We often think of prayer as private: our quiet moment with God. But throughout the Bible, prayer is also communal. It is something believers do together, and for one another.
Jesus Himself promised, “Where two or three gather in My name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20). Prayer, in this sense, is not only an act of faith; it is a bond. It connects believers who may never meet, uniting them in shared hope, shared dependence, and shared trust in God.
Unity in Christ
This is the heart of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, marked each year from January 18-25. It began 118 years ago and now is jointly prepared by the World Council of Churches and the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. The week invites believers across denominations and traditions to pray together, recognizing the unity that exists in Christ.
Across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), that unity is crucial. Many Christians in the region are isolated: geographically distant from other believers, unable to attend church freely, or navigating faith alone within their family or community.
Prayer becomes a lifeline and language: a way of knowing they are part of something larger than themselves. And through SAT-7 – its broadcasts and follow-up support for viewers – prayer unites believers across borders, cultures, and communities.
A Child’s Prayer
In its simplest form, unity is one believer praying for another. Narin is eight years old; she’s from Iran. Her story, shared with SAT-7 PARS’ Viewer Support Team, is simple and powerful.
“I had gone out with my mom,” she explains. “A lady came up to me and said, ‘My daughter is your age. I haven’t seen her for six months, and her father won’t give her to me.’ Then she asked me, ‘Can you pray for my daughter?’”
Narin agreed and, together with her mother, they sent the lady a voice message of prayer. A month later, Narin saw the same lady at her school. But this time, her daughter was with her!
“Do you remember me?” Narin asked. “I’m the one who prayed for you a month ago.”
The lady recognized her instantly and was very grateful for their answered prayers. Narin adds, “Now I want to be friends with her daughter at school, and I thank God for hearing our prayers and answering them.”
Reaching Out for Prayer
Prayer is always more than words: it is a great reassurance and comfort. Selda lives in Türkiye. Her son was struggling with fear and anxiety, unable to sleep peacefully. In desperation, she reached out to SAT-7 TÜRK and asked for prayer.
A while later, she wrote back once more. “My son has started sleeping at night without fear, and you prayed for him for a long time. Thank you so much for everything. The power of prayer and faith is a response from our Lord.”
The prayer Selda received did not come from someone she knew personally, yet it carried real comfort and power.
Learning to Pray Together
For some believers, unity in prayer begins with uncertainty. When prayer feels difficult – when words falter, doubts creep in or God feels distant – shared prayer can become the way forward.
Juliette, a 27-year-old from Iraq, found praying alone difficult and bewildering. Her initial message to SAT-7 spoke of “many struggles.” She said, “I started doubting my own faith, especially when I prayed and He didn’t answer. It feels like He doesn’t hear me…”
Hearing these words, the Viewer Support Team prayed with the young woman, helping her find the words to voice her worries.
“Your messages are touching the deepest parts of my heart,” Juliette responded. “I am sure that the Lord Himself has put you in my path; your prayers are saying the very things that I have always longed to say to Him. I truly don’t want this conversation to end; you are quenching my thirst with God’s Word, and I am feeling His glory and greatness.”
A Wider Family
For many believers in the MENA, prayer is a practice that unites them with a community they may never meet, yet trust deeply.
In 2022, Hourig, a Lebanese Armenian mother, reached out to SAT-7 in desperation. Her youngest son had changed from a confident, outgoing athlete into a shell of his former self, afraid to leave his own house.
Hopeless and helpless, Hourig had tried everything to try to aid her son’s recovery. Eventually, she reached out to the SAT-7 ARABIC program, Share Your Heart.
What followed was not a single exchange, but months of prayer, follow-up, and spiritual support.
Recently, Hourig wrote: “The only thing I can say is that you are an angel. Your voice, the way you speak; everything about you gives me serenity and comfort. You have filled me with peace. I appreciate all your prayers, and I keep listening to them time after time.”
One Body, Many Voices
Across the MENA, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity reminds believers that they are not alone.
No matter where we live, no matter our circumstances or upbringing, in prayer we are one. Children pray for strangers; isolated believers find solace in praying with others; mothers discover help and support. Even when technology fails – or the internet is cut – prayer continues.
Across borders and distances, prayer constantly draws us together, uniting us with the wider body of Christ.
