Jemimah Wright speaks to Christian singer, worship leader and SAT-7 presenter Marianne Awaraji about finding faith and hope amid war, trauma and personal crisis. From a miraculous escape for her son to the moment she says “God saved our marriage”, Marianne shares how God has sustained her family through some of life’s darkest seasons.
Marianne’s journey into Christian media began remarkably early. At just ten years old, she was invited to present children’s programmes on SAT-7, a Christian satellite television network serving the Middle East and North Africa. As a child herself, she had been a devoted viewer of SAT-7 Kids and remembers the joy and encouragement the programmes brought her. While performing in a church play, she caught the attention of a SAT-7 production team who happened to be filming there. They invited her to audition as a presenter, and a lifelong relationship with the ministry began.
“SAT-7 formed me, shaped me and helped my faith grow,” she reflects. “It brought joy to my heart as a child, and now it continues to bring joy to millions of families across the Middle East and North Africa.”
Years later, after becoming a mother, Marianne began presenting parenting content on social media, speaking candidly about her own struggles and creating a space where other women could feel understood and supported.
Discovering God as Father
Growing up as a Christian in Lebanon brought both blessings and challenges. Marianne says that, like many children in the region, she absorbed messages centred on shame, guilt and performance, sometimes even within Christian environments. For many years, she viewed God primarily as a judge rather than a loving Father.
“I knew about him,” she says, “but I didn’t fully experience his presence.”
That began to change through worship. As she encountered God in a more personal way, she discovered his tenderness, grace and desire for relationship. This revelation became especially important in her ministry to children, many of whom come from non-Christian backgrounds. Marianne wanted them not only to learn about God but to know they are deeply loved by him. That desire inspired one of the songs she performed in the summer at Prom Praise, Super Simple Words. The lyrics are straightforward: “God so loves you. He will never leave you. He will always protect you.”
For Marianne, these simple phrases communicate profound truths to children growing up amid war, instability and uncertainty. One story remains particularly precious to her. A Syrian boy named Jad memorised the song as a child. Years later, during the Syrian conflict, he and his father were kidnapped. Afterwards, Jad contacted SAT-7 and explained that the words of the song had sustained his faith throughout the ordeal. Marianne recalls listening tearfully as he sang the song back to her over the phone. Years later, he contacted the ministry again. By then he had been baptised and was sharing his faith with family and friends.
“God is doing miracles in children’s hearts throughout the Middle East,” she says. “Jad is only one story. There are thousands of others we may never hear about until heaven.”
Faith Tested by War
Marianne’s music consistently centres on hope and restoration, themes she says have emerged from her own experiences of God’s faithfulness. “It’s one thing to know about Jesus intellectually and another thing entirely to experience his faithfulness personally,” she explains.
One of her earliest memories of answered prayer dates back to childhood, when her father was serving in the army during a period of conflict in Lebanon. She remembers sitting at her piano, praying through tears that God would protect him. Days later, her father returned home after not being sent into battle.
“When you’re a child and you experience God’s intervention like that, it stays with you forever,” she says.
Since then, she has accumulated countless reminders of God’s faithfulness, through personal struggles, family crises and moments when circumstances seemed overwhelming.
‘God Saved Our Marriage’
Some of the most difficult seasons have involved her son, Noah. On one occasion, his foot became trapped in an escalator. Despite desperate efforts, neither Marianne nor those around her could free him. Just moments before his leg would have been crushed, the escalator suddenly stopped. Only later did she learn that another child had lost a foot in a similar accident the previous week.
“We simply praised God because we knew his hand had been upon Noah,” she says.
Another frightening incident occurred when Noah suffered a severe medical episode involving an extremely high fever. He became unconscious, unable to speak and unable to recognise his parents. Marianne remembers rushing him to hospital while crying out to God in prayer.
“God answered,” she says simply.
Even now, speaking about those moments brings emotion to the surface. Yet she believes God has not only protected her family but has also begun healing the fears and trauma left behind. Her marriage has likewise faced significant challenges. Like many families, Marianne and her husband faced an especially challenging season during the Covid lockdowns, as serious health difficulties coincided with what she describes as a midlife crisis. The couple endured a difficult season, one mirrored in the stories they were hearing from viewers across the region.
