Prayer for Paris

I lift up Paris and all of France, but not only France... the whole world.  I grieve at the loss and the fear and the pain.  But you God grieve more- seeing our pain and suffering as your children, knowing this is not the way you intended it to be.  I grieve for the pain and brokenness in the lives of those who would think such cowardly actions are an acceptable and appropriate way to advance a cause or message.  It makes me angry- and I cannot imagine how I would feel if this happened to my family.

Into the lies and hardness of their hearts, the death they walk in; I pray that you would speak life and truth. I pray that you would transform them as you did Saul into Paul.  Your heart breaks for your people on all sides of this situation.  I pray that instead of animosity towards one another, instead of blaming one another and focussing on divisions, that you would unite us in love as we are all made in your image.

My heart grieves for the families and friends of those who were killed in Paris.  It breaks knowing the pain and sadness affecting so many lives there- as one who has been through a school shooting and city riots, my heart breaks for the fear and the anger that such events cause. I pray for comfort and peace in the lives of those touched by this chaos- and throughout the world.

I pray that such actions, with the clear and explicit intent to cause fear, would not be allowed to run our lives.  I pray that we would not turn a blind eye and let regimes be set-up on the basis of fear, as they have risen up before, causing death and war. I pray that there would be those who stand up and fight for what is right, with courage even in the threat of death.  

With Veteran's day having been celebrated this past week, I thank you for the lives of those who have fought, are fighting, and will continue to fight for freedom and justice- who stand and fight for what they believe.

Unite us for your kingdom.  Fill us with your love that we might be able to love those around us and change this world.  Let us cling to the only hope there is, new life at the sacrifice of your perfect son for each of our sins which is the only truth that can even enable us to reach out, love, and forgive those who have hurt us and who are different than we are.