Living and serving in the Middle East has its unique challenges, none of which compare to the events of recent weeks. There was no pre-field training to prepare for being jolted awake in the dead of night by the adrenaline that comes from booming sounds of missile attacks that shake the windows, followed by piercing cell phone alerts that ensure your entire household is awake to experience it all.
The Great Commission is not bound by wars or rumours of wars. God’s Word must be preached in season and out of season. Gospel work continues in the midst of missile attacks and geopolitical instability.
Cross-cultural workers and their family members are uniquely processing these events emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Confusion. Fear. Peace. Anxiety. Faith. Sadness. Hope. Disorientation. Exhaustion.
As we continue to pray for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done, here are three specific ways to pray for those ministering in these uncertain times in the Middle East.
1) Pray for Wisdom in Leadership
Headship is heavy on the best of days. Pray for the men God has appointed to the weighty task of leading in homes, local churches, and other cross-cultural ministries. Now is the time for wisdom and decisive courage. Pray for them to remember they have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).
In current circumstances, grace and unity are especially vital in marriages, among elders, and within ministry teams. Pray for sensitivity towards those entrusted to their care, and for leaders to act with the self-sacrificial love of Christ, who gave himself up for the church (Ephesians 5:25).
At times, leadership in ministry comes with unique pressures to “have it all together” or to find trustworthy people to be truly vulnerable with. Pray for specific co-labourers to confide in, who will listen without judgment, offer biblical encouragement, and pray without ceasing.
2) Pray for Faith-filled Households
Under one roof on any given day, there are countless emotions among its members in response to the ever-evolving news feed. Many families have created make-shift “safe rooms” by securing mattresses against windows, bedding for family sleepovers, and special nooks to keep pets from heightening an already stressful situation.
Single ministry workers have unique dynamics persevering in gospel work while they endure these scenarios alone or with housemates. As they process events with family and friends both near and far, there are various opinions given, which can either be helpfully faith-filled or unhelpfully anxiety-inducing. Pray for single ministry workers to deeply experience the promise that Jesus will never leave or forsake them (Matthew 28:18-20).
Pray for wives not to fear anything that is frightening, but to fear the LORD, just as Sarah submitted to Abraham in the most difficult of circumstances (1 Peter 3:6). Pray for Holy Spirit-filled endurance while they process their own emotions on disrupted sleep, even as their families look to them for the calming comfort of regular meals, clean laundry, and school routines.
Pray for parents to humbly model their need for Christ and their reliance on the new mercies He provides each day, each hour, and each minute. Pray for many children and teens to come to saving faith in Jesus as they witness the vulnerable yet steadfast faith of their parents.
3) Pray for Provision of Needs
Prayerfully consider how you might contribute to the practical needs of cross-cultural workers enduring this most challenging season.
Generous financial gifts can help alleviate the stress of various major and minor decisions. Some may need to purchase expensive modes of transportation either to evacuate or return to reunite with their families. Funds can also provide more convenient food planning options for household meals and ministry gatherings.
Respite and recovery will eventually be needed for every cross-cultural worker in the Middle East at some point in the near or distant future. Some may need to return from the field now for their safety and well-being, while others may discern it is safe to persevere in their current setting. This might mean a shorter time away from their ministry or a longer season of sabbatical.
Whenever workers do return, consider how your church might provide a retreat for them to decompress, process, and recharge. While we are always grateful for guest rooms and pull-out couches, our family’s most refreshing times have been “isolated in community”. One church expressed their hospitality by providing us with our own space in an empty home with meals dropped off by members. They also invited us to enjoy fellowship with them at a limited number of gatherings, but encouraged us to prioritize time to rest and recharge as a family.
Remember gospel workers in the Middle East and pray Colossians 1:9-12:
“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”
