As we watch the news continue to come in from the other side of the world, there are a host of feelings and desires that flood us all at once. Opinions abound over national politics, global diplomacy, the seeming futility of military sacrifice, and the fate of those left behind.
It's easy for my heart in these moments to simultaneously be over confident in what I think the rest of the world ought to be doing and yet, somehow also be personally immobilized by the tragic pictures on the TV screen. You see, I sometimes have a nasty habit of being convinced that everybody else is getting it wrong as I stand around and do nothing to help. But I'm sure you're probably better than me when it comes to that.
And it's precisely in these moments that I need to be reminded that I worship a God Who has never been over confident in anything. He is incapable of out-punting His coverage. Nor has He ever been stunned by something. There is not a single development in eternity past that has ever caught Him off guard. And that includes rapidly deteriorating circumstances in far away countries.
See, the first thing I often forget while I'm busy critiquing everyone else's response, is that God has clearly commanded me to go rushing to Him in these moments. He expects me to call on Him to do something about what I see. Not necessarily as a replacement for concrete action-- If you have an opportunity to be of tangible help right now, you totally should-- But running directly to Him ought to be my knee-jerk response to witnessing the brokenness of this world.
Maybe you got there before me. Maybe not. But once we're there, the next question is simple: How do we pray for what's going on? I think the first answer is "all of the ways that occur to you". There's not a wrong way to approach Him here. We run to our Heavenly Father with abandon, bringing Him whatever is on our heart. But while the first answer is good, there are other good answers that can follow. We can listen to those with greater connections to the tragedy and allow them to tell us what to pray for.
And so, we wanted to give you some resources to press in to those who have special insight into the situation. Below are some links to articles and organizations that can help you understand and pray for specific things. May God bring peace. May He make His name more famous. And may He work all things (even tragedy) for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
How to Pray for Afghanistan
As we watch the news continue to come in from the other side of the world, there are a host of feelings and desires that flood us all at once. Opinions abound over national politics, global diplomacy, the seeming futility of military sacrifice, and the fate of those left behind.
It's easy for my heart in these moments to simultaneously be over confident in what I think the rest of the world ought to be doing and yet, somehow also be personally immobilized by the tragic pictures on the TV screen. You see, I sometimes have a nasty habit of being convinced that everybody else is getting it wrong as I stand around and do nothing to help. But I'm sure you're probably better than me when it comes to that.
And it's precisely in these moments that I need to be reminded that I worship a God Who has never been over confident in anything. He is incapable of out-punting His coverage. Nor has He ever been stunned by something. There is not a single development in eternity past that has ever caught Him off guard. And that includes rapidly deteriorating circumstances in far away countries.
See, the first thing I often forget while I'm busy critiquing everyone else's response, is that God has clearly commanded me to go rushing to Him in these moments. He expects me to call on Him to do something about what I see. Not necessarily as a replacement for concrete action-- If you have an opportunity to be of tangible help right now, you totally should-- But running directly to Him ought to be my knee-jerk response to witnessing the brokenness of this world.
Maybe you got there before me. Maybe not. But once we're there, the next question is simple: How do we pray for what's going on? I think the first answer is "all of the ways that occur to you". There's not a wrong way to approach Him here. We run to our Heavenly Father with abandon, bringing Him whatever is on our heart. But while the first answer is good, there are other good answers that can follow. We can listen to those with greater connections to the tragedy and allow them to tell us what to pray for.
And so, we wanted to give you some resources to press in to those who have special insight into the situation. Below are some links to articles and organizations that can help you understand and pray for specific things. May God bring peace. May He make His name more famous. And may He work all things (even tragedy) for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
--Stephen
Voice of the Martyrs - How to Pray for Afghanistan
Open Doors UK - 5 Urgent Ways You Can Pray for Afghanistan
Operation World - Afghanistan Country Facts
IMB Afghanistan Prayer Guide
Additional Reading:
Baptist Press - Call to Prayer
IX Marks Call to Prayer
The Gospel Coalition - How to Pray for Afghanistan
ERLC Urges Biden to Act