“What I’m hearing from people on the ground is frustration and disappointment with the situation in the country,” Jane* from the prayer ministry Cry Out says.

“The instability that has always been part of Iraq is continuing, and, although there are glimpses of hope, there’s still the underlying concern [and] stress.”

Large-scale anti-government protests began last October and quickly escalated. See a full timeline here. Tired of government corruption and neglect, demonstrators demanded change. As described here, three different Prime Ministers took the helm between October and April.

“The new[est] prime minister [has] had a positive effect on the country. He’s made more changes in the last three months than many of his predecessors [did] during their positions,” Jane notes.

Last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi announced compensation for the families of protestors killed by security forces. Yet, trouble remains. Falling oil prices and the pandemic have made Iraq’s economic crisis even worse. No money means no electricity, which means no relief from the sweltering desert heat.

And yet, Jane says, hope remains.

“Amid the heaviness of the situation and so many people overwhelmed by despair, there’s also this golden opportunity. Hearts are opening up to receive the Gospel, to receive the truth of who Jesus is.”

Find your place in the story

Read our past coverage to understand the spiritual needs and atmosphere in Iraq. Then, take action as the Lord leads.

(Photo courtesy Chaldean Archdiocese of Erbil/Adiabene)

“It’s good, on the one hand, to read the headlines and to be aware of what’s happening in the news. At the same time, use that as fuel to pray for people affected by these massive things happening across Iraq,” Jane suggests.

Use the prompts below to guide your intercession:

• Pray Iraqis will find relief in some form from the sweltering desert heat.
• Ask the Lord to strengthen and encourage His followers in Iraq as they proclaim the Gospel.
• Pray that God will give believers renewed vision and a renewed passion for engaging in the hard-to-reach places and the hard-to-reach hearts.

More about Cry Out’s ministry here.

*– Name changed for security purposes.

Header image depicts Iraqi protests in Tahrir Square on October 25, 2019.   (Photo courtesy FPP via Wikimedia Commons)

Jane serves alongside the Near East prayer ministry, Cry Out Now, and communicates with ministries and churches throughout the region.

“We’re all experiencing the impact of [the pandemic] and how that has radically changed our lives from being outside and being with people and around people to suddenly living our lives online,” she says.

“But in the midst of this upheaval and upside-down life, we’re also seeing some beautiful things happening.”

What’s happening in the Near East?

Yesterday, ministry partners in Lebanon described how pandemic restrictions worsen pre-existing struggles. In Iraq, tens of thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) just received emergency help from global agencies to meet basic daily needs. Jordan faces comparatively fewer problems than its neighboring nations, while challenges surround Syria.

“Different countries between Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq are having levels of lockdown, different levels of movement restrictions [and] social distancing rules,” Jane says.

In some places, “People [are] saying, ‘I would rather die of a virus than die of hunger, so I’m going to go out and break the curfew laws because I need to find a way to get money’,” she shares.

“I don’t want to take away from the desperation that people are experiencing, but at the same time, I do want to say that Jesus is meeting people in their desperation.”

(Photo courtesy of Cry Out Now)

Church leaders tell Jane they’re seeing more responses to online sermons. Prayer gatherings across the Middle East are multiplying and growing. “I know of one group that is praying five hours every day for revival in one of our neighboring nations,” she says.

Furthermore, “groups that have never, in the past, been open to studying the Bible are suddenly saying, ‘we want to study; we want to know what Jesus says’,” Jane adds.

“All of this is happening in the context of Ramadan.”

Ramadan is one of the holiest months of the Islamic calendar, observed by millions of Muslims worldwide. Here’s how you can pray daily for the Muslim world throughout Ramadan.

Want to change the world? Pray.

Pray Near East believers will share their faith with people seeking to know God. “God is going to surprise us with the harvest that is going to come out of these four nations, and that He’s going to use very creative ways to reach them,” Jane says.

Sign up here for regional updates from Cry Out Now.

(Photo courtesy of Ben White via Unsplash)

This movement goes beyond the Near East. “A part of what we’re going to see as a fruit of the season is how Jesus broke through into people’s lives in new and miraculous ways during this time,” Jane says.

“As believers, are we ready to respond? Will the global Body of Christ be ready to take in the harvest and be faithful with what God is doing in this season?”

Header image is a representative photo courtesy of Cry Out Now via Facebook.

A worker we’ll call “Jane” serves with prayer ministry Cry Out Now. She says believers are staying put despite Baghdad’s unrest. “There is a growing Church in Iraq. Yes, Iraq has been devastated in the past and a lot of believers had [left],” Jane says.

“At the same time, there are still believers in the country that [have] chosen to stay, and continue carrying the light of Jesus in the city.”

How to pray for Iraq

This image was taken in April 2017 during a UNESCO mission to Nineveh, Iraq, which was heavily destroyed and excavated by ISIS.
(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Iraq sits at #13 on Open Doors’ World Watch List – a ranking of 50 nations with the worst persecution of Christians. The territorial defeat of ISIS reduced nationwide persecution, and some believers are returning to their homeland. However, Islamic oppression remains a threat to all Iraqi Christians.

“The Church in Iraq is specifically a group that we can be praying for, that God will continue to strengthen them, continue to give them the perseverance,” Jane says.

“They want to see God’s kingdom come into the land…they definitely need our prayers, and especially in this time.”

Pray for an end to violence in Iraq and pray for Gospel growth. Pray Iraqi believers can courageously stand firm in their faith despite persecution and terror.

“Things are going wrong, but they will be the ones that keep on shining the light in the midst of the darkness.”

Here’s another prayer resource from our sister ministry, Prayercast.

