Pray for Yemen

Yemen has only been recognized as a united and independent country since 1990. Currently, it is one of the poorest nations and the scene of the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Over 22 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, the country is on the brink of famine, and a million people have suffered from the worst cholera outbreak in modern history.

However, this area of the world has not always been a scene of such poverty. In biblical times, Yemen was likely the land which the Queen of Sheba traveled from to meet King Solomon (1 Kings 10). Yemen is located at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. The country sports tall mountains, barren deserts, beaches bordering the Red Sea, and exceptional landscapes. It produces coffee, gold, frankincense, and myrrh, along with oil and other mineral resources.

Humanitarian Crisis

Beginning with the Arab Spring in 2011, a series of complex civil wars and political struggles have brought deep instability to the country. President Saleh resigned during the Arab Spring, and his successor, Hadi, was also forced to flee due to a rebel uprising in 2015. Since then, the conflict between loyalists and rebels, with both sides backed by outside nations, has plunged the country into war. The ongoing violence has led to a collapse of infrastructure and ensuing famine.

Few humanitarian groups are permitted to enter the closed country, leading to further health and hunger crises. The destabilization has also created a fertile environment for Al Qaeda, Islamic State, and other terrorist groups to flourish.

Caught in the middle, civilians have suffered the most. About half of Yemen’s population lives in areas directly affected by the conflict. Over 10,000 civilians have been killed, a third of whom were children. Those who survive the fighting often face other terrible struggles. In April 2017, it was reported that more than 3.3 million Yemenis had been forced to flee their homes, becoming refugees or internally displaced persons as they try to escape the worst hotbeds of violence.

As a result of the destroyed infrastructure and massive amounts of migration, an estimated 17 million people, about 60% of Yemen’s population, live without reliable access to sufficient food, and over half lack access to safe drinking water. Malnutrition has increased by 57% since the beginning of the war, now affecting 3.3 million people.

Children suffer disproportionately, especially those younger than five: the United Nations Children’s Fund estimates that a child dies every ten minutes from preventable causes. That means that nearly 150 children die in Yemen each day, or about 53,000 per year. Furthermore, many hospitals and schools have been destroyed or lack the supplies necessary to function.

Christian Persecution

As if that were not bad enough, Christians face the added threat of religious persecution. Because of the ongoing war, non-Yemeni Christians have been expelled from the country, and the very few Christian churches left in the country are targets of vandalism. Yemeni believers who remain in the country face persecution and even death. More than 99% of Yemeni citizens are Muslim, and those who convert to Christianity are threatened with the death penalty—not only by the government, but by members of their own communities.

The risk is especially high for women. Family and community bonds are much stronger than those in the West, and Christian converts may be cut off from their social structure entirely. Worse still, a convert’s greatest suffering sometimes comes from within their own family. Not only must a new Christian face the choice between their faith and their most precious relationships, but they may even be killed by family members. Some view “apostates” who leave Islam as blemishes on the family’s honor and believe it is better to kill a Christian convert than allow them to leave Islam.

There is Hope

Because of the risks associated with their faith, Yemeni Christians lived mainly as secret, isolated believers, afraid to meet with others who could betray them. However, recently the Yemeni church as begun to show signs of life. Local secret believers and new converts organized an unofficial underground church, which has grown immensely despite suffering and persecution. Yemeni Christians started to meet together, even those who came from very different or even opposed backgrounds. Some are former Sunnis Muslims; others are former Shias. They are elderly people and teenagers, women and men, and people from different tribes and ethnic groups. They have a vision to grow spiritually and to help others, regardless of their religious or ethnic backgrounds. They set an example of unity, both for Yemen and for the world.

In the midst of dark times, these brave Yemeni Christians are bold witnesses who testify that suffering for Christ is a part of being a Christian. Some have said, “We want to learn from our martyrs, both the expats and the locals who died for Christ, and grow in our faith!” They show their neighbors and relatives that there is a future and a hope, even in these difficult circumstances.

Pray

We pray that the war in Yemen will stop, bringing an end to the terrorism and violence, that humanitarian organizations would be allowed to assist the millions of sick and dying widows and orphans, and that a stable government could be formed that will allow the necessary infrastructure to be re-established so healing can spread.

We pray for the rare Yemeni Christians who are willing to stay and to be a light in the darkness. We pray that the church would have safety to spread the gospel and that they would flourish in the midst of this great suffering. We pray that they would have boldness to make the hard decision to follow Christ and that they would not lose hope. Finally, we plead before our God for the souls of many Muslims in the darkness to seek and accept Christ and begin walking in his glorious light.