Protect Us From Evil
Right now, though I am not “losing sleep afraid”, I am “what on earth is coming to the U.S.?” afraid. I know the Bible tells us many times, “Fear not.”
I watched a video this morning with an ISIS soldier promising to “put a black flag over the White House, god willing.” http://foxnewsinsider.com/2014/08/08/new-isis-video-%E2%80%98we-will-raise-black-flag-over-white-house%E2%80%99. His god and my God are not the same God. I cannot even imagine the kind of war that it would take to get to the point that ISIS can hang their flag on the White House. Many would die because they do not value the lives of innocent people.
I used to wonder when anyone would ever want to pray one of the imprecatory Psalms. Most of us just skip right over them when we study because we do not understand them. Right now I am in full agreement that there is this evil in the world that needs to be eliminated. If God would choose to save them all, that would be lovely.
In the meantime they are harming His children, cutting off the heads of little boys and girls, killing their fathers, and making the mothers watch. They need to be stopped and it is God; Father Son and Holy Spirit who can end this. I am asking Him to do so.
Many Christians argue that God loves everyone, hates no one. Psalm 5 says He hates evil doers and that gives me some peace as I hope for Him to stop the creeping influence of the Muslim culture into ours. They are proving themselves to be bloodthirsty and destructive. It is a culture of death, God’s is a culture of life.
Psalm 5 seems most appropriate to me as a prayer for those of us who believe God hates the evil doer and wants to protect the righteous.
Psalm 5:1-12 To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David. Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. (2) Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. (3) O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. (4) For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. (5) The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. (6) You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. (7) But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. (8) Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. (9) For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. (10) Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you. (11) But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. (12) For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield.
The Psalm does bring out another fear, the Psalmist points out that evil may not dwell with God (verse 4). As Christians we need to make certain that our faith is evident, to be persistent in witness to grow His kingdom. If God is not here, if His people have turned their back on Him, and He is exercising judgment so we will turn back, there may be an open door for ISIS to come through.
May it never be. Protect us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom, an d the Power, and the Glory, forever.
Will you pray both these words from the Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 5 with m e?
Thanks for this Beth. I recently was questioned by a friend about why I would post unsubstantiated claims about children having their heads cut off when we don’t know this is true. I was also asked why we are only asking for prayer for Christians when Muslims are also suffering. There is some weight to each of those questions.
We need to be truth tellers. The fact is not that we know any one thing for certain, but child beheadings were reported–we cannot ignore the possibility that it is true–though I hope it isn’t. We cannot ignore the the fact that we are called to pray for our brothers and sisters who suffer. We are called to “love all,” but especially the brethren.
There is comfort in calling on a God who is in control.
Thanks Nan, This has been an especially hard topic for me personally. I feel the need to respond but not the opportunity or ability to do much in the day to day of life that will make any difference. I do also mourn for those who are not Christians who are on the receiving end of the heinous sins of these terrorists. Only The Lord can change hearts or eliminate evil. I am trusting Him and praying for Him to intervene as He will.
Beth,
thanks so much for bringing to the forefront of many Christian minds the evil in this world called ISIS.People don’t realize that they make Nazi Germany look like a boy scout jamboree. We all need to spread the word about this cancer spreading in the middle east!
Rick Moyer