LEBANON: Reframing faith in the context of conflict

Written by Mike Burnard (Analytical Strategist at dia-LOGOS)

We have just returned from a visit to war-torn Lebanon, meeting with local as well as Syrian leaders. Our hearts were deeply touched by the commitment and resiliency of those who follow Christ in extreme circumstances. It will be impossible to share all our experiences in a way that will give justice to the situation, the people and the experiences we had – but we would like to focus on EIGHT lessons we felt the Lord teaching us during this time of exposure.

1) Reframing faith in the context of conflict

“We have to reframe the events in our nation to see what God is doing”.

These were the words of one of the Syrian leaders that we met. She shared how her young daughter would be frantic when the fighter jets flew over their house in Damascus. As parents they then decided to “REFRAME HER WORLD” by telling her that the aeroplanes are actually drawing pictures in the air. Now, when the jets fly over their house, she runs outside to see what pictures they are drawing. Her perceptions have been REFRAMED and her realities have RENEWED

It is time for the church to REFRAME our perceptions of war, chaos and uncertainties. The picture above was taken at the sight where Hassan Nazrallah was killed in 2024. Above one of the destroyed vehicles, someone painted the words “LOVE”. Once we understand that our Sovereign and Loving Father is painting pictures of redemption, we will find purpose and meaning in a season of suspicion and despair. The believers in Lebanon and Syria once again deeply ministered to our hearts. We understood the reality that for the Christians in these two nations, the cost of “painting pictures of redemption” will come at a great cost. And it does.

Traveling through Lebanon and Syria revealed more than we expected and, at times, exposed more than we were prepared for. It was glorious and heartbreaking at the same time, filled with emotional times of weeping and joyful times of laughing. We felt the deep sense of despair as we walked through the streets of Beirut and witnessed the destruction of Israeli bombs but sensed the unquenchable spirit of hope of those who follow Christ. Every challenge seemed to be REFRAMED into an opportunity and every difficulty a vessel to be used.

2) Bombs do not discriminate, neither should we

On 27 September 2024, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Hezbollah headquarters located underground in Haret Hreik, a suburb in Dahieh, Beirut. The operation involved significant destruction, including nearby residential buildings.

As we visited the site and saw the children playing in the rubble and women busy with their daily routines in a place once called home, we realized that many innocent people had to pay the price in a war of ideologies. The bombs did not discriminate. Hatred and revenge knows no colour, no ideology and no religion – only death. It did not seek only the “guilty” as dozens of bunker-busting bombs fell in a densely populated area. Everyone engaged in a daily routine of simply pursuing life was ripped from earth in a moment of time. Their homes became their graveyards.

We realized anew that we are consecrated to become indiscriminate grace releasers – to the good, the bad and the ugly – so that ALL will come to the full knowledge of a loving Saviour who did not come to judge, but came to seek and save the lost: Hezbollah in Haret Hreik, Sunnis in Beirut, Jews in Jerusalem, Gang members in Cape Town and souls that are lost in every place on earth.

3) We are called to the FRONTLINES, not the SIDELINES

The believers in Syria and Lebanon are frontline heroes of faith that display Christ in a way that few in the west will ever recognise or fully understand. Daily dangers and physical vulnerability have removed the flippancy of Western Christianity that is defined by comfort and spiritual righteousness. Being on the frontlines develops a capacity to love your neighbour more than they deserve and pray for your enemies more than they warrant – in a way that only the Holy Spirit can provide to those who fully trust in Him.

We heard the testimonies of those in Syria who have been beaten up in front of their Churches, who face the reality, as converts from Islam, to face death on a daily basis and Pastors who understand the new realities of a radical Jihadist group taking control of a nation they love so deeply and a Saviour they serve so faithfully.

Unlike many western nations where believers often form their convictions from the sidelines, the Christians in this troubled region enter the frontlines of faith on a daily basis. In a season of searching, one Pastor after the other echoed the words that “This is our Time!” They have reframed the suffering into opportunities with an understanding that the darker the times, the brighter they shine.

4) HELPLESS does not mean HOPELESS

There were times when tears were the only answer we could give. The region is in turmoil and for many the future is uncertain. BUT, even though we felt so helpless at times, we never felt hopeless. The believers in Lebanon and Syria displayed a Biblical hope that often alludes Christians in the West who base their hope on circumstances and find their hope in governments. We learnt from those who face the daily challenge of war and opposition that hope is not a wishful thought but a firm expectation that God will fulfill his promises and bring about good things in the future. We learnt that being helpless is defined by circumstances while hope is rooted in God’s character and past actions: based on the understanding of who God is and what He has done, giving believers confidence in His future actions.

