In July, a Catholic priest was executed by Islamist forces and in August, rebel gunmen killed 11 Christians in a driveby shooting as they celebrated a feast day. More recently, reports are emerging of 30 dead bodies being found in mass graves in the Christian city of Sadaad after forces from jihadist group al-Nusra invaded the town in October. The victims included the elderly, disabled, women and children who could not escape as these forces arrived. Many were tortured. In addition, the remains of six members of the same family, including a 90-year-old grandmother, were reportedly found in a well. The incident has been described as the “most serious and biggest massacre of Christians” since the conflict began in March 2011.

This week, please pray for Syria:

• Pray for the families and friends of those killed in the city of Sadaad, that they would be comforted;
• Ask God to comfort and strengthen Christians and other religious or ethnic minorities who remain in Syria;
• Pray for the safety of those who have been abducted and kidnapped, and for their families;
• Pray that sufficient humanitarian aid would quickly reach both internally displaced persons and refugees;
• Pray that the various warring factions would embrace reconciliation;
• Pray for wisdom for the international community as it responds to the humanitarian and security crisis the war has caused;
• Pray for an end to the civil war, a restoration of peace, and the healing of the nation.