Talking is something I love to do! Watching what I say is not always top priority when engaged in conversation. So this verse prompted a prayer,"Lord, help!!" No sooner had I prayed that when the Lord whispered into my heart. Pray for your enemies.
That was an interesting statement as I had just finished writing an article on Examiner about the atrocities of ISIS. I elicited prayer for the persecuted Christian Iraqi's, but never thought about praying for the members of ISIS. Jesus challenged us to do exactly that. "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). ISIS is surely an enemy of Christians and Jews, for their desire is to eliminate them, but Jesus still calls us to pray for them. So I did.
"Dear Father, you know the evil intent of these men.Just like Saul who was on the Damascus road to eliminate Christians, I pray that the leaders in the ISIS movement will have their own epiphany. They believe they are following Allah's edict to eliminate the infidels. Show them who you really are: Jesus Christ, who they persecute. Reveal yourself to them. Draw them to yourself. Turn a Saul into a Paul. In Jesus Name. Amen."
After I finished praying, the Lord gave me another idea. Why not have others pray and write their prayers as a comment? So I invite you to pray for ISIS, as crazy as it seems.Who knows what God will do?
Absolutely YES! and AMEN!
ReplyDeleteHoly Spirit encounter these men in ways that stop them in their tracks with incontrovertible knowledge that it's Jesus and Him alone who is the Way the Truth and the LIFE - that no-one can come to the Father but through Him - and that it is Him whom they have set themselves against.
Give them encounters with the Might and Wonder of your unfailing LOVE, and show them - give them glimpses of the blazing pathway of LIGHT, of LOVE of Power and boldness that you have planned for them to bear witness of Jesus' power to save to the uttermost.
And grant your people whose lives they have shattered, the power to forgive, and to teach and encourage and embolden these men in THE WAY - not the way of religion, but the way of Holy Spirit empowerment to preach, to heal, and to deliver and to testify to the Resurrection Power of Jesus to transform the human heart like nothing else can - to change cruelty and hate - to LOVE and Kindness.
Father we pray for a Mighty Wave of Your Unfailing Love to sweep through every Islamic nation - sweeping men, women and children into a saving knowledge of You Jesus - and start in those darkest areas and people groups of Gaza, Syria and Northern Iraq. We acknowledge that the resulting church may well not resemble the religious structures that have grown up through the centuries, but we ask for the reality of Your Resurrection Life to be made manifest, and for men and women to be ready to step into this harvest field to bring in the harvest as it ripens - equipped with Power, Boldness and Your Word, that many signs and wonders will follow them, that speak of your Lordship over death and sin, and All of the power of the enemy.
Father - we thank you for the example we have of Saul of Tarsus - 5 times beaten to within an inch of his life, stoned and left for dead, shipwrecked three times in his efforts to tell the world of your unfailing Grace. We thank you for what YOU plan and purpose for each of these men currently hell-bent on persecuting You.
Bring it on Lord - bring on an awesome fear and knowledge of you - a Holy Fear of the name of Jesus that stops them in their tracks, with the knowledge that either now willingly, or later anyway, they Will bow the knee to that Wonderful and Mighty name - Jesus! Lord of Love - who GAVE His life as a ransom for us all.
Worthy are YOU Jesus - worthy are You to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords,.
And those that come from Western backgrounds, may they return with a Holy Fire for the name of Jesus to shake these nations with the reality of Your Resurrection Power, Life and Love with their selfless love and expressive worship of You our King Jesus!
May this prayer ring throughout the heavens and these seeds be planted in hearts until this declaration becomes a reality though the blood of Jesus. Amen!
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