Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18) God Promises Deliverance Once, more than 1.2 million Christians called Iraq home. Today that number has dwindled to an estimated 350,000. Wanting to escape the endless violence, many fled hoping to find a place where they could practice their faith in peace and freedom. As a result of the mass exodus, some churches find themselves with buildings they can’t use. Some believers are fearful that the church in Iraq will disappear completely. A tough battle lies ahead for Iraqi Christians. Those who have chosen to stay face a constant pressure from society to forsake Christianity, or at least hide their faith. A Christian woman from Mosul told Open Doors, “I decided to start wearing my veil again. A few years ago I thought it was okay to stop wearing it. But I was wrong. My brother told me it would be better if I started to wear it again and to stop wearing my sunglasses.” She frowns and shrugs; “Now I only put on my sunglasses when I am driving. I take them off again as quickly as I can.” Archbishop Moshe has asked Christians to stay in the country and not emigrate. "This is the blessed land of our fathers and grandfathers, so people should not abandon it, but remain firmly settled here." But his heartfelt plea has fallen on deaf ears as hundreds of thousands have left. However, in the midst of discouragement there are those who remain, even those in secret, keeping Christ’s church alive. One With Them It is hard to imagine what we might do if we were in the shoes of Iraqi Christians. Would we go or would we stay? Just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego let us pray that there will always be a group of believers in Iraq who will choose to stand strong. Be One With Them, with Iraqi believers, those who are refugees in another country, those who have remained, and those who are contemplating moving, pray for them today as they struggle to live Godly lives and follow Jesus.-OpenDoorsUSA.org
Posted on: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 09:23:15 +0000
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