Egypt (MNN) — Egypt's military has made good on its promise. President Mohammed Morsi has been overthrown. Military leaders also suspended the controversial constitution hastily drafted by the Muslim Brotherhood.
In a televised statement, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said the constitution will be examined by a panel. He also called for presidential and parliamentary elections and said the roadmap had been agreed on in consultation with various political groups.
Todd Nettleton, a spokesman for the Voice of the Martyrs USA, says, "What happens now? That's obviously the million dollar question. Do they move back into an election process to let the people decide? Does the military step in and try to govern for a set period of time? Those are all questions that we don't know the answers to."
But is it a coup? Several experts stopped just shy of classifying Wednesday's events under that term. The ousted president made his opinion known on his Twitter account. He issued a statement in which he was quoted as saying the military's measures "represent a full coup categorically rejected by all the free men of our nation." According to Merriam-Webster, a coup d'etat is an overthrow, the sudden deposition of a government. By that definition alone, it would appear Egypt has survived two in two years.
In 2011: massive demonstrations, a leader stepping down, and the military taking over until elections. This time, though, whoever steps in has to deal with mistrust and broken promises. "The people of Egypt need to be shown 'we're making progress on this.' I think a lot of what happened this week is frustration."
Egypt is on the cusp of a new direction. Nettleton says, "Pray for God's protection. I think secondly, we need to pray about the future. We need to pray for peace. We need to pray that Egypt's people will be protected–both Christians and Muslims."
Pray for those facing economic and social challenges because of their Christian faith. Pray that they will see the Lord provide for the basic needs, displaying a witness of God's care to non-Christians. Ask God to strengthen and embolden Christians in this time of political uncertainty and give them new opportunities to share the Gospel.
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