Persevering for Paris

In April of 2014, 300 Nigerian schoolgirls were kidnapped from their school by Boko Haram. More than eighteen months later, those girls are still missing. A few have escaped, but many families still grieve as they fearfully wait for news of their girls. 

At the time, there was a surge of worldwide compassion. There were more than a million #bringbackourgirls tweets. I wrote blogs and calls to pray for the girls. Now, we seldom hear about those missing girls. 

There is so much evil in this world that our compassion for one need quickly cools as a "hotter" need draws us away. 

So it was with the schoolgirls. So it was with the videos of the beheadings of more than a dozen young Egyptian Coptic Christians. 

I fear our compassion for Paris will soon cool, as well, drawn away by yet another outrage. I fear my own compassion will soon cool.

This morning, I looked back through my "terrorist" blogs and found a plethora of posts. Prayers for the kidnapped girls, prayers for a variety of terrorists, prayers for terrorist organizations. (Not that they prosper, of course, but that they be brought to a halt.) 

I long to move past outrage to action. I long to make a greater difference in this war. 

Is no one attacking at the source of terrorist recruitment? Is no one targeting their funding? It turns out that they are. In April, CBS news reported a joint effort by the US and UAE (United Arab Emirates). The Sawab Center has been formed to counter the terror organizations' intense presence in social media. It's worth looking at their website for more information.

I long to help, but I am just one woman in a tiny town in a small state in a great big world. 

What can I do? Perhaps you feel that way, too. 

Let us not lose sight of the fact that we are not without hope. We are not without "connections". We serve a great and mighty God who leans forward to hear when His people pray. There is a point, a purpose to our efforts in prayer. They do make a difference. 

If our prayers can make a difference, why, then, do we not pray as if our very lives depended upon it? As if our world depended upon it?

After the people of Israel asked for a flesh-and-blood king, rather than the Most High God, they begged Samuel to pray for them. His response was one we, too, should have concerning the issue of terrorists and their victims.

"Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you..." 1 Samuel 12: 23 nasb

This time, let us persevere for Paris. Let us continue to pray. 

As we pray, let's not lose sight of all who suffer, all who have suffered at the hand of these brutal terrorists. Let's not forget that Saul was once a brutal terrorist before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus and became the Apostle Paul. 

He who changed a Saul into a Paul can still transform terrorists today. Let's pray He does.

Here are links to previous blog posts about this issue: (They are designed to open in new tabs) If you have time, read through them as a reminder of the needs for which we battle and as guides as you pray. 

Fight well, fellow warriors. 

Bringing Nigerian Schoolgirls Home
The Kidnapped Nigerian Schoolgirls
The Missing Nigerian Schoolgirls
Praying for Nineveh (Assyrians)
Persecuted Church in Nigeria
The Terrorist Prayer List
Radical obedience: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi\
Radical obedience: Hamas and Khaled Meshaal
Radical obedience: Boko Haram and Abubakar Shekau  
Radical obedience: Ibrahim al Asiri
Radical obedience: Nasir al Wuhayshi     
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Photo courtesy of freeimages.com In case you missed any of the past week's posts, here are the links: The Blessings That Were Not,  Loss of Power, Grateful Heart: Veterans, Grateful Heart: Laughter and Grateful Heart: Worldwide Kindness, and Remembering Paris.

The most viewed post of the last week was Remembering Paris

#Prayers4Paris #ISIS  #Paris #PowerofPrayer #JesusChrist #disciple #BringBackourSchoolgirls

Remembering Paris

I have wept for Paris again. 

In 1999, we went to Paris for our honeymoon. It is a beautiful city, a romantic city, and I loved it. Four square miles of culture, cafes, and art. And, of course, people. I wept for the people back then. Despite the beauty, there were many sad faces, and I wanted to tell them about the One who could put joy in their hearts. But I did not.

The people were kind to me, patient with the residual of my high school French. They must have heard left-over French before, because we managed to communicate. We roamed all over the city. I was in love, and I fell in love with Paris and her people, as well. 

I still love Paris.

I wept last night when I heard of the violent, vicious acts of terror committed there. Pointless murders of innocents who had not harmed the perpetrators. I grieve for those who died, for those who were wounded, for all those who have been affected by the attacks. 

I grieve for us all. 

When such violence erupts in a city, it affects every one of us. This is not war. This is not even a religious crusade. 

This is wickedness. 

What kind of evil promotes this depraved wickedness? Ultimate evil. ISIS/IS, or whatever they call themselves this week, has claimed responsibility for these murders, these attacks. They celebrate these deaths of unarmed civilians as if it proves their power, their "right". It does not. It only proves the wickedness of their souls.

How can we combat such evil? 

The world will not want to hear the solution, but only Ultimate Good can deal with this kind of evil. 

When faced with an impending Aramean attack, Jehosophat prayed, "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You." (2 Chron 20:12) 

When faced with the threat of the Assyrians, Hezekiah prayed, "And now, O Lord our God, I pray, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou alone, O Lord, art God." (2 Kings 19:19) 

They were in desperate need of intervention from the Most High God and they knew it.

When those great kings prayed for deliverance from evil, deliverance was given. 

So must we bend our knees and humble our hearts in prayer for deliverance from this great evil that threatens us.

I prayed for the people of Paris last night, and for all those who love Paris. I will continue to pray that their suffering will not be wasted. I pray that the One who created them will heal their broken hearts and that, somehow, great good will come from this.

I did not want to pray for those attackers, but yesterday I spent hours writing of one who had prayed for his attackers and loved his enemies, even though it was hard. 

I did not want to, but I prayed for the terrorists last night.  I had no choice, for Jesus said, "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matt 5:44)

I prayed that this will be the event that breaks ISIS, that God would so convict those who participated in the attacks, whether by planning or doing, that repentance will result. I prayed that such confusion and trouble will compound their efforts that the precise orchestrations of all the evil they attempt will be thwarted from within.

I pray that their sin will be ever before them and their only relief will be in repentance.

This is a battle that will not be won with guns and bombs and strategy. 

It is a battle to be won on our knees. 

We can do more than we know for the people of Paris. We can do more than we realize to fight the terrorists of ISIS. We can do more, but our weapons must be those of humbled hearts, bent knees, and impassioned prayers for the intervention of God. 

We can do more than we know, if we will.

There is much to distract us today, but those who are grieving in Paris will not be distracted. Let us take time to help them. Let us take time to pray.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
photo courtesy of freeimages.com
In case you missed any of the past week's posts, here are the links: Grateful Heart: Superheroes and Missions Conference , The Blessings That Were Not,  Loss of Power, Grateful Heart: Veterans, Grateful Heart: Laughter and Grateful Heart: Worldwide Kindness.

The most read posts of the past week: The Grateful Heart: Orchestration of God

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#ParisAttacks #Prayers4Paris #TheIslamicState #PowerofPrayer