Displaying items by tag: Syria

As 2017 closes, Syrian warring parties are moving towards reconciliation - but America is not among them. IS is all but defeated: the Syrian army and its allies are closing in on the few remaining pockets occupied by other extremists. Donald Trump may have hinted at changes, but he’s treading the same path as Obama on Syria. Determined to oust Syria’s President Assad as a means to weaken Iran and re-establish American regional control, Barack Obama gambled on two pathways to this goal: 1) military strategy to snatch control over Syria from the regime; 2) UN/American mediation in Geneva to remove Assad. Washington lost its military venture when the Russian air force entered the battle; next it resuscitated a limp Geneva peace process for political settlement without Assad. It failed. But a fresh process is being established in Sochi, not Geneva, with Iranians, Russians and Turks carving out ceasefire zones and negotiating peace.

President Putin told representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church: ‘Over the past few years the Russian state, alongside the Russian Orthodox Church and other religious organisations, has provided humanitarian aid to Syria. It is very important that peaceful life is re-established as soon as possible, so that people can return and begin rebuilding churches and temples.’ Putin also stressed that most of the historically Christian areas have been liberated. Syria’s Christian community, one of the oldest in the world, has shrunk from 30% to an estimated 10% of the population, after being driven from their homes or forced to convert to Islam. Syrian Christians lived in Syria for centuries before Assad, but only reached the highest levels of government when Syria was democratic. Despite being a minority they have long belonged to Syria's elite, and joined prominent political groups.

Over the years Prayer Alert has highlighted prayer requests from ‘Cry Out Now’. Your prayers protected believers and birthed many disciples across Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq. At a recent Cry Out Now prayer conference, a lady at the hotel heard their worship and was drawn to the room. She said she felt that God was there. After some women shared with her, she gave her life to Jesus. They also prayed for a group of believers who were standing on a large map of the region that they came from. Once the prayer time was finished, there were tears on the map. The conference was called Harvest Rain, and during the sessions there was physical rain across Lebanon. Also people working among the Bedouin shared encouraging stories of getting opportunities, for the first time, to share the gospel and pray for the sick.

Paul, a convert from Islam, now works distributing food to newly-arriving Syrian refugee families. Recently, he gave out the last food package he had for the entire month. The lady next in line started crying when she realised there was none left for her family. She told Paul that she and her children were desperate. Paul said they were out of food packages, but offered to pray for her. He also told her how he came to Jesus. As they finished praying, Paul’s phone rang with the unexpected news that another 35 food portions were available. The mother, full of wonder and gratefulness, praised God for how Jesus had answered their prayer. A few weeks later, her husband (who had been fighting with IS) came to meet Paul. He said, ‘I heard what you had done for my family. I thought about how I was in Syria killing people in the name of religion, but you love in the name of Jesus. I left the other fighters to come and meet the man who loved my family, and to learn about Jesus from you.’

For three weeks in November, a team will be traveling along the refugee trail through Europe. They will be posting first-hand stories and sharing from their experiences as they travel from Greece to Northern Europe. They hope that their account of travelling alongside the refugees will inform us all how to pray more specifically and continue to advocate for the Syrians and other peoples from the Levant region. People can follow along, through the stories they will post online and pray with up-to-date insights by clicking on the ‘More’ link. Syria remains a nation in devastation as war and violence continues.

International news outlets tell us that the Syrian crisis has created a lost generation of children. But we can pray that this generation will be found by Jesus. Mission agency Cry Out Now has prepared a 30-day prayer guide to help us pray for Syrian children. Its vision is especially that other children will pray for them. God sees children’s faith when they pray; often it is very powerful! Our God is a God of hope, and His desire is that out of the turmoil and chaos of the Syrian crisis, He will have a people that belong to Him.

US-backed militias have completely taken Syria's Raqqa from IS, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The fall of Raqqa city, where IS staged euphoric parades after its string of lightning victories in 2014, is a potent symbol of the jihadist movement's collapsing fortunes. From the city, the group planned attacks abroad. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias backed by a US-led international alliance, have been fighting IS inside Raqqa since June 2017. See also World article ‘Mission opportunities as country rebuilds’.

Syria needs to be rebuilt. The economy needs to be re-established. New jobs and new opportunities need to be created. Business people from China see this as a golden opportunity to do business and make money, an opportunity to sell their products, technologies and services. The risk is high, but they are willing to come. Are Christians willing to say yes to this challenge? Are believers willing to say that we will take the risk, step out in faith and see a nation restored? This is the moment and the opportunity to help in the reconstruction and rebuilding of lives and communities, while having the opportunity to share God’s love in Syria’s time of need.

Most stories coming out of war zones are disheartening, but every now and then there will be a reminder that God is still at work. Recently, Open Doors USA reported on the miraculous conversion of a Muslim extremist in war-torn Syria. He decided to give his life to Christ after witnessing a Christian church service. One of the pastors choosing to stay in the city was hosting a church event, feeding the community and then sharing the Gospel message. As he was preparing his sermon he saw a man with a beard without a moustache, an indication of fundamental, extremist Islam. They were concerned and prayed about it, then they invited him in, keeping an eye on him. They fed him, he heard the sermon, and then gave his life to Christ.

Children who have experienced the unspeakable horrors of war need long-term help coping with their experiences. Lives have been torn apart after years of IS rule and terrorist invasion. Since mid-2014, the people of Iraq have been caught up in a resurgence of violence that has exacerbated the already dire humanitarian situation stemming from Syria’s five-year civil conflict. 240,000 Syrian refugees are in the Kurdish region of Iraq, creating additional strain among host communities with limited resources of clean water, sanitation, food, shelter, essential items to help face winter, healthcare, education and emotional support. Pray for children now living in camps, struggling to express themselves, and in some cases too terrified to speak. Ask God to release more workers into this field of suffering to relieve physical and mental health resulting from brutal occupation. Many children have fled with only the clothes they wore - no toys, no comfort.