“The prayer meeting is the throbbing machinery of the Church.”
FROM THE DESK OF: the Director of Communications
Twelve million Syrians have fled their home country because of the violence and collapsing infrastructure brought on by civil war. Of the 12 million, 6 million are children. This mass exodus into neighboring countries has caused countless problems for the host countries as well as opportunities for exploitation.
As we focus on Syria this week, join me in praying for these displaced peoples.
For the Win[dow],
Bubby Bryan, DOC
VERSE OF THE WEEK: Matthew 7:7-8
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened."
COUNTRY OF THE WEEK: Syria
Following World War I, France acquired a mandate over the northern portion of the former Ottoman Empire province of Syria. The French administered the area as Syria until granting it independence in 1946. The new country lacked political stability and experienced a series of military coups. Syria united with Egypt in February 1958 to form the United Arab Republic. In September 1961, the two entities separated, and the Syrian Arab Republic was reestablished. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights region to Israel. During the 1990s, Syria and Israel held occasional peace talks over its return. In November 1970, Hafiz al-ASAD, a member of the socialist Ba'th Party and the minority Alawi sect, seized power in a bloodless coup and brought political stability to the country. Following the death of President al-ASAD, his son, Bashar al-ASAD, was approved as president by popular referendum in July 2000. Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April 2005. During the July-August 2006 conflict between Israel and Hizballah, Syria placed its military forces on alert but did not intervene directly on behalf of its ally Hizballah. In May 2007, Bashar al-ASAD's second term as president was approved by popular referendum. (CIA World Factbook)
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- Pray for a swift end to the horrific civil war with people of peace rising to leadership.
- Pray for Jesus to reveal Himself to the millions of Muslims displaced by the war.
- Pray for the Church to be protected and expanded amid hostility.
- Pray for the Uttermost workers in the field.
- Pray for the US office.