" Can Hope be found in Libya?
The information in this article comes from a team member who attended a recent briefing on the country of Libya.
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Over the last few months, there has been much excitement in the news as the rebels in Libya have gained more and more control of the country. Their progress has been eagerly watched, across the world, as Gaddafi’s rule has seemed to come to an end.
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But the impact of those events on ordinary Libyans is very different beyond the TV camera. While reports from Libya have shed light on political events, they have not given us much insight into how people have coped during and after the many atrocities they have witnessed. Adults and children have been indiscriminately shot in the street. Women (old and young) have been raped in front of their children and husbands. Anti-missile rockets have been launched into crowds of protesters. Gaddafi’s soldiers have gone from house to house, taking away adult and teen-aged men just as the rebels approach.
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Most of us have no first-hand experience of war and rely on the media to show us what it’s like. And in many respects we have grown accustomed to images that should shock and horrify us. Over the past seven or eight months, however, the people of Libya have seen and experienced these things firsthand. They feel broken and shocked by what has happened in their land and at the hands of their own countrymen, and they will carry these memories for the rest of their lives. The inner wounds will not easily heal.
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We are sharing these things with you so you can pray. Please share them with others in your church or home group so that more can pray and so that we can all pray with a bit more understanding.
- Pray for those who need to work through what they have seen and experienced: people who are hurt and grieving, feeling hopeless and scared for the future. Pray for healing, peace and a sense of community to prevail against fear of despair.
- Pray for the many women who have been raped. Ask that, rather than being made to feel dirty and ashamed, they would be supported and loved by their families and community.
- Pray that those who have committed war crimes will be brought to justice, but also that those bringing them to justice would do so lawfully.
- Pray for the National Transitional Council as it seeks to rebuild Libya and bring stability. Pray for future leadership and government to be just and fair, working against corruption and for the people.
- Pray that out of this mess will come a better Libya. Pray that all the hurt, suffering and pain would result in something greater than we can imagine. Pray for the name of Jesus to be known and glorified by many Libyans!
- Pray also for Maarifa as it seeks to reach out to Libyans with the message and hope of Christ while tackling difficult subjects and questions.
Can we challenge you to take twenty minutes to pray, now or later on today? Would you also pass this on to your friends through Facebook or Twitter?
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If Libya is on your heart, you might also be interested in visiting Pray 4 Libya's website.
