Pray for God's people in Egypt

The world is watching with fascination the turmoil in Egypt. As believers we need to be praying for our fellow believers in Egypt who will be impacted by whatever outcome there is. Many do not realize that there is a vibrant evangelical community in Egypt that works closely together for the evangelization of the nation. While the ministry context there is difficult – especially in evangelism of Muslims, the church exists legally and has enjoyed protections that are often absent in the Middle East.

Many Christians (evangelicals, Catholic and Coptic) fear that instability in the nation could give the Muslim Brotherhood the opportunity to seize power and move the nation toward an Islamic state. If that were to happen, the Christian community in Egypt would come under severe pressure, lose the protections it has enjoyed and face significant persecution. In addition, instability gives radical Muslims the opportunity to persecute believers with impunity.

Here is something to think about. The west, particularly the United States, has made “democracy” one of its highest goals for nations around the world. The problem with that goal is that in many places in our world, the majority does not protect the rights of the minority. For instance, India is the world’s largest democracy but the rights of believers are often violated. Ironically, under Saddam, the church was protected in Iraq. Under the current “democracy” believers have been killed, churches closed and believers by the tens of thousands driven out of the country.

The Apostle Paul encouraged us to pray for peace and stability so that the church could flourish. We don’t know what will happen in Egypt but we do know that we have a responsibility to pray for our brothers and sisters there and for a context where the church can have an impact on society.

One of my Christian friends in Egypt wrote this yesterday. “All in all we are strengthened and encouraged by the Lord and we know that He is in control of it all and nothing passes His eyesight. We believe the future of Egypt is being shaped and molded for a nationwide movement for the spread of the Gospel.”

The events of history are not as random as they often appear. Paul indicated this in Acts 17:26-27 where he says that God uses all the events of our world to build His church and bring people to Himself. Let’s pray that His purposes for the church in Egypt will be fulfilled at this time in their history.