Weekly devotion: Letting Syria’s Children be Children
This week we pray for Syrian children traumatised by war and the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Our partners at MERATH work with local churches to create safe places for children to play and learn.
Syria’s children have spent their whole lives facing the terror of civil war and the hardship of its aftermath. The majority of families now live below the poverty line and millions remain displaced. Rates of malnutrition and disability have increased sharply over the past decade, and children have missed years of school.
Embrace supports Middle East Revive and Thrive (MERATH), which works through local churches in the Syrian cities of Homs, Damascus and Mhardeh to provide Child-Friendly Spaces. These informal education settings give children a place to play, take part in fun activities and make friends. This not only improves their psychological wellbeing, but also reduces the risk of them becoming victims of child labour or sexual exploitation. For families who experienced devastating loss during the war and now face crowded living conditions and limited income, the sight of their children laughing and playing is a source of hope.
Thanks to the Child-Friendly Spaces, children gain respite from the challenges of daily life in Syria’s harsh economic context, and begin to experience the childhood that the war cruelly denied them.
Bible reading
The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 11:6-9
Thought
This passage from Isaiah shows us a world where fear and threat are unknown; they have been replaced by safety and harmony, even between those who are natural enemies. For children who have grown up in Syria, knowing more of war than of childhood, such a peaceful place must be almost impossible to imagine.
Yet in the Child-Friendly Spaces run by local churches, signs of this promise begin to appear. These spaces give children precious moments of normality and joy – a reminder that they have the right to grow in peace, not terror.
Isaiah’s words are relevant to every community, whether devastated by war or relatively comfortable – do the youngest members of society experience security and the freedom to flourish? It is everyone’s responsibility to protect them and strive for a world as beautiful as Isaiah’s vision.
Ask yourself: How can you support places of safety and belonging for the children and young people in your own community?
Prayer
Loving God,
We pray for the children of Syria, whose short lives have been overshadowed by fear. Thank you for the moments of joy and friendship they find at the Child-Friendly Spaces supported by MERATH. Bless the local churches and caring staff who make these important projects possible; may they continue to bring respite and healing to every child who attends.
We ask for your blessings on the children in our own communities too – remind us always to listen to their voices and protect them from harm.
Amen
Support MERATH’s work
When you give a Safe Place to Play Alternative Gift you’re sponsoring a Syrian child to regularly attend a Child Friendly Space; helping them process the trauma of conflict and crisis and improving their mental wellbeing through play, creativity and friendship.
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