God with us - Week 35: 2 Thessalonians 3:3
Today's blog is a bit clunky!
The words were difficult to find and haven't completely landed in the right order (despite many edits), but they're honest and heartfelt.
There have been many moments over the past week where I have struggled to watch the news. Even as I write this, the words to explain the desperation we’ve all witnessed could never come close to the suffering people are experiencing in Afghanistan. We’ve listened to the horrendous stories of people desperately trying to escape the country and heard of parents handing over their children to soldiers in the hope they will be cared for.
I can’t imagine the horror of it. If I’m honest, at times, I’ve shut off from that horror, turning over the channel to try and find a distraction.
Lucky me that I can switch it off!
Those in the middle of the chaos don’t have that option.
The phrase “love and prayers” is used a lot in these circumstances, and I believe for many, it is heartfelt. For others, it’s something to say when the words won’t come. I’m sure I’m not alone in wondering where to start when praying for this situation. I shared a link to the Open Doors website on Facebook this week. It gave specific prayer points, but I still found it challenging to pray.
Do the prayers I say to support the people of Afghanistan make any difference, or are they just for me to feel like I’m doing something?
Unexpectedly the verse for this week has confirmed for me what should have always been evident.
Prayer for the situation in Afghanistan is vital.
During a time of Christian persecution, Paul wrote to the Thessalonians and urged them to keep praying.
1 Brothers and sisters, having shared all this, let me ask you to pray for us. Pray that this message of the Lord will spread quickly and receive the praise and respect it deserves from others as it has with you. 2 Pray also that we would all be rescued from the snares of harmful, wicked people—after all, not all people are believing. 3 Still, the Lord is true to His promises; He will hold you up and guard you against the evil one.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 (VOICE)
I know that Paul’s words refer to a different situation, but the battle against evil is the same. The actions of people wanting to destroy and oppress mirror those experienced by the people of Afghanistan today.
“Love and prayers” is only a throwaway phrase if we let it be.
I need to do better when praying about situations that overwhelm me because my discomfort is nothing compared to what the people involved are experiencing. I will post the prayer points from Open Doors website throughout the week, and I would invite you to join in prayer each evening. We can pray while watching the news, reading the paper or when stories appear on our social media newsfeed. There are always practical ways to help, but the focus of this blog is to respond to Paul’s call to prayer as we remember that “the Lord can be trusted to make you strong and protect you from harm.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3)
Kay Moorby
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