How should Christians respond to the incomprehensibly hateful
actions of ISIS and other terrorist groups? In this extreme and genocidal brand
of religio-political extremism, we find an ideology so reprehensible as to
appear outside the bounds of reality. Yet, this threat to the well-being of
peace-seeking humanity is indeed real.
All Christians must ask themselves in what ways they are called to fight
against the evil empire seeking not just to exist independently, but to rule
and dominate the world scene now and forever more?
Jesus calls us to extremes of a different kind that might
appear as illogical and as difficult to understand as the actions which now
have such a grip on the attention of the world.
Upon closer examination, to those who have faith in a righteous and
loving God, Jesus’ words make all the sense in the world. In His revolutionary thesis on living in sync
with the heart of God, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says the following about
dealing with enemies:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your
neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you, so that
you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven” Matthew 5:43-45.
Whatever action one takes must begin with love. “Love your
enemies.” One may be inclined to hate
someone or an entire group of people who is set on your destruction, but hate
is not an option for one who desires to follow Jesus. Love must envelope the heart and drive the
response. This is not an emotional, feel good, wishing and hoping reaction born
of naiveté, but an intentional, powerful choice that declares that a focused, righteous
foundation will guide my thoughts and actions, not hot-headed venting and
ill-thought out revenge. Love your
enemies.
Jesus next calls His followers to prayer. “…pray for those who persecute you.” Have you honestly prayed for the terrorist agencies
that have been at war with the rest of humanity? I know my own struggles with prayer as
someone who believes in prayer and engages in it aggressively. It is hard
enough to pray for people I love and who stay on my mind. It takes intentionality, purpose, commitment
and devotion – every day! Yet it can
still be a struggle. How much more
praying for someone who desires evil for me and is committed to carrying out
evil in the most hideous ways imaginable?
How does one pray for one’s enemy?
I’d like to make a few suggestions:
1.
Pray that the enemy will repent of their
evil. Most of us forget, that the
Apostle Paul was a religious zealot in the cloth of Al Queda or ISIS. He was committed to a brand of religion that
called for the extermination of everyone who thought differently than himself,
especially Christians! Then he had an
encounter with Jesus! Directly.
Mysteriously. Effectively. He became as
committed to the way of love (he authored 1 Corinthians 13) as he had been to
violence. Pray for the supernatural
transformation of individuals who think their cemented in stone in their
convictions, but whose hearts may yet have the hope of redemption.
2.
Pray that their plans will fail. This means praying for the agencies,
governments and leaders who must do the hard work of opposing them in real life
real time. Pray for the exposure of their plans. Pray for the failure of their
schemes. Pray that every evil deed will collapse in its execution. Pray that if
they do not stop, those who have been commissioned to oppose them will stop
them.
3.
Pray for the courage to call out the evil they
are perpetrating. Even the Nazis his their
evil behind walls. The terror we are facing is brazen and bold, smirking and
snarling with every manifestation of wickedness. This is the holocaust of our
generation. It is evil. It is wrong. It
must be stopped. To make no mention of
it or to go about our daily lives only entertaining ourselves is tantamount to
giving our stamp of approval to their heinous, evil crimes.
4.
Pray for the courage to stand and resist should
we find ourselves face to face with the perpetrators of this wickedness. Some first responders have already faced
these enemies and continue to do so, face to face, hand to hand. Pray for them. The global nature of this threat opens
significant possibilities that any of us could find ourselves in a situation
that calls for us to stand for good in the face of undeniable evil. We must pray for strength, courage and
dignity to reign in our hearts and wills if we should ever encounter such a
tragic situation. Pray for your enemies!
Love and prayer. Formidable
weapons that Jesus has issued to those who follow Him. Let us not love in word
only, but in deed and let us not see prayer as a substitute for action, but rather
as a propellant for proper direction, solid wisdom and energetic involvement in
the challenge of our time. How do we
respond to the terrorists who target us? Love your them and pray for them!
No comments:
Post a Comment