Egyptian Christian finds hope in the midst of the storm

Open Doors

The following article was written by Michael (not his real name). He is a Christian leader in Egypt, which is ranked No. 25 on the Open Doors 2013 World Watch List of the worst persecutors in the world.

This morning, as I was praying to start a new day with all its happenings and challenges, submitting it into the hands of the Lord, I was reminded of the shipwreck scene recorded in Acts 27. Explaining a hopeless situation, Paul wrote in verse 20, “When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved” (NIV).

The verse obviously reflects a state of despair, tiredness and failure of human wisdom. Hope has left the scene, leaving anxious and worried men wondering if this was it—if they will ever make it back to the shore again.

The atmosphere around that scene portrayed by Paul and the heavy feelings felt on board that boat are so similar to the same feelings many Egyptian Christians experience today. We open our eyes in the morning every day, and here are the reports we hear or read:

More taxes are being imposed for extra services in return.
Food prices are going higher every day, and salaries are frozen (if not reduced in some cases). Limited-income families are struggling to manage their daily needs with their inadequate income.

Daily electricity and water supply cuts now last for hours. (Just now, as I’m writing these words, the electricity went off.) It’s 102 degrees Fahrenheit today; no fans, no air conditioning.
News of increasing dominance of the Muslim Brotherhood party in various strategic positions. Nine new ministers were recently appointed; seven of them belong to the Muslim Brotherhood.
A new movement called “Rebellion” was recently launched, aimed at collecting 15 million signatures of people who want to reject Dr. Mohammed Morsi’s leadership and are calling for early presidential elections. This sound like a promising movement. However, looking into the reactions and consequences of such a movement, I wonder how much violence will develop when supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and Dr. Morsi will roll down to the streets and confront the “Rebellion” movement members on every street and every alley.
Reports about the jihadi and criminal groups settled in Sinai, with the central government losing control over this special part of the country, bring deep pain to the heart of every sincere Egyptian. This pain, together with a deep sense of shame, has hit the hearts of Egyptians just yesterday, when a short YouTube video was circulated of a group of seven young soldiers kidnapped in North Sinai. They were blindfolded and begging Dr. Morsi, our president, to respond to the requests of the kidnappers so they can be set free. I felt that shame, together with much anger.