The Children of Syria: Trapped in Conflict, Lost in Darkness

Bombs exploding, machine-gun fire, more bombs, more gunfire. Power outages, dust flying through the air because of the crumbling of buildings. That’s the everyday experience for the people living in war-torn Syria. But it’s not just middle-aged, fighting men who live in the danger zones of this country, there are millions of women and millions more children who have no place to go, so they literally live inside a war. According to Frontline PBS, 8.4 million children, which is more than 80% of Syrian children, “have been affected by the conflict, either in Syria or in neighboring countries as refugees.” Some other statistics Frontline put out say that eight in ten children are in need of humanitarian assistance, and almost four in ten have been displaced from their homes. Children, of all ages, are right in the midst of a full-scale war in Syria. “I have my family here with me.” says a girl living amongst the rubble in Aleppo, a city obliterated by the violence, “My siblings are with me. We aren’t scared because we’re with our father. We die with our father. We live with our father. We’re victorious with our father. We eat and drink with our father. Why would we leave him?”

That’s the incredible kind of courage these children have. Every day they hear gunfire and explosions. Every time an aircraft flies overhead they run for cover. They can’t even walk down the street, without the risk of being picked off by a sniper. It’s unimaginable what these kids are going through, yet they want to stay, because they love their family and their country.

It can be easy to get into the debate of whether or not we should welcome these people into our country as refugees, but that’s not my purpose with this article. These children need something much more than a country to live in. They need the prayers of the saints, and they need the mighty hand of God. These Syrian boys and girls are lost souls in the midst of incredible danger. Syria is a place where there is almost no existence of Christianity. Missionaries can’t go into Syria, especially in cities like Aleppo, it’s way too risky. So how can these children hear the gospel? How will the boys and girls of Syria come to know Christ? We must pray.

Please,

1. Pray for God to end the conflict in Aleppo and all throughout Syria.

2. Pray for the gospel of Christ to find its way into the hearts and lives of these children.

3. Pray for the safety of children still in high conflict areas.

If any country needs revival and renewal it’s Syria. And the revival starts with raising up Syrian children to lead a gospel outbreak in their land.

To learn more about the children of Syria and see for yourself what their lives are like you can watch this great documentary at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/children-of-syria/.