At the time of this article (7 February 2023), the death toll has already risen to more than 5,000 after devastating earthquakes hit the region of Turkey and bordering Syria on Monday, 6 February.
Tens of thousands have been injured. The initial magnitude 7.8 tremor early on Monday brought down buildings as people slept and was followed by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake hours later amid several aftershocks.
The World Health Organisation said that nearly 23 million people could be impacted.
Let us earnestly cry out to the Lord on behalf of those who are trapped, who have lost loved ones, who are injured, who are facing hopeless circumstances right now.
PRAYER GUIDELINES
Pray for search and rescue teams as they continue to search for survivors.
Pray for God’s supernatural intervention and help to save people.
Pray for international humanitarian teams to be dispatched to Turkey and Syria without delay, and for various nationalities to work well together.
Pray for the effective provision and distribution of food, water and medical supplies to affected areas where people are in desperate need.
Pray for the setting up of safe shelters to house people amidst bitter cold and
rain during the winter season.
Ask the Lord for counsellors to help the survivors deal with the trauma they are experiencing – their physical and emotional trauma with great losses suffered.
More earthquakes and tremors are expected in the region of Turkey and Syria, but also the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. Pray for God’s mercy in the next few weeks so that there will not be any devastation caused by further seismic activity.
Let us pray for God’s intervention amidst this tragedy and for many souls to pour into God’s kingdom.
Sanctions of the West against Syria have over time radically diminished the availability of resources and humanitarian help to reach out to those who are devastated by war. This will also impact the rescue efforts after the earthquake. Please pray for the West to reconsider sanctions and to send help and rescue at this time, assisting both affected nations in their time of need.
Pray for the church to become ‘salt and light’, visible on the ground in providing help, counsel, comfort and the gospel of God’s kingdom. Pray for the church to be strong, courageous and bold in this. Also pray for many instant miracles and healing to take place as they pray for and minister to victims.
Pray for the cleaning up of the rubble over the next months to be underway soon. Pray for help from abroad to assist in this process – financially, humanitarian help, and especially medical supplies and the setting up of temporary hospitals and shelters.
Humanitarian help and rescue teams usually remain in an area for up to 3 months. The greatest need arises once they pull out of an area.
Please pray for the global church to establish projects that can reach out with tangible and sustainable help to the affected areas once these teams are pulled out.
Here are prayer points from the RUN family of movements
“Pray for the underground Turkish and Syrian house church planters from nearby existing movements who are going in as emergency relief teams.
They will:
1. Rescue people from the destruction
2. Provide trauma healing counselling
3. Relocate families
4. Provide food and shelter
5. Care for children who have lost their loved ones, keep them from “bad hands” and move them secure places.
Most of all, we will share the good news and His word to build our Lord’s Kingdom strong among these people”
PRAY GOD’s NAMES
The name of the Lord Jesus is an ointment poured out (Song of Songs 1:3). Pray for the names of God to rest on the people of Turkey and Syria.
1. Comforter / Helper
John 14:16 – And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper that He may abide with you forever…
2. Spirit of love
2 Timothy 1:7 – For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
3. Omnipresent Spirit
Psalm 139:7-10 – Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.
4. Spirit of Adoption
Romans 8:15 – For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
5. Advocate
1 John 2:1b – And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Thank you for joining with us in lifting up the people of Syria and Turkey in their time of need. Thanks also to Daniel Brink and our friends at Jericho Walls for their contribution to these prayer resources.
Source: International Prayer Council
