As ISIS cuts a bloody swath through the Mideast, we in the Western world are understandably sickened and horrified. Perhaps we have questioned: “What special type of evil slaughters innocents with such savagery?” Surely this is an evil unseen before in modern times, right?
When G.K. Chesterton, Christian theologian and philosopher was asked the deep question: “What is wrong with the world today?” he replied with the short two word answer:
“I am.”
In the Old Testament, the prophet Nathan came to King David and told him a story about a rich man who kills someone else’s beloved sheep. It was a tragic story about the evil of an extremely blessed person who slaughtered innocent life while trying to selfishly preserve his own. Nathan was symbolically looking for an answer to this question:
What should be done with such a man?
King David was furious. Tell me who this man is so that he can be punished! Like David…we want to see ISIS bombed into smithereens. We are righteously indignant about radical Islam. We want JUSTICE right now! They must be made to PAY!
He said to Nathan,
“As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! Because he committed this cold-hearted crime, he must pay for the lamb four times over!”
The next words of the prophet were a bone-chilling revelation to David:
You are that man!
Let us recognize this fact: In terms of numbers and the defenselessness and helplessness of our victims…we are far worse than the NAZI and ISIS villains. We make them look lame in comparison. Let’s remove the log from our own eye so we can see clearly to assist someone else.
You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
~Matthew 7:5
Let’s REPENT of our own horrific national sins, THEN and only then will we have the moral authority to confront an evil like ISIS.
Prayer:
Almighty God, Maker of Heaven and Earth, Creator and Sustainer of Life: We bow before You in shame and penitence. We confess our despicable sin of the slaughter of innocents. We have shed innocent blood throughout our land and we have encouraged other nations to follow us into this horrific evil. We have sacrificed our helpless and defenseless children on the altar of the false god of Molech or Human Secularism. Please lift the veil of deception that blinds our eyes to the atrocity of this sin. Help us to embrace Your wisdom and not man’s “wisdom.” Open our eyes to the suffering that we have caused and give us a contrite, renewed heart. We pray that You “set the captives free” and release us and our children from the bondage of this depraved iniquity. Please heal our hearts and souls by cleansing our land of this wicked sin. Cleanse our immoral blood-shedding of innocents through the shedding of Your innocent Blood on the Cross. We pray this in the Name of Jesus Christ, the Name above all Names, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. ~ Amen.
Continue in prayer using the 4 prayer points as the Lord leads you.