Prayer warriors need prayer, too

1871 painting depicts Aaron and Hur supporting Moses as he intercedes for the armies of Israel.
(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Cry Out is a network of prayer warriors interceding for the Near East region – Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. “There’s always horrible things happening in this region. Lebanon is having financial crises; Iraq had riots – people got shot at and killed. Syria’s in the news with Turkey wanting to set up a safe zone,” Jane says.

“The intercessors that carry these lands on their hearts are weighed down because of the brokenness. We need to pray for them that they won’t be overwhelmed.”

Exodus 17:10-13 describes the importance of intercession in spiritual battles. Just as Moses prayed for Joshua and his warriors fighting a physical battle, “the intercessor is the one standing on the hill with his hands in the air, and praying and interceding for the (spiritual) battle that’s going on [below] him in the valley,” Jane says.

“But, the intercessor’s arms get tired, and then you need the Aaron and the Hur [who] can come alongside [to provide help and support].”

So, pray for the prayer warriors, Jane requests. Pray “that they will continually sit at the throne, and at the feet of the Father, to see what He sees when He looks at these lands and to pray the things that are on His heart.”

Then, commit to praying alongside them for the Near East region. Get prayer requests and resources here.

Header image is a screenshot courtesy of Prayercast | Iraq.

Saudi officials expect over two million Muslims to gather in Mecca and begin the Hajj on Friday night; some 2.38 million Muslims made the journey last year. The Hajj is an annual pilgrimage to Mecca with an accompanying set of specific religious actions. It begins on the 8th day of the 12th month of Dhul Hijjah in the Islamic calendar.

Watch a short video about the Hajj here.

“It’s one of the five pillars of Islam and all Muslims who are physically [and] financially able need to do it at least once in their lifetime to comply with their religious requirements,” explains Jane* with Cry Out Now, a prayer ministry focused on the Near East region.

“It is a major event in the Muslim world.”

What is the Hajj?

Last week, the League of Arab Nations praised Saudi Arabia’s Hajj planning and logistics. The Hajj requires a tremendous amount of organization and manpower. As described here, the Saudi government appoints a specific committee to handle everything Hajj-related: safety, sanitation, crowd management, and more. The event’s complexity requires detailed planning.

Hajj route – PD courtesy of the Perry-Castaneda map collection
(Graphic, caption courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Each step of the Hajj requires specific actions; if people do not complete the day’s requirements, they must start over again the following day. These infographics developed by Al-Jazeera News depict the Hajj journey.

Muslims seek forgiveness of their sins on the Hajj, Jane says, but that’s not all.

“Muslims are, once again, open spiritually to having an experience with God. They want to dream dreams; they want to see visions.”

God’s Spirit moves often in Muslim hearts, and He seems to move in especially powerful ways during special days or seasons on the Muslim calendar. For example, “we pray during Ramadan, and we actually heard [about] a guy having a dream (about Jesus) during this year’s Ramadan,” Jane says.

“A lot of people from the Near East are also intentional about going to the Hajj, and we really want to encourage believers to stand with us and to pray that God would show up in miraculous ways during this year’s pilgrimage.”

Jane recalls several Muslims who began the Hajj with a real desire to meet God. These individuals dreamt of Jesus, she says, and placed their faith in Him as a result.

“This seems impossible, but with God nothing is impossible.”

Next steps

Now that you know, will you save the date? Set a reminder on your calendar to join Cry Out’s team on Friday as they begin praying through the Hajj. Cry Out offers free resources here to help inform and guide your prayers.

“God says that those who seek Him with all their hearts and all their minds will find Him and will be found by Him,” Jane observes.

“Pray that those passionately seeking an encounter with God will have an encounter – even if it’s in the middle of Mecca, in the middle of Saudi Arabia.”

* – Name changed for security purposes.

Header image depicts a crowd of people touching the Ka’aba Stone in Mecca.  Photo by Haidan on Unsplash.

A Christian worker we’ll call Jane tells us the holiday looks a little different in Lebanon: “It’s maybe not as big as it is in the West, but the concept of loving people and giving hearts, giving chocolates, is something that is done here as well, although to a lesser extent.”

Jane works with a prayer ministry called Cry Out. The ministry organizes intentional prayer efforts for countries in the Near East region: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq.

Cry Out workers also live out their faith in tangible ways. For example, “We decided to think outside the box and do something different, and we’re doing a Valentines’ Day Outreach,” shares Jane.

“It’s basically a ‘love campaign’ because we want to flood two cities in our country with the love of God and the truth of His love.”

Finding true love on Valentine’s Day

February 14 is recognized as Valentine’s Day around the world. However, it also marks a dark day in Lebanon’s history. Read about the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri here.

As such, February 14 is “a public holiday,” Jane explains, “so people should be out and about on the streets…

“There should be opportunity to see people we wouldn’t normally see on a day-to-day basis.”

For two days, Cry Out workers are distributing heart-shaped cards to strangers.

“We have different Scriptures that we’re going to put on different cards and we’re going to go out on the streets and give them to random people to bless them with the love of God,” explains Jane.

“We’re just praying that God will connect us with the right ones, that He will prepare hungry hearts that actually need to know and desire to know the true God and the true love of the true God.”

A URL on the back of each card points curious seekers to a website with further details. This outreach is significant because it’s impacting Muslims who may not know the God of the Bible.

“We pray that God will prepare other people’s hearts as much as He’s preparing our hearts for these activities, and that there will be a beautiful connection of what God wants to do.”

Will you join their efforts? Ask the Lord to protect Cry Out workers as they distribute cards, and pray curious seekers will find the Lord through this outreach.

Header and story images courtesy Pexels.