Christians of Egypt in the Den of Lions

Words cannot fully express the grief, lamentation, and abhorrence stirred by the injustices facing Christians in Egypt. Are they living among people—or in a den of lions? In today’s Egypt, lawlessness, bloodshed, deceit, and advocates of evil seem fiercer than lions.

In the story of Daniel, when he was cast into the lions’ den, Scripture says, “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him” (Daniel 6:22, NLT). Early the next morning, the king hurried to the den and cried out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” (Daniel 6:20).

With the same anguish, we cry today: “Christians of Egypt, servants of the living God! Has your God, whom you serve faithfully, rescued you from the lions?” O God of Daniel—are You not the same God of the persecuted Christians in Egypt? Surely You are, for You have declared: “For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob” (Malachi 3:6, NKJV).

The God of Daniel is the same God who stands with His people today. Lions may take different forms, but their nature remains the same. Yet the good news is that Christians in Egypt are called to be Daniels for this generation.

Three words define Daniel’s legacy: faith, worship, and innocence. Or rather, faith expressed through worship and a blameless life. As St. Paul wrote:

“What more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon… David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions…” (Hebrews 11:32–33).

Today, the persecuted Christians of Egypt are invited to join this great chain of faith—to shut the mouths of lions, not with swords or anger, but through steadfast faith, prayer, and endurance. The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church, under the leadership of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, once called the faithful to fast and pray for three days. This call remains a spiritual blueprint for responding to injustice—through faith lived out in the face of suffering.

From His heavenly throne, where He stands before the Father on our behalf, Christ continues to call His weary children:

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, NKJV).

Let us be comforted by His promises, “for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). Jesus reassures us:

“Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (Matthew 21:22),

and

“Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you” (John 16:23).

It would be an even greater tragedy if we, who know these promises, failed to believe in their power. “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly… and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months” (James 5:17). If God heard Elijah, will He not hear us?

Let us, then, come boldly to the throne of grace. Let us plead for mercy and find grace in this time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Let us lift our voices in praise, trusting that God will do great things and deliver His people in Egypt.

As the Lord once said:

“I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry… for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them…” (Exodus 3:7–8).

Fr Abraam Sleman

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