It is the hottest part of the year… and they are running for their lives across the desert sand. Clutching crosses hidden below their shirts, they find themselves desperate for asylum in a country no longer safe for their families.
They are being hunted and killed because they believe in the resurrection of Christ.
They are being persecuted because of their faith in the Alpha and Omega… the almighty God.
They are the Christians in Iraq… and they are in desperate trouble.
If you’ve been watching the news lately, maybe you’ve heard of a group called Isis. Islamic extremists bent on exterminating Christ-followers and eradicating any trace of Christianity from the country. Some call it genocide. Others fear that if they are allowed to continue their acts, what little remains of the organized Christ-centered church will be gone forever from that part of the world.
What can we do?
Pray.
Pray with everything we have for the safety of our fellow believers. Pray that those who run scared today would enter tomorrow with a renewed sense of hope. Pray that Christians would regain the key city of Qaraqosh and proclaim Christ’s love from those churches again. Pray that the God of Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac would step in in a profound way and reverse this tragic turn of events.
And as our brothers and sisters in Christ evacuate all they’ve known to cities offering asylum… we stand beside them. Lifting up their cause and praying for their strength. As believers in the risen Lord, we are all one body in Him. And when they hurt… we hurt. When they cry out… we join the chorus. Let’s commit to stand firmly and pray believing (not hoping) that God will protect and provide for His children in Iraq in the days and weeks ahead.
For further information, please read this article: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/08/isis-persecution-iraqi-christians-genocide-asylum
