Right now, many Lebanese people feel like they’re part of a terrible movie.
The last two weeks' unprecedented pager and walkie-talkie attacks in Lebanon and in Syria were another escalation in the conflict in the Middle East that has been raging for nearly a year. This time, the violence targeted Hezbollah, an ally of Iran and Hamas—the group that controls the Gaza Strip in Palestine and carried out the horrific attacks on Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023. In response to the attacks, Hezbollah has pledged to carry out a “severe reckoning and just retribution.” Since then, attacks between Hezbollah and Israel have been nearly constant.
Average Lebanese citizens—including many believers—feel caught in the middle. “If it had appeared in a movie or book, people would dismiss it as science fiction,” a Lebanese partner of Open Doors said about the attacks.
The war in Gaza has led to: the deaths of tens of thousands of people; ongoing bombings between Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and civilians and troops in northern Israel; massive destruction in Gaza with no end to the violence in sight; and significant fears that the conflict will expand to include Lebanon and perhaps even Hezbollah allies in Syria and Iran. People in Lebanon, including the Christians, are living in constant fear of what is to come.
In these moments, it can be hard to know what to do. But as Christians, we know we can pray!
In these moments, it can be hard to know what to do. But as Christians, we know we can pray! We pray that the Lord will end all the violence in the Middle East, and that He will bring lasting peace to the area. We pray for all the suffering people on every side in this conflict.
But we also wanted to hear specific ways we could stand with our brothers and sisters in prayer—to pray with the followers of Jesus Christ among the Israeli, Lebanese, Palestinian and the Syrian people.
So,
we asked partners around the region to tell us what they are praying for—and how we can do the same. Here’s what they said:
In
Lebanon, Christians say they fear what might follow the pager and walkie talkie attacks. “What is still yet to come that looms most heavily—the intangible dread, uncertainty and anticipation of the next attack,” says an Open Doors partner in Lebanon. “Hezbollah, blaming Israel, has promised to retaliate, and the region once again hangs in suspension as elite Israeli troops, diverted from Gaza, position themselves along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. Psychological warfare has become as real as the tangible components of bombs and bullets.
“We ask for your prayers and support. A political solution continues to elude this conflict, one that has flared and simmered for decades. And while there have been several notable flare-ups in this conflict that appeared to bring it to the edge of a larger war, this time seems different.”
“[these] are all complex issues that only the true God and Father can resolve ... and He will. Glory to Him!”
Messianic believer in Israel
In
Israel, a messianic believer says that what happened in Lebanon “is something that can be turned around and used by our enemies against us [the followers of Jesus in Israel] (…) Life and death, war and peace, love and hate are all complex issues that only the true God and Father can resolve ... and He will. Glory to Him! It will not come by our might, nor by our power or abilities, but by the Spirit of the Lord. Help us, Lord!”
A Christian from
Palestine asks us to follow him in his prayer: “Heavenly Father, Lord of Mercies, we ask you today to look down from Heaven and heal the Middle East. Many innocent people were killed, and many more are in pain. You are our only Hope, our Stronghold we can run to daily. We cry to you, Lord, to hear our prayers. In the precious name of Jesus, we pray.”
From
Syria, Open Doors received the following request: “Due to the scary situation in our neighboring countries, people are driven further to leave the region. The lack of security is threatening our lives and our future, even for our partner churches.” One Syrian church leader says he fears “military action spreading to Syria. Security is a feeling that Syrians have gotten used to not having, but the pressures are increasing and they are now tired and unable to tolerate more blood and war and fear.”
He asks us to pray: “Pray for security and peace in the Middle East, pray for protection for the innocent people who have no fault in what happens, pray for wisdom for decision-makers to stop the terror and calm the situation.”