In our meetings with Syrian believers we realised anew that the future is very uncertain. It seemed like the current onslaught on Alawite Muslims, the previous support group of Bashar Al Asaad, might eventually turn to other minority groups as well, which will include the Kurdish, Druze and Christian communities. But HOPE remains the foundation of their activities. God has been faithful in 14 years of war – He will not leave them now.

For Lebanese believers the uncertainties of war produced new opportunities. In the midst of these uncertainties we joined our partners by sponsoring and reaching out to many in the refugee camps with supplies and practical assistance.

5) The collateral damage of war paves the way for REDEMPTION

In Matthew 2:16, when Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Wise men, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under. The birth of Jesus did not come without a battle: a fierce and cruel battle which involved the collateral deaths of many innocent children. This is the nature and reality of the spiritual battle we are engaged in: before the moments of spiritual growth and breakthroughs, there will inevitably be periods of spiritual warfare and attacks.

The one Pastor from Damascus told us that his church has grown from 5 members to 160 members. The church they have is currently too small to accommodate all the members and they now have two services on a Sunday. They currently have a vision of building a House of Payer in Syria – not once things settle down, but in the midst of the spiritual battle.

In the Beqaa valley in Lebanon, home to more than 1 million Syrian refugees, the church has now grown in levels previously unheard of. When Israel started bombing the Shia quarters in Lebanon, many Muslims were displaced and had to flee their homes. The only people that welcomed them were Christians and soon they started attending churches. During one Sunday service we witnessed a number of displaced people, both from Syria and from within Lebanon, being welcomed into Church

6) Missions have moved from PREACHING to PRESENCE

The value of praying WITH someone and not just FOR someone were reframed in our hearts when we met our beloved family in Lebanon and from Syria. The one leader we met one morning shared the following after an extensive visit to Syria, meeting Church leaders from various denominations: “They don’t need my preaching in Syria anymore. They are more capable of addressing their challenges from the pulpit and leading their people in times of uncertainty than I am. What they now need is our presence, encouragement and solidarity. My mission has changed from a PREACING MINISTRY to a PRESENCE MINISTRY” This resonated deeply with our hearts. Every meeting we had and every encounter we engaged in focused on representing Christ in flesh with a desire to encourage, engage and enable.

7) Be prepared for God interruptions

Our team member from Australia, Pastor Ben Gray from CHI, reminded us during the Pastor’s breakfast in Beirut that as Christians we should always be prepared for God interruptions. From the outset we realised that even though we have a well planned programme, God had a divine agenda. And, in the end, everything turned out to be exactly the way didn’t plan, but the “God interruptions” were divine and glorious.

We initially planned to meet the Syrian pastors in Lebanon but due to permits being refused we could only meet via Zoom. This proved to be equally precious with two Syrian leaders being able to join us “in flesh”. The timeslots we planned to spend with Syrian believers were not wasted though. We had the glorious privilege to spend time with a Kurdish house group, a ministry led by a team from China, distributing much needed help to refugees in the valley, and providing training for a group of teachers working amongst refugee children. We joined in meetings of reconciliation and were overwhelmed to witness how the Lord interrupted our program to restore relationships and intervene with His divine agenda. Not one second was lost in our change of schedule and every moment was divine.

8) Beauty will save the world

We were once again reminded of a quote by Russian philosopher, novelist, and journalist, Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky: “Beauty will save the world” . Out of context, considering all that is happening in Lebanon and Syria today, it’s easy to dismiss this quotation as hopelessly naive or optimistic. But it seems like for Dostoevsky “beauty” transcends aesthetics, and is what inspires the best in us, our aspirations for what is good and true, and what connects us to each other. Nowhere does this apply more today than to the Church in Lebanon and Syria – an inner beauty that radiates light and is most visible when it is dark.

Richard Rohr says: “Christianity operates best by attraction. Just set the light on the lampstand and if it’s good, and if it’s real, and if it’s beautiful, people will come.” The Church on lampstand in Lebanon and Syria is the only hope for the region – a beauty worth pursuing.

But, make no mistake, Lebanon is also a beautiful country with beautiful sights and beautiful people. There exists a certain grace and poise in people broken by multiple wars that brought a new sense of purpose to our hearts. We fell in love the country and the people anew. Beauty will prevail!!