Just Do Something

 

As I have read about the heinous atrocities of ISIS I dream of signing up to go over and help my brothers and sisters in Christ. No door has opened, in fact I haven’t even seen a crack in the window of opportunity. So, what can I do?

Today I received an email asking me to “stand in the gap” for our brothers and sisters in Iraq, not just the natives but those who are there serving as missionaries and living in the middle of the chaos and sin. It makes me remember Habakkuk who cried out to God about the sin that was going on around him.

“O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.  So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.” Habakkuk 1:2-4

Sounds like a similar set of circumstances. Happy endings make wonderful stories but the Lord told Habakkuk that the consequences for the sin of the people were going to be as bad as the sin. He had planned to judge them by the conquest of the Chaldeans and Habakkuk is assigned to warn the people.

Now Habakkuk is overwhelmed by both the sin of the people and the response of God. With that he is driven to his knees and cries out to God for the very people he had been complaining about.

I cannot for a minute pretend that I know what God is doing in Iraq. Like Habakkuk though, I know that God is not unaware or caught off guard. In fact, He will ultimately use this whole mess for the good of His people. Individually as they rely on Him and corporately as He unites the Church. And, like Habakkuk, there is little I can do but fall to my knees and cry out to God.

Praying, whether on my knees or comfortably seated in a cushy chair, often “feels” like I am doing nothing. However, as I was asked in that email to pray, I realized that praying is doing something. It is, in fact, the most effective thing we can do.

God’s people need protection from this evil ISIS, the peace that comes from God alone in difficult (or impossible) circumstances, and the joy of the Lord as they see Him work in their lives. Also important are the more practical things like a place of refuge/housing, food, water, and a mode of transportation that will be safe for them to use, a route of travel that keeps them out of harm’s way.

There is no area of their lives that has not been affected by the terror they face. They are human and will be tempted to give in, stop running, deny their faith, or whatever they feel is necessary to protect their children and their own lives. Their strength may be built up by our prayers.

God tells us to pray so many times, under so many different circumstances. So, if you are like me and you feel the need to do something for our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted, pray. It is doing something.