new worship program helps youth connect with God
Political turbulence, economic insecurities and the COVID-19 pandemic have affected youth in the Middle East. But As in Heaven, a new SAT-7 ARABIC program, helps lift viewers’ eyes from their circumstances to God.
With their eyes transfixed on their mobile devices for hours, young people nowadays spend countless hours on social media connecting with others, but many don’t know how to connect with God. Youth and young adults make up 26% of the population in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). As part of SAT-7’s strategy to equip and support the largest population of the region, a vital program to help youth learn to connect to God, As in Heaven has been created to meet this important need.
“Many youth have unsatisfied hunger for the Lord yet struggle to find guidance. Through the program As in Heaven we try to guide them on how to pray with the word of God,” says Producer Andrew Gamal.
As in Heaven not only teaches youth how to pray with the word of God but also helps them memorise it. Many young people these days prefer to listen to sermons on YouTube or on TV and read daily devotions, rather than reading the Bible. The program aims to help viewers learn the verses by hearing them on the program and repeating them or singing along.
The recent economic pressures led many to question God’s sovereignty and goodness; thinking God is punishing them for their sins. “We want to see a change in hearts and in minds, a shift in the way young people perceive God. We want their prayers to be stronger in faith,” Gamal says.
“We get prayer requests for healing, for marital problems, addiction, unemployment, and other things, but seldom do people take time to praise and glorify the Lord for His greatness. That’s why the program is called As in Heaven to learn to praise the Lord as it is in heaven,” explains Gamal.
The program introduces songs of praise and worship to the Lord using different music genres to suit the tastes of viewers across the region. “Youth are the future. We want them to have stronger faith, be a beacon of light for the next generations and keep the faith in the MENA region surviving and thriving,” Gamal said.