‘Lebanon is still Lebanon’

On November 26, Israel and Hezbollah finally agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon, bringing reprieve after more than a year of violence. At the end of September, Israel had launched a ground invasion and intensified its bombing. As a communications specialist with World Renew, I’ve been receiving updates from my colleagues living in the midst of fear and violence in Lebanon.

“Lebanon is still Lebanon,” one of my peers wrote. “People are scared, but life goes on and they go about life as usual.” He was speaking specifically about people in the north of the country, not those in the south where most of the violence has been centered.

More than 30 years have passed since the coup in my homeland of Trinidad. But recently my mind has wandered back to those events of my youth. Back in 1990, I lived not too far from where the radical extremist Islamist group that attempted to overthrow the Trinidadian government was based. There were nights when gunfire exploded in the darkness and my family lay on the floor in fear. During the day, Elton John’s Sacrifice played over and over on the radio, only to be interrupted by the leader of the militant group voicing demands. But while the music played, my parents held each other and danced. In the midst of fear, we seized moments of happiness.

Comparing Trinidad’s coup to what people are experiencing in Lebanon, however, is like comparing a paper cut to an amputated limb. The coup in Trinidad, though fatal for 24 people, lasted a mere six days. Meanwhile, thousands have lost their lives to the violence in Lebanon, and thousands more have been displaced. But fear is fear. How do you continue the business of living when danger lurks?

Christians in Lebanon

Since 2012, World Renew has been working through a Christian partner in Lebanon to share Christ’s hope with Syrian refugees and with local families struggling with hunger and poverty. Zoya, one staff member whose name has been changed to protect her identity, explained that during times of conflict, more than just violence heightens fear.

“The working sector is affected, and unemployment rises and people are left with no income . . . Conflict causes damage to people’s property and assets and forces many to flee, leaving everything behind to live as either refugees or internally displaced . . . and the prices of all necessities usually increase.” Indeed, Lebanon has experienced one of the worst economic meltdowns in recent history.

“Having our faith in God and remembering and trusting in his promises and his goodness and his justice – it’s the only hope we have left,” Zoya said.

I can relate. During the coup in Trinidad, my family also prayed – often. We prayed for the hostages to be released. We prayed for our safety. We prayed for an end to the coup. God was our anchor and our hope.

“As long as we stay close to God, as long as we stay in his word and prayer and we keep our eyes fixed on him, even phases of discouragement . . . will not affect our faith negatively,” said Zoya.

Coming to faith

As she and her co-workers continue to work to distribute food and other essentials to the most vulnerable civilians, they are encouraging people to “keep your eyes fixed on God.” There are an estimated 2.24 million Christians living in Lebanon, approximately 33 percent of the population. While many of the people Zoya’s team serves are Christian, they also share God’s hope with non-Christians.

“We see that despite the surrounding darkness, despite the apparent lack of meaning or solution, somehow God is working,” Zoya said. “First of all, and most obvious and encouraging, is that God has been drawing many people to him. Many people have started a spiritual journey, reading the Bible, attending Bible studies. Some have started going to church, and some have found Christ in their journey.”

Zoya is witness to the truth of the promise of Proverbs 19:17: “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.”

“We have people telling us they learned important spiritual lessons, like the true meaning of forgiveness, like the love of what it really means to love our neighbour,” she said. “It has revived the church to see that God loves all people, not just us Christians. He loves all people around us and he’s been doing miracles among them, and he’s been bringing many to him. So it has revived the faith of the local churches in a way that we have not seen before.”

Faith – that is how you continue the business of living when danger lurks.