Egypt...

Egypt: 30 January 2011


It is a delightful irony that I found myself in the presence of old friends from Egypt—men and women who are heavily invested in the Kingdom of God—as, together we watch recent events in Egypt unfold. (We were attending a conference together in a location outside Egypt.) The popular uprising was foreshadowed by a coup in Tunisia, but the ramifications of the Egyptian event, though yet unknown, will far outstrip the Jasmine revolution of Tunisia. Unrest continues to manifest in other Arab and Muslim nations—Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon…

Tomorrow, Egyptians are trying to send 1 million people into Tahrir (Liberty) square to demand an end to the Mubarak regime. Amazing really!

My friends have now made it safely back to Egypt. Our former mission team has managed to board a plane and leave the country. I have been taking in a steady diet of TV and internet media to try to keep pace with the events in Egypt. I almost gave into the temptation to write my political and social analysis of the events. Aren’t you glad I resisted?

But there is something to say about what is happening in the “Kingdom of God” in Egypt and throughout the Arab world. The people want transparency, dignity, freedom from oppression. They are calling out for an end to-top down governance that fails to respond to the real needs of real people.

Egypt is a land of prayer. Egyptian Christians that I know gather for long seasons of prayer. The church our family attended there has recently established an all-night prayer meeting once a week. There is a yearly prayer conference that draws Egyptian Christians from all denominations to the shores of the north coast to seek God’s intervention in their country. That lasts for a week each year. Did you know that Egypt has many Coptic monasteries and the monks keep regular prayer vigils sometimes starting their prayers at ridiculously early morning hours—like 3 a.m.? I know because I’ve watched these prayers personally.

And Egypt is shaking…

The slogans and demands I hear Egyptians making sound like they are hungering for realities that only the Kingdom of Jesus can deliver.

I could not help but notice that the people of Egypt intuitively distinguished between the internal security police and the army. They ransacked the offices of the police and burned their buildings. The army, on the other hand, was rewarded with the affirmation of a grateful people. To me, that means something. It is the internal security police of Egypt who have abused, tortured and imprisoned Muslim background followers of Jesus. It is the internal security police who have interrogated Egypt’s Christians and destroyed their properties. It is the internal security police who have deported a steady stream of expatriate servants of Christ over the past nearly twenty years. And that doesn’t even take into account the untold injustices that Egypt’s Muslims have suffered at the hands of the police. The Psalmist expresses his despair over the Lord’s slowness to enact justice on His enemies and who among us hasn’t asked “how long O Lord?” I thank God for what He is doing in Egypt.

I noticed one placard amidst the demonstrators in Cairo. The young woman’s sign read: “I am Muslim. I am against terrorism. I am against destruction.” I hope that Egypt’s moderate Muslims can join hands with many Christians there and find an expression of government that allows true freedom of conscience and religion along with necessary fiscal and social reform. Let us pray.

It is far too soon to declare victory. Something tells me the struggle for the soul of Egypt is just beginning. Darkness is deeply entrenched and it does a masterful job masquerading as light. The slogan of the Muslim Brotherhood is “Islam is the solution.” That premise is scarcely questioned by the vast majority of Egyptians. Nevertheless I am proud of my second home. I’m proud of the people of Egypt. I am deeply grateful to God for the Egyptian Christians—Evangelicals, Copts and Catholics and I have deep sorrow and pity for Egypt’s Muslim people. May God have mercy.