Lebanon (MNN) — Hundreds of Lebanese rallied at the Maronite church in Beirut last week to support calls for neutrality. Lebanon’s most senior Christian cleric urged political leaders to steer the country away from regional conflict and toward healing.
Lebanon cannot shake its crises; emergencies have grown increasingly worse in the past two years. See our full coverage here.
Economic hardship and governmental failures drove protestors into the streets of Beirut in late 2019. Then came the global pandemic and Beirut explosion. Today, Lebanon’s ability to receive assistance from abroad rests upon leaders who cannot form a functioning government.
(Photo courtesy of Cry Out Now via Facebook)
David* from Cry Out Now Ministries says only God can save Lebanon from self-destruction.
“Please pray for a breakthrough so political leaders would truly start to make changes in the way they operate,” he requests.
“There’s a huge level of corruption. Foreign aid money is just not available because donors are not willing to give, so people are suffering because of the corrupt actions of the leaders in the country.”
Waiting upon the Lord
Cry Out is a prayer network focused on the Near East region. Issues affecting one country often intersect with another. “Because certain groups within Lebanon [were] involved in the war in Syria, countries that previously supported Lebanon’s economy are no longer doing that,” David says, describing one factor behind Lebanon’s economic collapse.
“After several years of things getting worse and worse, the economic situation is now at the breaking point.”
While believers wait upon God for their country’s future, they see Him move powerfully in individual lives.
“As people give their allegiance to Jesus, it starts to impact the decisions they make in terms of how to handle money, how to treat other people, all of these things,” David says.
“A chain smoker gives up smoking because they realize that their body is a temple for the Lord. That one small decision means [they have] extra money to pay their rent, or to provide extra food for their family,” he describes as one example.
“Whenever someone decides to follow Jesus, they start to obey the Lord. As they read Scripture, they start to make changes in their lifestyle.”
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*–Name changed for security purposes.
Header image courtesy of LSESD via Facebook.
