MENA – Have you seen the news from Iran lately? If you have, you probably know about the economic sanctions, the assassination of one of its military leaders, the military training incident where an Iranian ship launched a missile that hit one of its own ships, taking 20 lives. Earthquakes have rocked the country several times over the past several months.And then there is the Coronavirus. Iran has reported over 112,000 cases, a number assumed to be under-reported. The only other MENA country with a higher case count is Turkey, with nearly 140,000 cases.

Those are the headlines you most likely have seen. Yet, in Iran and other countries in the MENA region, the biggest, boldest headlines should be about how these and other events are driving AN EXPLOSION OF SPIRITUAL HUNGER.

A field representative from Global Catalytic Ministries (GCM) explained how the Muslim population is responding to the combination of these events and the Coronavirus.

“Everyone sees this as God’s judgment on the country, and everyone’s waiting for something even worse to happen.”

Rex Rogers, president of SAT-7 USA said that evangelical ministries are witnessing

“an explosion of spiritual hunger across the Middle East and North Africa right now as people stuck at home seek real hope and real answers. Millions of people in countries like Iran, Iraq, and Turkey are clamoring to see and hear in their own language what it’s like to be a follower of Jesus in a time of crisis.”

The rep from GCM says, “They’re looking for answers outside of Islam.” The Lord is using the difficult times to draw the Muslim people to freedom and salvation that can be found only in Him.

SAT-7’s recent responses from its 30 million viewers have increased exponentially since the people have been isolated at home.

• Calls and messages in response to SAT-7 programs in Iran have increased sevenfold from people looking for hope in Jesus as “Iranians are rattled by the pandemic.”
• Responses from Turkish viewers have been greater than at any other time in the entire five years that the ministry has been broadcasting into the country.

One particular new program on SAT-7 has been eliciting significant responses from viewers in Syria and Lebanon. You Are Not Alone shares uplifting stories of hope that point viewers who are struggling with loneliness, anxiety, and grief toward comfort in Jesus.

As Muslims in the MENA region anticipate a second wave of the Coronavirus, many believe they are experiencing the judgment of God and that more is on the way.

SAT-7 and Global Catalytic Ministries are praying that these event-generated fears will continue to cause Muslims to seek the answer to life and hope in Jesus Christ.

The Lord is working mightily in Muslim-dominated countries. Read “The Word of God Came at Night” and “Is This the Great Iranian Awakening?” on Missions Box News.

Read more news on Middle East the Coronavirus Outbreak on Missions Box.

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