When we face conflict and turmoil in our lives, we need hope to hold on to. A source of strength to keep us steady no matter what struggles we endure. An anchor for our souls.
This spring we ask that you pray for those in conflict, and help us share the hope of Christ. Pray also for our Bible Society colleagues on the ground in Iraq, working among those displaced by sectarian violence. Uphold our brothers and sisters in Syria, ravaged by ten years of brutal civil war. And remember the faithful in Israel, braving the conflict of the past 13 years.
We can sometimes feel like our prayers are insignificant, in the face of so great a need. Until, of course, we remember to whom we pray:
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)
“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.” (Isaiah 40:29)
“The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, ‘Destroy.'” (Deuteronomy 33:27)
We have the joy of knowing God listens and has both the willingness and power to answer. What we have to do, on our part, is ask.
You may not be an aid worker, but you could just as importantly support those on the front line. Bible Society workers deliver hope to the traumatised, as these words from an Iraqi refugee attest.
A young Christian mother who had fled Mosul is one of 4,000 people who received aid in October 2020. It was a distribution only possible thanks to the wonderful generosity of Bible Society supporters. Receiving the precious package – which held 15 types of food, a hygiene kit and face masks, as well as Scripture material and a Bible – she said: “My baby has not been drinking any milk for two days and today I didn’t have any kind of food to feed my family. This distribution increased my faith in God, as He will not let anyone down.”
“He will not let anyone down.” Is there any truth more inspiring than that, or anything more uplifting?
Our colleague Nabil from the Bible Society in Syria speaks a similar language of faith. Despite a devastating civil war, Nabil takes hope from the stream of lives changed thanks to Bible Society’s trauma healing programs. People in distress access these vital programs, and receive tools to help them cope. The programs are having a life-changing impact, especially on children who learn how to express their feelings and take their pain to the cross.
Syria and Iraq are two of the countries in the 10/40 Window, a region with the least access to the Christian message. Millions of people are impoverished due to political and economic turmoil. Their invisible wounds run deep, and the pandemic has only heaped on more misery and hardship.
But new life can spring from the darkest places.
Please, remember every day those whose spirit and strength are depleted, and ask for the hope of Christ to fill them up again. Help them anchor their present and future in a God who does not fail.
• Pray for the love of God to surround those who have lost loved ones
• Pray for people who have lost their homes or livelihood; that they would turn to Jesus as they rebuild their lives
• Pray for suffering communities in the 10/40 Window, that they would find restoration and hope for the future
Look in and pray for people in conflict Let’s cry out to God together, at…
A new Bible Society regular giving program
