Regarding Lebanon: Stay a While

Rob Perry

Rob visiting the Baalbek Ruins on a ministry trip to Lebanon, 2019

There are certain rare places that you visit, places that when you leave you immediately start dreaming about going back.  Lebanon is such a place.
 
I don’t know why it is so fascinating to me, but I do know that I am not alone.  Many other people I have met who have traveled to Lebanon likewise dream of visiting again someday.  And this story is not new.  For centuries Lebanon has been recognized as an example to which others can aspire.  Throughout the Bible there are numerous passages extolling Lebanon’s beauty and superiority. 
One example comes from the Song of Songs, wherein both poetic wooers at various times refer to Lebanon:

He: “Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride; milk and honey are under your tongue. The fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon” (Song of Songs 4:11).
She: “His legs are pillars of marble set on bases of pure gold.  His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as its cedars” (Song of Songs 5:15).

Historic ruins at Baalbek, Lebanon

Herein is an ancient key to Lebanon’s specialness.  Lebanon’s fabled trees, and the beauty and splendor they represent inspired Biblical kings, prophets and builders. I suggest that these intrinsic qualities remain today, and that Lebanon remains a place of inspiration, history and worth.  It is something ordained, something spiritual.  It is like there is an ancient blessing, and despite all the woes this country has faced, it retains its God-given power and beauty.

Today Lebanon remains an enticing place.  This could be thanks to the food or the culture.  Or, it could be because of the people.  Lebanese people are warm, laid back and welcoming.  In a country of 4 million people, for the past 6 or so years, Lebanon has hosted approximately 1 million Syrian refugees – Syria, the same country that occupied Lebanon from 1976 until 2005.  In a world where nations are increasingly closing their doors to people fleeing from violence and persecution, Lebanon has been a refuge for Syrians, as well as refugees from other nations, including Palestinian refugees that have been there for generations.  While the situation is far from perfect, and sometimes there is resentment, many Lebanese, including churches, have gone out of their way to care for the foreigners in their midst.  

Crisis in Lebanon

A month ago, a number of friends and partners met on Zoom to pray for Lebanon.  We prayed that God would help Lebanon through the political upheaval and corruption it has faced, the massive economic collapse that was paralyzing the country, as well as the challenges of COVID19.  Lebanon seemed to us to be going through an almost Job-like experience with one tragedy piling on top of the next, each making the other harder to deal with or solve.  

We prayed for an end to all of the struggles Lebanon was facing, and for positive steps towards a renewed future.  And then, only one week later, came the explosion in Beirut that rocked the city and shocked the world.  A Lebanese friend of mine in Toronto spoke to her aunt in Beirut over the phone: “Beirut is gone!” she cried, “Beirut is gone!”

A country already struggling to put food on everyone’s table was suddenly struck with the seemingly insurmountable task of rebuilding its capital city.  This explosion, a result of the same corruption and ineptitude that had been already hurting so many, now created a situation that no one really knew (or knows) how they would get through.  Since then the government has officially resigned, and who knows what will fill the vacuum?

Mary’s Response

Consider Jesus’ first encounter with his followers after his resurrection.  Mary Magdalene discovers that Jesus’ tomb is empty, and then goes and tells the disciples.  Peter and John come running to see, confirm that there is indeed no body, and then leave and go back to where they were staying.  Mary on the other hand, stays at the tomb and cries.  Then this happens:

---

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary.” (John 20:11-16)

Mary was the very first human to encounter the risen Christ. Peter and John didn’t know it yet, at least not for sure.  But Mary heard Jesus gently say her name.  Why?  I believe it is because she didn’t rush on to the next thing.  Instead, for a while, she sat and cried.

Every day there is something to capture our attention.  A new injustice, a new conflict in the world, a new abuse of power, a new controversy.  And, to be clear, many of these news items are legitimately worth our attention.  But the truth is that they are just too frequent, too substantial, too overwhelming. 

My heart's challenge this month has been to
-stay with Lebanon for a while
-to cry for a while
-to listen, to wait, to sit.
Mary did this, and she experienced resurrection.

Join me in praying for Lebanon's resurrection.  It is, after all, a beautiful and wonderful place, filled with history and tragedy, worth re-visiting.

IAFR’s partner, the Beirut Nazarene Church (BNC), offers

• Medical support,
  
• Schooling for over 80 children,
  
• Meals for their refugee neighbours. 
  
• They have recently begun a meal program, where they employ a Syrian chef and invite a refugee family to their table for a family dinner.  It is Lebanese hospitality at its best – loving, personal, and humanizing. Around the table they share about the difficult things they have faced, and they pray together. 
• Additionally, the BNC is helping people recover from the explosion and sending volunteers to help with the clean-up effort. 

These refugee children go to school because the Beirut Nazarene Church offers an education program.

Rob Perry is IAFR Canada's Director of Operations.  He is the project lead for emerging refugee initiatives and as you can tell, can't wait to be able to travel to Lebanon again.