“People [were] killed in Israel and wounded here in Lebanon.”

Fear drove people to desperate measures. “People are trying to leave Lebanon like never before,” she says.

“You can see hundreds of people in front of any embassy [trying] to get out of Lebanon.”

War is the last thing Lebanon needs. It’s already a failed state. “The government of Lebanon doesn’t want the war, which is a good thing. But, at the same time, we cannot stop Hezbollah,” Nuna says.

“It’s Hezbollah who wants war; Iran wants war.”

Since Israel and Lebanon last exchanged rocket fire, pressure has lowered, but tensions simmer just below the surface. Believers in Lebanon are asking the Lord to intervene.

“We’ll stay at the prayer house and just plead with heaven. On Thursday night, the 20th of April, we start at 6 pm and go on [praying] night and day till Saturday evening,” Nuna says.

“I’m reminded of the Israelites when they were in bondage in Egypt. They cried to the Lord, and He heard their cries. We want to see this in Lebanon.”

Christians in Jordan and Iraq are praying, too. Will you join them? “We’re not an island; we have to tackle issues on a regional basis; we have to pray regionally,” Nuna says.

“It’s our unity that will make a difference. The prayer of unity in one voice, one heart, just asking for deliverance.”

Ask the Lord to move according to His will. “We’re trying to have a large invitation of people to join [in prayer] from different places, different denominations, so we can see a national cry arising,” Nuna says.

Header image courtesy of LSESD.

(Photo courtesy World Watch Monitor)

Nigeria (WWM/MNN) — The violence caused by Nigeria’s Boko Haram terror group is so bad leading up to the elections, some voters may forfeit their vote just to get away.

The general elections were moved from February 14 to March 28 because of a sudden uptick in deadly bombings and attacks. A World Watch Monitor source says many Nigerians have fled back to their hometowns to get away from the hot zones.

The election between the two main candidates: incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and the opposition (All Progressive Congress – APC) has intensified ethnic and religious tensions.

There’s precedent for the concern. Post-election violence spread to all 12 Northern States in 2011 is described as one of the bloodiest episodes in Nigerian history. More than 350 churches were burnt down, among other properties.

Meanwhile, notes the WWM report, about 1.5 million people displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency in the North may not be able to cast their votes, although the government says it has plans for polling stations in Internally Displaced Peoples (IDP) camps.

(Photo courtesy World Watch Monitor)

In the days leading up to the election, the Christian Association of Nigerian-Americans (CANAN) is collaborating with the African Strategic Leadership Prayer Network (ASLPN), The Praying Army, Wailing Women Worldwide, and the U.S./Canada chapter of Nigeria Prays. All five of these U.S.-based groups are committing to a prayer vigil every Saturday until the elections are over.

All Nigerian churches and pastors are also being humbly requested to announce the prayer vigil on the phone, in the churches, and also raise prayer points during the Sunday service of March 15 that God’s will be done in Nigeria and that there shall be peace before, during, and after the elections scheduled for March 28 and April 11.

Ask God to intervene for quiet and peaceful elections. Pray that Christians in Nigeria will demonstrate the love of Christ as they face opposition. Pray for the cruelty and injustices of Shariah to be exposed.

American Pastor Saeed Abedini, a Muslim convert to Christianity, faces an 8-year prison sentence after his September 2012 arrest and indictment in Iran because of his religious beliefs. The Iranian government refuses to recognize his U.S. citizenship or make his charges public. Abedini’s U.S.-based family is being represented by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ).
(Photos courtesy of ACLJ).

More than 700 days ago, American Pastor Saeed Abedini boarded a flight to Iran and never came back. Christmas has come and gone twice; he has missed children’s birthdays and other family celebrations. After many false hopes that freedom could come, the Boise, Idaho resident remains imprisoned by the Iranian government on charges related to his Christian faith. Now, two years to the day of Abedini’s incarceration, thousands will gather in more than 460 vigils in 30 countries and territories to pray for his safe release and call upon their governments to act on his behalf.

The prayer vigil participants will join global supporters who have contributed more than 900,000 signatures to petitions and letters demanding Abedini’s freedom.

“The kids and I are longing to see Saeed returned home safely to us. The kids have been suffering for too long. Our family is ready. It is time,” said Naghmeh Abedini, the pastor’s wife. “We are praying for a miracle. My hope is that, as thousands gather together on September 26, our governments and leaders will be reminded of the importance of religious freedom for all and continue to pressure Iran to secure Saeed’s release.”

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas (center, red tie) and ACLJ Executive Director Jordan Sekulow (right of Cruz) kneel in prayer outside of the White House on Sept. 26, 2013. Cruz and other national political and faith leaders joined with the ACLJ in calling for Pastor Saeed Abedini’s release at prayer vigils marking the one-year anniversary of the pastor’s imprisonment in Iran. (Photo courtesy of ACLJ)

The day after last year’s prayer vigils on the first anniversary of Abedini’s imprisonment, President Barack Obama made a historic phone call to President Hassan Rouhani of Iran in which Obama expressed concern about Abedini’s treatment and called for his release.

“Pastor Saeed has become the face of the persecuted Christian church worldwide, one of many Christians around the world who face imprisonment, beatings, and even death for their faith,” said Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), the law firm leading global awareness efforts to free the jailed pastor. “As the world’s eye turns to violence against Christians in the Middle East, we raise a united voice in urging Iran to free Pastor Saeed and grant him clemency. It’s time for Saeed to come home.”

Arrested in July 2012 while building a government-approved orphanage, Abedini is currently serving an eight-year judgment at Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj, Iran, a place where “every day is a potential death sentence,” Sekulow has said.

Despite suffering from repeated beatings, malnourishment, and lack of proper medical treatment, local family members report that Abedini remains hopeful, writing of himself: “A Prisoner in the Darkness in Iran, but free for the Kingdom and Light.”

7,000 miles apart, Abedini and his wife Naghmeh–who remains in Boise with their two young children–celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary earlier this summer. Their daughter, Rebekka, celebrated another birthday just over a week ago without Saeed present this year. She turned 8 years old just days before the anniversary of her father’s imprisonment.

About the ACLJ

Based in Washington, D.C, and led by chief counsel Jay Sekulow, the American Center for Law and Justice focuses on life, free speech, religious liberty, human rights, and constitutional law. The ACLJ is online at ACLJ.org.

Dressed in white, they stressed the plight of the two
Christian women whose health has begun to deteriorate "due to the overcrowded
conditions and limited facilities," stated on the International Christian Concern Web site.

The vigil was organized by Iranian Christian women and
supported by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), according to ICC. CSW
identifies itself as a human rights organization specialized in defending the
persecuted Christians around the world.

Since March 5, Maryam Rustampoor, 27, and Marzieh
Amirizadeh, 30, have been held in Evin prison in Teheran. There they have been
deprived of proper medical care and often blindfolded and interrogated for
hours. After being held for five months, they were tried on August 9 and told
to recant their faith, ICC reports. When they refused, they were sent back to
prison and faced charges of apostasy, which under Islamic "Sharia" law means
death.

CSW petitioned the Iranian government to release the
innocent women. According to ICC, Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of CSW, said, "We
wholeheartedly stand in solidarity with Maryam and Marzieh, who are being held
solely on the basis of exercising their most basic right: freedom of thought,
conscience and belief."

To sign a petition for the release of these two women or for information about ICC and their work, visit their Web site