Her name is Leah Sharibu and last Wednesday marked the second anniversary of her kidnapping by Boko Haram.
Leah is the Nigerian Christian teenager who along with 109 of her classmates were taken captive by the extremely radical terrorist group on February 19, 2018.
CBN News reports, “In the days that followed, five of the girls died in captivity and 104 were released about a month later. Sharibu, however, remains a captive because she refused to renounce her faith in Jesus Christ and convert to Islam…” (article by Steve Warren, “CBN News” February 19, 2020, www1.cbn.com). Because of this, Boko Haram has vowed that she would be a slave for the rest of her life!
Christians must not forget to keep this young lady in their prayers. We must continue to talk to the Father about her on a daily basis.
He is the One who delivered the three Hebrew boys from the fiery furnace, Daniel from the lions’ den, and Peter from prison! He has rescued so many of His children from desperate, impossible situations in the past. And He can do the same for Leah as well.
Recently, there have been reports circulating about her in some media outlets. Some have stated that she has given birth to the son of a Boko Haram commander, and that she was forced to convert to Islam.
But Leah’s father, Nathan Sharibu, remarked to the Voice of America that the Nigerian government has not contacted him about his daughter, and that he was uncertain about the credibility of these recent reports.
Leah’s mother, Rebecca Sharibu, agrees.
“These are just rumours going around because we have not seen Leah, we don’t have proof of life… But one thing we know is that God is in control…” (article by Heather Preston, Premier Christian News February 19, 2020 www.premierchristian.news).
He certainly is! And we who are concerned about Leah’s welfare can be assured that God is in control and in charge. We need to keep this fact pivotal in our minds when life gets hard, difficult and near impossible.
A recent devotion in Our Daily Bread – The Hardest Places – really speaks to God being in control of the believer’s life.
“God has ways of bringing unexpected good out of a situation where hope seems lost. Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt and falsely accused and sent to prison where he was forgotten for years. But God restored him and placed him in a position of authority [Prime Minister] under Pharaoh…” (Our Daily Bread February 20, 2020). During the many years of slavery in Egypt, Joseph never surrendered his faith in God.
This same kind of devotion seen in this young lady is what inspires her mother. Rebecca testifies that Leah’s courage and commitment to Jesus Christ has grown her own relationship with God during the past two trying years.
Meanwhile, she continues to call on the Boris Johnson administration to pressure the Nigerian Government to do more to ensure Leah’s safe release.
She has the backing of a number of religious freedom charities. And the founder of “Christian Solidarity Worldwide” has publicly commended Leah. He stated that she has become a figurehead for many other Christians facing persecution in Northern Nigeria! (www.premierchristian.news).
Christians worldwide will continue to pray that God will strengthen her resolve to be committed to Him; and that someday soon she will be delivered from her captors!
