministry have been deported.
Destruction
The current war on Iran has intensified ongoing conflicts and disrupted lives and ministry across the entire region.
Israel’s renewed attacks on Hezbollah have caused death and destruction in Lebanon, including to Christian communities. LIVF Lebanon activities have been suspended due to the evacuation and bombing of southern Beirut (where their premises are).
Yet encouragement for students continues online – a recent LIVF Facebook post declared:
“In the midst of the darkness and uncertainty our country and region are going through, fear is natural – but we choose to fix our hearts on God, trusting in His peace and help through the storms of war.”
Similarly in Israel, FCSI staff said:
“As the sirens sounded once again on Shabbat morning, we sent out the Psalm 121 to our students – to let them know that we love them and that we are with them – but even more, that the Lord is with them!”
Hope
Such hope was reinforced last month – not long before the current regional upheaval. Staff members from the IFES regional team and MENA movements spent four days together for mutual sharing and support. Jamil says:
“Despite the challenges and pain in our region, it was such a delight to see general secretaries from countries at war with each other standing side by side, united in Christ.”
Other encouragements were the presence of more women in leadership (including a new General Secretary for a movement that had been leaderless for five years) and the growing numbers of students turning to Christ from other faith backgrounds.
Let’s lament with our brothers and sisters that such ministry is currently being disrupted and pray that God will carry them, protect them, and bring them peace.
Pray
- Pray for an end to war across the region, including in Iran, Lebanon, Israel, and Gaza. Ask that the ongoing cycle of hatred, destruction, and killing will be broken. Pray that believers will know the peace and protection of Christ – especially staff and students who are in direct physical danger from rocket fire.
- Pray for those facing persecution – for physical protection, peace beyond understanding, and wisdom and courage in decision-making.
- Pray for IFES regional team members as they counsel key staff in national movements (some have periodically had to evacuate their own homes due to missile strikes).
- Praise God for fellowship in Jesus across borders and conflicts, and for the many who have been turning to him in recent months.
- As the religious observance of Ramadan draws to a close this week across the region, pray that Augustine’s experience – “O Lord, our hearts are restless until they find rest in you” – would be felt deeply across the region.