PRAYERS FOR THE MIDDLE EAST

Across the Middle East, millions of people have been forced to abandon their homes

and flee for safety. Most of them are scared, grieving and in desperate need of help.

IRAQ PRAYING FOR PEACEBible link: Nineveh

In the book of Jonah, the reluctant prophet is sent to Nineveh – once the most populous city of the ancient Assyrian Empire.

Nowadays, its ruins lie across the river from the Iraqi city of Mosul, where fierce fighting and intense persecution have forced many to flee their homes. For hundreds of people, this means sleeping in tents in temperatures that are scorching in summer and bitterly cold in winter.

Read: Jonah chapters 1-4

Reflect: ‘ “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.” ’ (Jonah 2:2)

Pray: Heavenly Father, thank you that the book of Jonah tells us that you are ‘a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love.’

We bring before you the people of Iraq and the wider Middle East in the knowledge that you love and care for them deeply.

We ask you to pour out your comfort and healing on all who are grieving, fearful and traumatised, and bring peace to their countries so that they can begin rebuilding their lives.

Thank you that you hear our cries for help. Amen.

SYRIAPRAYING AGAINST PERSECUTIONBible link: Damascus

Damascus in Syria is famous as the site of Paul’s dramatic encounter with Jesus, which changed him from a ruthless persecutor of Christians into a key apostle of the early church.

Today, Syria is a nation torn apart by brutal conflict. In many areas of the Middle East people are persecuted for their faith and don’t have the freedom to worship.

Read: Acts 9:1-19

Reflect: ‘He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” ’ (Acts 9:4)

Pray: Lord Jesus, who makes blind eyes see, you tell us to pray for those who persecute us.

We ask you to stop the hand of those set on violence and bloodshed in the Middle East, and pray that they will experience a change of heart so radical that they become people who seek peace and reconciliation.

We pray for protection, comfort and strength for all those who are facing persecution, and for the hope of a future where all people can live together free from fear. Amen.

www.tearfund.org/middleeast Registered Charity No. 265464 (England & Wales) Registered Charity No. SC037624 (Scotland)Photos: Eleanor Bentall, Hannah Maule-ffinch, Joe Perini, Mariam Tadros, Oenone Chadburn, Sara Guy/Tearfund 31288-(0914)

Many of the places we read about in the Bible are held in the grip of conflict today, with many others hosting refugees from neighbouring countries.

The ancient kingdoms of Moab, Edom and Ammon are part of modern-day Jordan, to which many have fled for safety. Tyre and Sidon are in present-day Lebanon, which is currently host to more than a million Syrian refugees. Damascus in Syria and the Iraqi province of Nineveh

have seen terrible violence and bloodshed in recent months.

Please use this resource to reflect on God’s heart for the struggling people of the Middle East and to uphold them in prayer.

LEBANONPRAYING FOR PROVISIONBible link: Tyre and Sidon

Lebanon forms the backdrop for many Bible stories, and the ‘cedars of Lebanon’ are a common biblical symbol of strength and beauty. The gospels speak of Jesus ministering in the Lebanese cities of Tyre and Sidon.

In the present day, Lebanon is home to more than a million refugees who have fled the conflict in neighbouring Syria.

Read: Luke 6:17-23

Reflect: ‘ “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.” ’ (Luke 6:21)

Pray: Loving Lord Jesus, thank you that you are mindful of our physical as well as our emotional and spiritual needs, and that you reached out to heal all who came to you in Tyre and Sidon.

We lift up those in urgent need of food, water, shelter, sanitation and medical care in the Middle East, praying that aid will reach all who require it.

Please bless and protect the people who are being your hands and feet in the region by coming alongside those who are vulnerable and hurting. Amen.

JORDANPRAYING FOR HOST COMMUNITIESBible link: Moab

The region we know today as Jordan is resonant with stories from both the Old and New Testaments. The book of Ruth opens with Naomi and her family forced by famine to flee to the kingdom of Moab, an area now located in central Jordan.

Today, hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees have similarly fled to Jordan because of the desperate situation in their own country.

Read: Ruth chapters 1-2

Reflect: ‘She asked him, “Why have I found such favour in your eyes that you notice me – a foreigner?” ’ (Ruth 2:10)

Pray: Lord of the fatherless, the widow and the outsider, we thank you for the countries that have welcomed people in need of refuge.

We pray that you will bless these host communities, and that there will be sufficient supplies and services to meet both their own needs and those of the people they are sheltering.

We ask that love, compassion and respect will flow between different people groups as they mix together.

We pray for wisdom for those in authority as they seek a solution to the conflicts across the Middle East. Amen.

Thank you for joining with us in prayer. Let’s continue to pray until there is deep, genuine and lasting peace in the Middle East.

This prayer guide focuses on the countries in which Tearfund is currently working, but please include in your prayers any other areas in the region that God has placed on your heart.

www.tearfund.org/middleeast Registered Charity No. 265464 (England & Wales) Registered Charity No. SC037624 (Scotland)Photos: Eleanor Bentall, Hannah Maule-ffinch, Joe Perini, Mariam Tadros, Oenone Chadburn, Sara Guy/Tearfund 31288-(0914)