Praying With Middle Eastern Fathers

Christian fathers in the Middle East are beset on all sides. Persecution, social and cultural pressures, fragile economies, and conflict or post-conflict societies are making Christlike parenting intensely difficult. Despite this, SAT-7 continues to receive inspiring messages from faithful fathers who are doing all they can to help raise their children in a godly way. These men are praying earnestly for their children to know God and live like Jesus. Will you pray for them this Father’s Day?

Some Christian fathers, like Daniel* from Türkiye, are struggling with the isolation that comes from being the sole believer in a household, and need to know that other Christians are standing with them in prayer. “Please pray for my wife and children who are not yet believers,” he said, “that they too may see the truth. Thank you.” Other fathers, like Enver – who is also from Türkiye – are seeking help from God for the task of parenting. “May the Lord give us wisdom so that we can leave a good future for our grandchildren and children,” he said. “Could you please pray about this? Thank you in advance.”

Our Viewer Support Teams are in touch with parents from all over the Middle East. The adversity faced by some of them is almost unexplainable, particularly in countries like Afghanistan that are facing multi-layered social crises. When Arman from Afghanistan contacted us, he was feeling desperate. “I am truly tired of life,” he began. “I have no hope or trust in my future or that of my children. I don’t want my children to live in the hellhole called Afghanistan.”

Even in such dire circumstances, the Spirit of God is moving in the hearts of men, causing them to pray to their heavenly Father and not lose hope. Arman continued, “Please pray for my children who are Christians, for me, my sister, children, mother, and wife. We are not deserving of these heartbreaking conditions, and God – who knows all things and whose power is without limit – knows how we are living. I come before Christ today in all sincerity to knock at the gates of humanity’s Redeemer and ask for His help.”

As well as highlighting societal issues, some viewers get in touch to share their family’s personal struggles. “Please pray for my son to be freed from his addiction,” Behareh from Iran shared recently. “I don’t know why Jesus is not healing my son, who is a Christian; it was through him that I became a Christian. But I am not giving up praying because I believe in the love, power, and goodness of Jesus my King.”

Whatever the issue, SAT-7 welcomes contact from its viewers and does its best to stand with them in prayer, crying out to “the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name” (Ephesians 3:14b-15, NIV). Will you pray for them too?

*Viewer names changed for security.