Some months have passed since a “cessation of hostilities” went into effect in Syria on February 26, 2016. Violence is down and aid is trickling through, but all involved are holding their breath. Has the storm finally passed, or is this merely the calm before an even greater storm? Random, indiscriminate attacks threaten to shatter the fragile peace.
We have an incredible opportunity to bless the people of Syria through prayer and to intercede for them while they wait for whatever the future may hold. Here are a handful of suggestions on how to pray.
1) Pray for peace. Not just geopolitical peace (though certainly that), but a massive, comprehension-shattering swell of peace to wash over the entire region. This cannot happen unless the Lord does it.
2) Pray for humanitarian convoys to pass into Syria unimpeded. War has changed. In World War I, 90 percent of the deaths were military, and only 10 percent were civilian. One century later, that script has flipped. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have died from this conflict, and millions more suffer immensely. They desperately need humanitarian aid like food, water, and medicine. Pray that the aid gets through and for all the humanitarian workers involved.
3) Pray for our partners in the region, including many Syrian pastors and ministers, as they care for the pyscho-social and spiritual needs of people beaten and battered by this war. In order to begin healing, those affected must be able to release everything they’ve been through, everything they’ve seen and felt, and everything they’ve lost. As part of our Compassionate Care program, our partners have been trained by GAIN staff members to walk with people through that process of release.
4) Pray for the millions of individual hearts and souls and minds caught up in this conflict. Pray for the government leaders and militants all over the spectrum. Pray they will tire of war, will desire peace, and will do what needs to be done to bring this war to an end. Pray for the refugees, the IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons), and the people under siege, that each personally experiences God’s peace in the midst of hardship.
5) Pray that God’s will be done. From our perspective, everything happening in the Middle East has been terrible. Words like crisis, chaos, horrifying, and devastating rightly roll off our tongues when we consider everything wrought by the Syrian civil war and terror groups like ISIS. However, we need to remember that even in the midst of the deepest shadows, God is on the move. Although we see everything burning down, remember the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3. The Lord is not lamenting the plight of His children from afar. No, He stands inside the furnace with His people, and He actually uses the furnace to strengthen His church in the Middle East.
Are you interested in learning about practical ways you can help ease the suffering of refugees in the Middle East and other tough places? Learn how you can help the ministry of Global Aid Network, GAIN USA here.
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© 2016 Stephen Hunt, Global Aid Network GAIN USA
