The world has been looking on in horror at the atrocities being committed against Christians in Iraq.
The blatant arrogance of IS has shocked us as they’ve flaunted their brutality through the media.
As Christians we can feel helpless. We want to show our support, but beyond changing our profile pictures to the ‘N’ symbol, or donating money to humanitarian aid, there’s little we can do. Except pray. We can pray.
Times like this remind me of Hebrews 13:3, a verse that never fails to challenge me.
“Continue to remember those in prison [for the sake of Jesus] as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”
We should be praying for them, as if it were us suffering along with them. As if we were there. Suddenly my sense of urgency increases.
It can be hard to know what to pray, but a friend of mine the other day prayed something that really struck me. We can (and should) pray for these horrors to stop; for the Christians’ safety and protection, but we can also pray for something else:
That they would stand strong to the end, and that they would die with honour, in a way befitting their Lord. That they would glorify their Redeemer in their last breath, confident that they will pass straight into His presence.
sarsrose 