By Leif Knutsen (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Good morning, beloved of God,
Praise the Lord that we serve the God who hears our prayers. I have included today a picture of Golan, Syria. Why? Why start here today? Well, because of some startling facts I received from Prayercast:
Once the home of the Church at Antioch, Syria has a rich history. Antioch was in many ways the model church, starting the very first missionary movement. The Great Commission was put into action right within the borders of this now torn and broken nation.
Today Syria is self-destructing. With each day the protests have increased; the nation teeters on the brink of Civil War. The current Assad regime has responded in violence, and government-sponsored slaughters continue. Pray that the breath of the Holy Spirit would breathe on this nation as it did on Antioch and that the Gospel would spread from Syria into the entire Middle East.
Praise the Lord that we serve a God who is greater than any ruler or regime. His freedom will always prevail against all forms of earthly tyranny. We join Isaiah in declaring, “…so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him” (Isaiah 52:15).
And then please, read this from ynetnews ..death…it’s almost like my brain wants to not connect. Yet, it’s real and it’s hard and it’s the hurting world that Jesus calls us to pray and also to respond.
From Joel Rosenberg:
It’s horrifying to see the continue slaughter of innocents in Syria. The U.N. Secretary General has condemned the “appalling brutality” of the government, but Russia is blocking the international community from taking any real action. Please pray for the evil regime of Bashar al-Assad to be brought down and replaced by a peaceful, moderate government. Pray for the violence to end and peace to come to that country. Pray that the Gospel would be spread throughout Syria, and for the Lord to strengthen and encourage the persecuted Church there. Lord, please stop the bloodbath, bring justice to the evildoers, and liberate the Syrian people spiritually and politically. “The news about Him [Jesus Christ] spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them.” (Matthew 4:24)
Humbling, isn’t it? I was startled by the verses of the day today from Biblegateway:
15In order that everyone who believes in Him [who cleaves to Him, trusts Him, and relies on Him] may [a]not perish, but have eternal life and [actually] live forever!
16For God so greatly
loved
and
dearly prized
the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten ([b]unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.
17For God did not send the Son into the world in
order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation
and be made safe and sound through Him.
Oh friends, these are our brothers and our sisters! God longs to usher His Son into these wounded and dying hearts. We believe! We “trust in, cling to and rely on Him” and yes, my world is hard..but my literal world is not falling apart. My world may feel like it is imploding..but it is not. The Lord is in control. He is in control everywhere.
Chris August: I Surrender All
And then, this: Avalon: God is in Control
We are safe and sound in His arms. What about those who do not know Him? What about the people right next to you? As Prayercast says: You want to change the world? Pray!
Pray on, dear friends..
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