Nothing is Impossible: Ayman al-Zawahiri

I've had terrorists on my mind. That's partly because I'm editing my first novel and it's filled with terrorists. It might also be because I've been jumping to conclusions and seeing terrorists where there were none.

All that terrorist thinking has reminded me of the time when I selected a terrorist of the week and asked you to pray for them.  It was July 6, 2014 and our terrorist of the week was Nasir al-Wuhayshi. He was the general manager of Al Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula and one of the most dangerous men in the world.  

His stated goal was to "destroy the cross. The bearer of the cross is America."

I use the past tense because he was killed in a drone attack in Yemen on June 12, 2015. He was 38 years old.  He left behind a legacy of death and destruction. 

I wept when he died, but not because I was sorry his reign of terror had come to an end. I wept because I had prayed for him to come to a saving knowledge of the Great I AM, but he never did. He died as he lived. A bitter and murderous man.

He had a choice and he made it, but I still grieve the lost potential of a man redeemed and transformed by the blood of Jesus. 

Stranger things have happened. Consider the Apostle Paul. 

My first terrorist for whom I prayed was Ayman al-Zawahiri.  He is Egyptian and was trained as a surgeon. He practiced medicine for a while, but now, he is a full-time terrorist. One of his wives and two of his children were killed by a U.S. bomb in Afghanistan. Their loss fueled his anger, but he was a terrorist before they died and eventually became the head of Al-Qaeda. He was instrumental in helping the ISIS expand and merge with other terrorist organizations to become ISIL. 

As a physician, one who is trained to preserve life, it is unthinkable that one of my colleagues would dedicate himself to the murderous atrocities of ISIL, but al-Zawahiri knows no bounds. 

Assassination. Kidnapping and torture. Bombings. He is responsible for the death of untold numbers of people.

Law enforcement officials around the world have tried and failed to stop him. 

Only God can bring this man to his knees. 

Only God can stop him.

Jesus said, "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:44 nasb) 

Ayman al-Zawahiri is one of those enemies for whom we are to pray and to love. With the command of Jesus in mind, I'm choosing to pray for him. I'm choosing to ask God to bring him to repentance and salvation. Whether it is through a dream or a vision or the testimony of a believer, I pray this evil man will be transformed. 

He's not the only terrorist for whom we need to pray, but he is the leader of a large group of terrorists. Imagine the impact his salvation could make. 

Praying for our enemies. As disciples, it's not optional. We have it to do. 

There's no better place to start than praying for Ayman al-Zawahiri. 

"Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, 

but with God all things are possible." 

(Matthew 19:26 niv)

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photo from Wikipedia

Kathy McKinsey wrote a beautiful article for Friday Night with Friends, New Beginning. If you haven't read it yet, you can click here. You can read more by Kathy at her blog. Our next Friday Night with Friends guest blog will post at 6 pm this Friday night. You don't want to miss it!

In case you missed one of the past week's posts, here are the links:  Starting Over: It's Not as Easy as It Seems, Behavior That Demonstrates Belief, Answered Prayer: The Bulletproof Vest, Bringing Good from Tragedy: Wives of Warriors Make a Difference, Friday Night with Friends: New Beginning, The Temperament Test and Married Oneness, Leaving a Legacy: Choices That Last for Generations, and Jumping to Conclusions: The Terrorists That Were Not.

#prayingforterrorists #AymanalZawahiri #loveyourenemies #disciple #JesusChrist

Praying for terrorists: Ayman al-Zawahiri

But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (Matthew 5:44 NASB)

The topic of terrorists goes hand in hand with the topic of persecution of the church, simply on the basis of their close proximity. It's hard to have persecution without persecutors. 

Tonight, we are praying for one of the most prominent and most feared terrorists in the world. His name is Ayman al-Zawahiri, and he is an Egyptian surgeon who is now the head of Al-Qaeda. According to Wikipedia, he grew up in a prosperous and prominent family, and was a good student who loved poetry and hated violent sports. It wasn't long, however, before he began to get involved in the Muslim Brotherhood, and soon moved into increasingly radical organizations. 

One of his wives and two of his children died as a result of US bombs in Afghanistan. He may carry anger toward the US because of this, and almost certainly does, but he was a terrorist long before their deaths. 

al-Zawahiri is believed by the FBI to have been involved in terrorists operations on at least four continents, including North America, and is considered to have been involved in the 1988 US Embassy bombings as well as the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole and the 9/11 attack. He is on the FBI most-wanted terrorist list. 

In 1998, he merged his Egyptian jihadist organization with Al-Qaeda and steadily gained power in that combined organization.  After the death of Osama Ben Laden, he became the head of Al-Qaeda. 

In his early 60's, he continues to spread terror and destruction. Most recently, he has called for the kidnapping of Westerners in order to exchange them for imprisoned Al-Qaeda operatives. There are some who believe the recent prisoner exchange may serve as fuel for the fire and trigger increased kidnappings. 

In April of this year, during a taped interview, a call for an increase in kidnappings was issued. (The taped voice was believed to be al-Zawahiri, but was not confirmed). Regardless, he poses a tremendous threat to the safety of people around the world, not only to the US. 

As we pray for him tonight, let us begin by praying that his reign of terror would come to an end, that the destruction he causes would be limited, and that his followers would seek a more peaceful leader. Pray especially for his wives and children to be protected from the evil he propagates and that his sons would not follow him into greater terror. Do not fail to pray that al-Zawahiri would have an encounter with the Most High God and would be transformed by that same grace by which we have also been saved. 

As you go about this next week, pray for Ayman al-Zawahiri on a daily basis, as well as for those who have been victims of his tactics of terror. It is hard to believe that this violent terrorist who is responsible for untold numbers of deaths was once a quiet and studious boy who loved science and poetry. Pray that he would grow weary of fighting, rediscover the remnants of that young boy still in his heart, and be drawn to peace. 

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You are invited to share this post and encourage friends and family to join in the effort to fight the terrorists on our knees. They may be strong, but we serve One before whom every knee will one day bow, and He is able to conquer and deliver.