Crisis in Nigeria
Every day, headlines flash across our screens, each one demanding our attention. Some are urgent and true and others are noise. But, if you’re like me, this constant stream of information takes its toll. We’re left to decide which issues deserve our thoughts and attention, all the while our capacity to care feels stretched thin.
That said, I want to bring before you an issue you must be at least be aware of. Millions of Christians in Nigeria—a nation of over 230 million people—are being slaughtered, displaced, and left homeless because of religiously motivated attacks by radical Islamic groups. Since January alone, more than 7,000 Christians have been killed, and over the past twenty-five years, 19,000 churches have been burned to the ground. For a quarter of a century, believers in northern Nigeria have lived under constant duress, and the violence is only increasing.
Adding to the heartbreak and the urgency is the fact that the Nigerian government has done little to help, and in some cases, appears to be actively working against these communities. Every indication is that these attacks are being underreported, and aid rarely reaches the victims.
Church, I know there’s so much to care about in our world. There are so many needs close to home and abroad. Yet I’m convicted that this is an issue the body of Christ cannot ignore. Hebrews 13:3 reminds us: “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”
Would you take time today to pray?
Pray that God would be merciful to our brothers and sisters across northern Nigeria.
Pray that He would send aid and protection, and that He would radically transform the hearts of those who are committing these atrocities.
Pray that truth would prevail, and that corruption within Nigeria’s government would be exposed and rooted out.
And pray that the voices of these martyrs would be heard—not only by their nation, but by the world.
If you’d like to learn more, Open Doors USA provides helpful information about this conflict. To directly support relief efforts, Equipping the Persecuted is a trusted organization working on the ground to bring aid to suffering believers.
Grateful to care about these matters with you, church family. God has made us one body—many languages, cultures, and backgrounds—united in Christ. Let us not only love our local church, but also our global one.
In Christ’s mercy,
Pastor Ryan Aufenkamp
Categories: Evergreen Connection