Heartbreaking Headlines: A Call for Prayer and Divine Intervention
It is heartbreaking to read the headline buried in the news:
"70 Christians beheaded in African country by ISIS-aligned militants, groups say; world mostly silent."
Another headline focused on the same region states:
"Nearly 3,000 people killed after rebels seize key city in DR Congo, UN says."
And still another, right here in the United States, reads:
"Young police officers executed while ‘defenseless’ on the ground during traffic stop."
Each headline is a painful reminder of the violence and suffering taking place across the globe. A life is priceless, and as Christians, we are called to pray for divine intervention in these dire situations.
We gather in our churches, share our views on social media, but do we truly pray? Do I pray? And when I do pray, what am I praying for?
I, and perhaps you as well, may be guilty of being so absorbed in our own lives that we only glance at these headlines and move on—maybe even think, "Wow, that’s awful." We might tell ourselves that we need to pray more, but how often do we follow through? Instead of merely acknowledging the pain in the world, let's pray specifically:
That God would comfort the families of those who have lost loved ones in recent tragedies.
That God would place a hedge of protection around our children and families as they navigate their daily lives.
That God would defeat Satan and his followers, preventing them from causing further harm to innocent people.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of dismissing these events with thoughts like, "It’s bad, but things will only get worse" or "We shouldn’t be surprised by this or that happening." But instead of making excuses for why these terrible events are occurring, let’s get serious about praying for change and for God’s intervention.
I believe prayer can make a difference. Perhaps, like me, you need to commit to praying more.