Hashtag Pray For Paris

Remembering the Past and Praying for the Future

On Friday night as I was about to go to bed, I received a message from my mom asking if I had heard about what had happened in Paris.  I said that I hadn't and immediately got on my computer to check the news and was saddened at what I found.  My thoughts and prayers went first to the families of people who had lost their lives and those who were injured.  My thoughts then shifted to the people of Paris, the people of France, and the people of Europe in general.  

On September 11, 2001, I was sitting in a 8:30 Political Science class at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  When I returned to my dorm I expected to see most of the doors in hallway closed with college guys sleeping until lunch on what is normally a day of lighter class loads.  What I found was every door open and every television on.  When I got to my room, my roommate asked if I had heard what happened and I said I hadn't.  I turned to the television to see the first of the towers burning and moments later and as I sat down glued to the screen I saw the second plane strike the second tower.  Everyone was wondering, what do we do?  Who was responsible for the attacks?  How will the government respond and probably most importantly, how should I as a then college sophomore and follower of Jesus Christ respond to this?  Will I respond in hatred and anger or will I love my enemy as I have been taught since I was a child.

Fourteen years later, I found myself even further from home, in a foreign country and hearing that another attack had rocked a nearby state.  For the last several months there have been a lot of talks here about the influx of Syrian refugees.  Some people saying that the Czech Republic should be open to allowing refugees to enter the country and others very very much opposed to those people coming into the country.  Remembering how shocked I was in the aftermath of 9/11, I wanted to make sure that I reached out to the teens in our youth group in case they just needed to talk.  On Sunday afternoon, I spoke with Matouš about his thoughts on the situation and he expressed a desire to show love instead of hate but also expressed fear, less about the attacks themselves but more about anti-Muslim groups in the Czech Republic and the probable increase of support that they would have after the attacks in France.  Fear is a powerful thing and history shows us that it can allow hateful people to gain power by fear mongering and blame shifting.  The Czech Republic remembers very well how someone like this was able to gain power in Germany several generations ago with disastrous effects.  

Even with this seeming increase in uncertainty around the world we know with certainty that our God has already had victory over sin and death in the person of Jesus Christ.  Would you join me in prayer for the people of Europe and of the Czech Republic as this is where God has me?  Pray that the Holy Spirit would work in a powerful way throughout the country and continent to give people peace and bring them to a saving knowledge and belief in Jesus Christ.  Pray for people who are tempted toward hatred in response to the attacks that they might see the sin in their own hearts and cry out for a Savior.  Pray also for Muslims in the Czech Republic,  Europe, and around the world that they might come to Christ so that they might know a God that is love.