Prayer not politics: Christians and Church under attack

The last month and a half has seen perhaps the worst anti-Christian violence in Egypt in seven centuries, with dozens of churches torched. Yet the western media has mainly focussed on army assaults on the Muslim Brotherhood, and no major political figure has said anything about the sectarian attacks.

This last weekend saw bombs go off in a Church in Pakistan, leaving many dead and more injured. This was more than just loss of life it was loss of leaders in the community, leaving a minority further weakened.

In Syria, villages with a majority Christian population have been subject to a range of pressures from both government and rebel forces. The population of Christians in the country is dwindling.

President Bashir in Sudan has said that Sudan will be 100% Muslim, and has acted to remove and eliminate Christian presence and witness from the country.

In Iraq, since the fall of Sadam Hussein, St George’s Anglican Church has seen more than 1200 of it congregation killed, and across the nation Christians have been harassed, kidnapped and killed.

A few voices cry out for justice in these situations. Most of us hope that the politicians will do something to ease the situation. Few of us remember that prayer, not politics is the only solution. We have watched attempts at political solutions, mostly involving some form of military intervention, bemoaned the fact that there seem to have been no long term plans and watched and feared.

Now the call is to pray. Oh that the Lord would hear the groans of his people, and respond. Oh that God would have mercy. Oh that the glory of his name would be revealed in the nations. Oh that his church would be purified, reveal his greatness and glory and be a community that brings healing and reconciliation in the midst of brokenness.

Pray for the Church under pressure and attack in each of these nations.