PRAYERS FOR THE
MIDDLE EAST
Across the Middle East, millions of people
have been forced to abandon their homes
and flee for safety. Most of them are scared,
grieving and in desperate need of help.
Many of the places we read about in the Bible are held in the grip of conflict
today, with many others hosting refugees from neighbouring countries.
The ancient kingdoms of Moab, Edom and Ammon are part of modern-day Jordan, to which
many have fled for safety. Tyre and Sidon are in present-day Lebanon, which is currently host
to more than a million Syrian refugees. Damascus in Syria and the Iraqi province of Nineveh
have seen terrible violence and bloodshed in recent months.
Please use this resource to reflect on God’s heart for the struggling people of the Middle East
and to uphold them in prayer.
IRAQ
SYRIA
PRAYING FOR PEACE
PRAYING AGAINST PERSECUTION
Bible link: Nineveh
Bible link: Damascus
In the book of Jonah, the reluctant prophet is sent to Nineveh
– once the most populous city of the ancient Assyrian Empire.
Damascus in Syria is famous as the site of Paul’s dramatic
encounter with Jesus, which changed him from a ruthless
persecutor of Christians into a key apostle of the early church.
Nowadays, its ruins lie across the river from the Iraqi city of
Mosul, where fierce fighting and intense persecution have
forced many to flee their homes. For hundreds of people, this
means sleeping in tents in temperatures that are scorching in
summer and bitterly cold in winter.
Read: Jonah chapters 1-4
Reflect: ‘ “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he
answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for
help, and you listened to my cry.” ’ (Jonah 2:2)
Pray: Heavenly Father, thank you that the book of Jonah tells
us that you are ‘a gracious and compassionate God, slow to
anger and abounding in love.’
We bring before you the people of Iraq and the wider Middle
East in the knowledge that you love and care for them deeply.
We ask you to pour out your comfort and healing on
all who are grieving, fearful and traumatised, and bring peace
to their countries so that they can begin rebuilding their lives.
Today, Syria is a nation torn apart by brutal conflict. In many
areas of the Middle East people are persecuted for their faith
and don’t have the freedom to worship.
Read: Acts 9:1-19
Reflect: ‘He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him,
“Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” ’ (Acts 9:4)
Pray: Lord Jesus, who makes blind eyes see, you tell us to
pray for those who persecute us.
We ask you to stop the hand of those set on violence
and bloodshed in the Middle East, and pray that they will
experience a change of heart so radical that they become
people who seek peace and reconciliation.
We pray for protection, comfort and strength for all those
who are facing persecution, and for the hope of a future
where all people can live together free from fear. Amen.
Thank you that you hear our cries for help. Amen.
www.tearfund.org/middleeast
Registered Charity No. 265464 (England & Wales) Registered Charity No. SC037624 (Scotland)
Photos: Eleanor Bentall, Hannah Maule-ffinch, Joe Perini, Mariam Tadros, Oenone Chadburn, Sara Guy/Tearfund 31288-(0914)
LEBANON
JORDAN
PRAYING FOR PROVISION
PRAYING FOR HOST COMMUNITIES
Bible link: Tyre and Sidon
Bible link: Moab
Lebanon forms the backdrop for many Bible stories, and the
‘cedars of Lebanon’ are a common biblical symbol of strength
and beauty. The gospels speak of Jesus ministering in the
Lebanese cities of Tyre and Sidon.
The region we know today as Jordan is resonant with stories
from both the Old and New Testaments. The book of Ruth
opens with Naomi and her family forced by famine to flee to
the kingdom of Moab, an area now located in central Jordan.
In the present day, Lebanon is home to more than a million
refugees who have fled the conflict in neighbouring Syria.
Today, hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees have
similarly fled to Jordan because of the desperate situation in
their own country.
Read: Luke 6:17-23
Reflect: ‘ “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will
be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will
laugh.” ’ (Luke 6:21)
Pray: Loving Lord Jesus, thank you that you are mindful of
our physical as well as our emotional and spiritual needs,
and that you reached out to heal all who came to you in
Tyre and Sidon.
We lift up those in urgent need of food, water, shelter,
sanitation and medical care in the Middle East, praying that
aid will reach all who require it.
Please bless and protect the people who are being your
hands and feet in the region by coming alongside those who
are vulnerable and hurting. Amen.
Read: Ruth chapters 1-2
Reflect: ‘She asked him, “Why have I found such favour in
your eyes that you notice me – a foreigner?” ’ (Ruth 2:10)
Pray: Lord of the fatherless, the widow and the outsider, we
thank you for the countries that have welcomed people in
need of refuge.
We pray that you will bless these host communities, and that
there will be sufficient supplies and services to meet both
their own needs and those of the people they are sheltering.
We ask that love, compassion and respect will flow between
different people groups as they mix together.
We pray for wisdom for those in authority as they seek a
solution to the conflicts across the Middle East. Amen.
Thank you for joining with us in prayer. Let’s continue to pray until there is deep, genuine and
lasting peace in the Middle East.
This prayer guide focuses on the countries in which Tearfund is currently working, but please
include in your prayers any other areas in the region that God has placed on your heart.
www.tearfund.org/middleeast
Registered Charity No. 265464 (England & Wales) Registered Charity No. SC037624 (Scotland)
Photos: Eleanor Bentall, Hannah Maule-ffinch, Joe Perini, Mariam Tadros, Oenone Chadburn, Sara Guy/Tearfund 31288-(0914)