Lebanon (MNN) — Lebanese protests are calling for a new government. If that sounds familiar, it’s because locals called for the same thing last year. After a devastating economic crisis, locals called for reform. Lebanon’s Prime Minister stepped down in October, paving the way for new leadership in January.
Now, protestors are asking for yet another change? But why?
According to Nuna of Triumphant Mercy, Lebanon’s change in leadership was only a superficial solution.
“Nothing was resolved,” she says. “There is a devaluation of the Lebanese pound that is unprecedented… people can’t continue this way. So they are accusing the government, blaming the central bank, so the protest is actually to just topple this government again, because this government, it was not a solution in their perspective.”
There’s another shift to local thinking, too; people are looking for spiritual answers.
“On every side, there is no human solution to this,” Nuna says. “The Hezbollah is still there. They still have the weapons inside the country. They still dominate many parts of the government. Nothing would change if we change heads. We would need to change radically.”
New Local Solutions
Photo courtesy of Triumphant Mercy
That has driven many Lebanese locals to prayer and chasing spiritual hope. The COVID-19 pandemic only intensified this search, since it opened the possibility for virtual prayer networks to help groups like Triumphant Mercy connect with believers they never would have met before.
In the wake of COVID-19 and ongoing political strife, Triumphant Mercy has shifted the methods behind many of their efforts. In-person trauma sessions and summer camps have shifted to virtual meetings, one-on-one conversations, and food services.
This last opportunity is especially important with no end in sight to the economic crisis. The poverty line continues to climb, and formerly middle-class neighbors are now coming to Triumphant Mercy for basic supplies and food.
How You Can Pray
Pray for Lebanon.
“I think of [Lebanon] as a hostage. It is… supposedly a free country, but we are hostages in our own land [to] political agendas,” Nuna laments. Pray for freedom in Lebanon. Pray that their borders would open and that their economic situation would improve and pull families out of poverty.
Nuna believes that a change can only occur if God is involved.
“We need God to intervene and to find a way to just open the country,” she says. Triumphant Mercy hopes to be “bringers of God’s hope,” so pray for their continued efforts. Ask God to use the Holy Spirit to give them creativity and wisdom as they come alongside their neighbors.
“It’s just as if you’re just running a long marathon [and] you’re just still not reaching the destination still for so long.”
You can support Triumphant Mercy directly right here.
Header photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
