Lebanon (MNN) — On February 26, Lebanon’s new government won a vote of confidence from parliament. The nation has a new president as of January, Joseph Aoun, and now a new prime minister, Nawaf Salam. This has brought new hope after Lebanon’s years of economic crisis and devastating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. A few days after the vote, President Aoun traveled to Saudi Arabia for the first time since his appointment to office to strengthen diplomatic ties.
“[Aoun] served as the head of the Lebanese army, proved himself as a person that desire[s] peace and also to treat everybody equal in the Lebanese government. That gave the first flicker of hope, followed a week later by the appointment of a prime minister who served as the head judge of the International Justice Court,” says Camille Melki with Heart for Lebanon.
(Photo courtesy of Heart For Lebanon)
“That for us is a sign of hope as well, because that’s a person who served in [an] international court, is known for his integrity, [one of those who] understand law and understand what it means to run a government.”
He continues, “All these are going to move the country of Lebanon to a whole new era — an era of equality, an era of peace and tranquility, an era that’s going to lead to more reforms.”
Lebanon’s two greatest challenges within are these, says Melki: First, many of Lebanon’s young people, the next generation of leaders, have left the country. Second, there is divisiveness within Lebanon’s diverse people groups. This has an impact on the church.
“You want to serve the most vulnerable, you want to provide aid to those who need it. But then everybody looks at you: ‘So why are you caring for the Syrians? Why are you extending our help for the Shia population from the south?’” Melki explains. (More on how Heart for Lebanon serves people from many backgrounds here.)
Melki says they are reminded of how the Lord Jesus prayed for the church. “He prayed that we are not removed from the world, but protected from the evil in the world, because we are planted as this agent of change in a divisive, broken, hurting community.
Syrian refugee children
(Photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)
“But of course, we’re part of that community, and we understand that we have to deal openly, clearly, providing a godly, biblical message of forgiveness; a godly, biblical message of acceptance of all; a godly, biblical message of loving my enemy and loving my neighbor as well.”
The good news that in all the crises Lebanon has endured, the Lebanese church has not turned inward. Instead, it is actively serving and sharing the gospel unconditionally.
“Pray for the church, that it stays involved, above par, away from all this divisiveness that we talk about,” Melki says. “[Then] remember that we are still human beings. There is a need for us to lift God’s Kingdom worker[s] in Lebanon in prayers, that they would stay focused on God’s given mission, focused on how best to bring forth the work of the Kingdom as well as how to stay healthy emotionally, physically and spiritually.”
Finally, pray the Heart for Lebanon team responds to every circumstance with the goal of honoring and glorifying God.
Learn more about Heart for Lebanon here.
Header photo: H.E. General Joseph Aoun, President of the Republic of Lebanon, right, and Dubravka Šuica, center, during a meeting in Baabda, Lebanon. (Photo and caption by © European Union, 2025, CC BY 4.0. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
