A Call To Pray For Syrian Peace Talks - 21 Jan 2014

For 34 months the news has been documenting the unfolding tragedy in Syria. And, as it approaches its fourth year, civil war continues to devastate the country. 

It all began in March 2011 as peaceful protests were met with strong military opposition, resulting in a group of military defectors forming the Free Syrian Army with an aim to topple the government and remove President Assad.

The resulting civil war has continued for three years. 

100,000 have died. 11,000 of those are thought to be children. 9.5 million have lost their homes. 2.5 million have been forced to leave the country. 

A recent study found that half of the entire population of Syria are in need of urgent aid. The sheer volume of refugees has placed incredible strain on the neighbouring countries, particularly Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iran and Egypt. Hundreds of thousands cross their borders looking for shelter, food and water. It’s thought that 10% of Jordan’s population is now solely Syrian Refugees. This civil war is shaking the entire Middle East.

Despite the inconceivable devastation, charities have struggled to raise donations. UNICEF report that they collected ¢6m dollars in just 4 weeks to help with the disaster caused by Typhoon Haiyan, but have struggled to collect just one million from the entire three year Syrian relief effort. 

Why, when millions are crying out for help, are so few listening?

A Glimpse of Hope

After months of struggling to get both sides to participate at peace talks, an international conference is to be held tomorrow (22nd Jan) in Switzerland. At this ‘Geneva II’ meeting, both rebel and government representatives will be in attendance. 

A Drastic Need for Prayer

This incredibly important step towards a peaceful solution suffered a terrible blow when a new report was released today revealing that 11,000 detainees have been executed in the conflict, many of them showing signs of torture. The scale and consistency of these atrocities have lead to speculation that the Syrian government have had a part to play.

These peace talks are a pivotal moment for the future of Syria, with the hope they will serve as the first step towards establishing lasting peace in the country.  

Now, maybe more than ever, Syria drastically needs your prayers. 

Prayer Points:

• Pray for Geneva II – pray for wisdom for the diplomats as they look to negotiate reconciliation
• Pray for the Middle East – especially the neighbouring countries of; Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iran and Egypt as they struggle to handle the volume of refugees
• Pray for comfort – for the millions who have suffered and continue to suffer because of the violence, pray that the God of all peace would comfort them.

As believers in Jesus, we know that our prayers are powerful and they change the course of history. Here we have an opportunity for prayer that could change a nation and save countless lives. 

As a reminder, why not do something really simple like write ‘GENEVA II’ on your hand to remind you to commit to praying for God’s will to come. 

There are lots of great charities doing relief work in Syria: if you would like to give, here are a selection of places to do so:

This year one of the 24-7 Mission Teams will be heading to Lebanon to work with Syrian refugees in Beirut. You can find out more details and apply on the Mission Teams Page.

All images are used by permission in accordance with commons copyright license terms:
Feature image is a derivative of the image 'March 7 2012', 'January 23 2012', 'February 24 2012', 'December 26 2012' by Freedom House and 'United Nations General Assembly' by Paul VanDerWerf.