“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who
hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
(Luke 6:27-28 )
The recent siege of the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, by al-Shabaab,
the Somalia-based affiliate of the terrorist Islamist group al-Qaeda, left
67 dead and hundreds wounded. When taking hostages, the terrorists
purposely separated the Muslims from the non-Muslims by asking them
to name the mother of Muhammad or recite the Muslim creed. Even
though there are numerous reports or horrific torture of the hostages
by these terrorists, I have not read or heard any of the mainstream
media mention that Kenya is 80% Christian.
Make no mistake, terrorism is designed to create fear. And, it is clearly a
tool of our real enemy who seeks to steal, destroy, and kill by filling our
minds with the evil that has been perpetrated instead of focusing our
attention on praise of the LORD.
Jesus gave us the solution. When we pray for our enemies, it cripples
and voids the effects of terrorism.
Therefore, I would like to suggest prayer along these lines:
Mighty everlasting God and Savior, we praise you for the love and mercy
you showed us in sending Jesus to die for us and take away all our
sins. We thank you, risen and living Jesus, that you have told us how to
respond to those who hate us and hate you.
Oh Lord, have mercy on the members of al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda. We
ask that you would send your Holy Spirit to soften the hearts of these
people, especially the leaders of these groups. We ask that the lies and
darkness of the enemy would be negated and truth and light would flow
into their lives in power and that they would come to faith and be saved.
Mighty God, we ask that you would not curse them, but would bless
them that they would come to a true and genuine faith in Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Savior, so that their sins would be forgiven. We ask that,
ultimately, they would spend eternity in heaven with all whose names
are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, rejoicing in you and praising your
Holy Name forever. Amen.
If you wish to pray for them by name, a list of the leaders of
these groups can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Shabaab_(militant_group)
Today’s Praise
When a man’s ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to
be at peace with him. (Proverbs 16:7 )