Prayers for Egypt

Last Updated on August 21, 2018

Many of you who read MomLife Today are looking for survival tips for daily life in your home; surviving riots, looting, and church bombings isn’t on your radar, thankfully. What’s happening in Egypt is a distant news item for most of us. I understand. I remember vaguely the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979 and 1980 because I was pregnant and gave birth to our fourth while our American hostages spent 444 days in captivity. Managing my own daily crises was enough. And besides, what could I do to help?

Last week I found an answer.

In Bible study last week, we looked up several verses that talk about calamity. Hardly an ordinary topic. Here is what I learned God says: “I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things”(Isaiah 45:7), and, “Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it?” (Amos 3:6b), and, “For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:9b).

No debate allowed on whether the situation in Egypt qualifies as calamity or judgment. That’s not my point, and I am not wise enough to know anything beyond what I see on television that appears calamitous to me.

What I realized is that I can and must pray.

There are many Christian believers in Egypt. They have been suffering attacks and death recently as they’ve gone to church to worship.

We cannot smugly think “they deserve it” or “God is judging them,” as if we are not also deserving of God’s wrath. We Americans are not very humble.

Praying for Egypt does not have to be the focus of your day. Your prayers don’t have to be lengthy. As you hear the news, simply ask God to protect His people — our brothers and sisters in Christ. Ask Him to increase righteousness in that country and to keep those who would do evil from succeeding. The same is true about our next-door neighbor, Mexico, or any other city or nation making the news.

The bottom line for moms? Don’t become isolated. Use what you hear to prompt little prayers, and lead your children to do the same. And don’t feel guilty if you only do it once or twice. Praying for others helps us and our kids be less self-focused. Which is always a good thing.

“Sovereign God. May your purposes be accomplished in the midst of the turmoil in Egypt. You raise up rulers, so we ask that you supply one who wants good and not evil for the millions of Egyptian people. And for our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted for your name, we ask for protection, for the freedom to worship without attack, for a new government that is not oppressive to your people. Amen.”

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