Yet Marianne believes their years of praying together, serving together and building their marriage on Scripture provided a foundation that held firm. Looking back, she is unequivocal. “God saved our marriage,” she says. “He sent people to walk alongside us. He sustained us when we couldn’t sustain ourselves.” She adds that God continues to refine and strengthen their relationship.
Worship in the Midst of Trauma
For Marianne, worship has become one of God’s most powerful tools for healing and sustaining people in difficult circumstances. While music itself is often used therapeutically, she believes worship goes much deeper because it combines melody with the living Word of God.
“Worship shifts our attention away from our circumstances and places it on God,” she explains.
She experienced that reality firsthand during the recent conflict in Lebanon. Living just 20 minutes from areas of Beirut that were being bombed, her family found themselves exposed to the constant sounds and fears of war. Her son was terrified by the explosions. Although the trauma has not disappeared overnight, Marianne says God’s presence sustained them in a way that felt supernatural. The same truth, she believes, sustained Jad during the Syrian war and continues to sustain countless children who watch SAT-7 Kids.
“The truths in these songs become engraved in their hearts,” she says.
Listening to Women
Through her media ministry, Marianne is increasingly hearing from women carrying what she describes as an invisible weight. Many are trying to fulfil multiple roles simultaneously, as mothers, wives, daughters and caregivers, while feeling exhausted, unsupported and unseen. In some cultures, she says, women feel enormous pressure to carry these responsibilities without acknowledging their own struggles. Through SAT-7’s programmes and social media initiatives, conversations around loneliness, anxiety, emotional exhaustion and low self-worth have become increasingly common.
Yet Marianne also sees signs of hope. Women are becoming more willing to speak honestly. Following the launch of one social media initiative, thousands began privately sharing their personal stories. Again and again, they expressed a longing simply to be heard. “Sometimes being heard makes an enormous difference,” she says.
A recent discussion surrounding the tragic suicide of a young mother in Egypt prompted thousands of women to engage online. What struck Marianne was the compassion many expressed. Rather than responding with judgement, many women spoke about the need for support, understanding and companionship. The conversation quickly evolved into a wider discussion about loneliness, emotional pain and the importance of walking alongside those who are struggling.
Through SAT-7’s viewer support ministry, Marianne says the team is seeing both increasing levels of distress and increasing willingness to seek help. The ministry seeks to accompany people through their journeys by listening, building trust, connecting individuals with professional support where available, and helping those interested in exploring Christianity connect with discipleship groups and local churches. “We want people to know they are not alone,” she says.
Lessons from Motherhood
Motherhood has transformed Marianne’s understanding of God’s love. “The love I feel for Noah is so powerful, yet it is only a small reflection of God’s love for us,” she says.
Becoming a parent helped her understand God’s patience, delight and grace in new ways. For years she struggled to see God as a loving Father. Yet watching her own son grow helped her appreciate the unconditional nature of parental love. “No matter what my son does, he will always be my son,” she explains.
That insight has deepened her appreciation for Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son and the Father’s eagerness to welcome his children home. She recognises seasons in her own life when she doubted, struggled or wandered from God, yet experienced his persistent love and pursuit.
Marianne says Christians who follow Jesus despite persecution have taught her some of life’s most profound lessons. “They have taught me courage. They have taught me perseverance,” she says. One colleague from North Africa particularly stands out. During a period when churches in Algeria were being closed, she felt compelled to create opportunities for people to hear testimonies from local believers. When asked whether she feared persecution, her response was unforgettable.
“Persecution is the crown,” she replied. Marianne says such conviction challenges her deeply. “These believers remind us that following Jesus is not primarily about circumstances. It is about conviction.”
As an Arabic-speaking worship leader, Marianne believes language plays a powerful role in helping people encounter God. “Arabic is the language of my heart,” she says. Worshipping and communicating biblical truth in Arabic reminds people throughout the region that God speaks their language, understands their culture and meets them where they are. She is passionate about reminding audiences that Christianity is not foreign to the Middle East. “Jesus walked these lands,” she says. “He understands suffering, rejection and persecution.”
For Marianne, the songs closest to her heart are those born from seasons of struggle, waiting and personal encounters with God. Writing music has never simply been about creating songs, she explains. It has been a way of processing her own journey and sharing God’s faithfulness with others. Her prayer remains simple and consistent: “That people would encounter the love of God, discover that they are not alone, and find hope in Jesus no matter what circumstances they face.
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