Lebanon (MNN) — Having a large family doesn’t always mean your voice will be heard — but there is One who always listens.
“I’m from Morocco, and I’m 19 years old. Though many people surround me, I have no one to talk to. I am so grateful to the Lord for your help and advice.”
(Photo courtesy of Vitaly Gariev via Pexels)
This heartfelt message came from a listener of “What’s Up”, a SAT-7 program designed to connect with young people across the Middle East and North Africa. Formerly known as “Catalyst”, the updated show targets viewers aged 18 to 24, encouraging honest conversations, emotional depth, and mutual support — especially for those often misunderstood by their families or communities.
Through episodes that explore fear, pain, regret, and confusion, “What’s Up” program creates a safe space where youth can reflect and grow. Joe Willey of SAT-7 explains: “Scripture is not just for a particular day or for a particular time period. Scripture encompasses our entire experience, and we can go to God with pain, with suffering. We see this in the imprecatory Psalms. We see this throughout Scripture.”
Many teens in the region are surrounded by conflict, crisis, and loss. “What’s Up” gives them a platform to be heard — and to hear the hope of Christ.
“SAT-7 is saying, ‘No, you do matter. You are made in the image of God, and we want to give you an opportunity to voice your concerns, and also then be able to share from a biblical perspective God’s view on difficulty, God’s view on suffering,’” says Willey.
One powerful episode, “Is God present in the midst of painful trials?”, looks directly at grief and hardship, helping young viewers process suffering in light of Scripture.
“I pray that God would change the hearts of teens, because it really would change the culture of the Middle East and North Africa to have young people who said, ‘I’ve heard about Christ and I’ve heard about Him as the Son of God, not just as a prophet and I believe what He says is true,’” adds Willey.
Pray that more young people across the Middle East and North Africa will discover this SAT-7 program and be empowered by it to speak out. For the One who gifted us with the power to speak is the very One who longs to hear our voices.
Header photo courtesy of Ashkan Sadeghi via Unsplash.
