The Silence of the World - Music Story

What if the Arabic letter N (for Nasara, an early Islamic term for Christians) were spray painted on the front door of homes and businesses of Christians in my town? What if terrorists gave me the choice to convert to Islam, leave town, or die? What would I do? Would I be as courageous as the thousands of Christians in Iraq who refused to deny Jesus and fled with little more than the clothes on their backs?

Iraq has a rich Christian heritage. Jesus and his disciples spoke Aramaic. Shortly after Jesus resurrection his disciples took the gospel to the Aramaic speaking people of Iraq. Now they are being annihilated. In just one decade the Christian population in Iraq dropped by 80%! According to the March 22, 2015 broadcast of 60 Minutes, “More than 125,000 of Iraq’s Christians have been forced to flee the homeland they have lived in for nearly 2,000 years because of ISIS violence and threats.”

One hundred million Christians worldwide will suffer persecution, imprisonment, or death this year because they are Christians. The numbers are startling! Don’t let the shock value wear off. Don’t become numb to the plight of Christians who are facing terrorism.

Jesus sent his disciples out into the world where they would face hardship and death. He prayed for them. Not that they would be insulated from danger. He prayed that their faith would be protected in the face of danger. We have the privilege of echoing that prayer, of praying with and for Christians worldwide on November 6, the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.

I wrote this song as an expression of solidarity with persecuted believers. From the album “Main Street – Songs for Today” this video is scrolling playback of the song.

Kathy

You can get print (PDF) and/or digital (MusicXML™) sheet music for The Silence of the World.

Click here for print sheet music.

Click here for digital sheet music for SATB choir and piano.

(MusicXML™ is the standard open format for sharing digital sheet music. 

Check the help files in your music notation app for directions on importing MusicXML™ files.)

Click here for the 60 Minutes segment on Iraqi Christians.

Click here to learn how to pray for the persecuted church.