He says,
“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Psalm 46:10-11
In the past few days, I have spent hours at my computer, avidly reading the news and messaging with friends all around the Middle East. Like many of us in America, the recent world events have felt eerily distant from my current reality. However, I have had a strong and growing conviction to intentionally connect my heart to what is happening and to continue praying.
My hope is that this article will cast a vision for what God has been doing in the last few years in the Middle East and fill your heart with faith. I also want to paint a realistic picture of what is currently happening in the war between Iran and Israel and how it is affecting nearly everyone in the region. Finally, my desire is to encourage you to pray—and to continue praying—that the brave men and women scattered across the Middle East would firmly place their trust in the God of Jacob, who is their fortress, and that, in this suffering of war, Christ would be exalted.
Big Picture of Gospel Hope: What’s Been Happening in the Middle East in the Last 5 Years
The Middle East is a beautiful region of the world that spans many countries. From lush, forested areas and mountain regions to vast deserts, this land has long been torn apart by war, yet it has somehow remained vibrant and determined to persevere.
I spent nearly three years in the Middle East, traveling throughout most of the Levant countries (Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel) to collect stories for my mission agency, helping us understand firsthand what God was doing across the region. What my coworkers and I found was stunningly hope-filled. The Lord is sovereignly opening hearts—He is being exalted.
I have heard of (or personally met) people who had dreams of Jesus and were simply waiting for an explanation and a Bible; underground house-church movements of hundreds of Muslim-background believers following Christ (in almost every country); and young men and women who are willing to risk their lives for their faith and forsake their families and culture to follow Him. I have marveled at the courage of Muslim-background friends as they weather some of the toughest storms of life, yet remain on their knees. I have also witnessed firsthand how the gospel is moving forward rapidly in areas that were barren wastelands for as long as anyone could remember.
Read for yourself testimonies from the Muslim world:
Whether we feel it or not, Scripture promises that Christ will be exalted among the nations.
The Reality of Persecution and War
I share that to encourage your hearts and to frame this beautifully hopeful narrative alongside the equally stark and painful reality: many of these believers face extreme persecution. There has been increasing freedom in a few countries, but in others persecution has come in waves of painful intensity. In some places, it is not even possible for foreigners to enter, leaving me only with stories.
Many in this region of the world also face another threat: physical war and the echoes of conflict that have shaken the region for as long as most can remember. Throughout the Middle East, a multitude of countries are now involved in conflict and are being actively bombed.
The workers and believers know that the Lord is King of the nations and reigns over even the hardest and darkest places (Psalm 2). Many are battling intense fears amidst these new physical dangers. They desperately need the Lord to shepherd their fearful hearts into rest and confidence in His sovereignty, compassion, justice, and ultimate goodness.
Even in the face of war, persecution, and looming trials, my prayer is that believers in the Middle East would be sheltered under the wings of Christ and remember Him as exalted among the nations—their mighty fortress and their great rest.
Keep praying that the church would be a light.
Will you join me in praying for the Middle East?
I have reached out to friends scattered throughout the region. Some are missionaries; others are local believers. Each shares their heart’s cry for peace, wisdom, the salvation of their brothers and sisters, and comfort from the Spirit (especially for the children). As you read these prayer requests, I hope you are challenged, alongside me, to pray during this Ramadan season for all those in the Middle East who are facing war and danger.
Lebanon:
Pray for continued wisdom for the people we lead and for our family. We have been keeping the music going and the laundry running to muffle sounds so the kids don’t feel unsafe. They have questioned the louder explosions, but we have been able to reassure them that they are safe.
Central Middle East:
We are going to have five hours of power (at night). The news is hitting people differently. There are rumors that there might not be food and water. Keep praying that the church would be a light. It’s a unique time during Ramadan, and there are lots of opportunities to share the hope we have in the heavenly King.
Israel:
Today was about the same as yesterday, running in and out of bomb shelters all day long. Last night our children slept in the bomb shelter, and we joined them in the middle of the night after the second siren. Pray for our leaders to have supernatural wisdom. Pray for salvation and freedom for our brothers and sisters.
The Gulf
Pray for the country’s leaders for wisdom on how to respond and pray for the non-believers that the Lord would use this hardship to soften their hearts and draw them away from dependence on money or their own strength to Himself.
Iran:
Pray for believers, that the Lord would protect them and strengthen their faith, and use them to demonstrate the love of Christ. Pray that God would touch the hearts of the Iranian people so that many would come to know the salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Finally, pray for the future of Iran, that the hope rising in the hearts of many people would ultimately lead to true freedom.
Would you pray for believers and unbelievers to see Christ as the God with them? That in this season their song of praise in the Lord’s unfailing rule would bring many to Christ and comfort their own weary hearts with eternal Gospel hope.
Whether we feel it or not, Scripture promises that Christ will be exalted among the nations. In this Ramadan season, join me in being still—remembering that God is present, reigning, and near to those who call out to Him.
Additional prayer resources:
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