(Click here for a video of John reading this Catch.)

Seven years ago, when the world was in the grip of ISIS terror, we were led in prayer on one of our BlogTalkRadio podcasts by Pastor Doug Stevens. I stumbled upon that prayer recently and found it quite relevant to our situation today. I offer it again for your consideration, not only as a prayer to pray, but in support of the attitude it expresses, which I believe is just as important as the prayer.

Oh God — God of Abraham and Moses and David, God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ — we come to you with heavy hearts because of what we read, what we see, what we hear that’s happening to people by the hundreds of thousands, if not, millions — and certainly millions, if we count the displaced and the refugees that You care about so much. You care about these people whether they know You or not … recognize You or not … whoever they are, Your love just bursts out of Your heart because that’s who You are, God, and we’re catching a bit of that right now. We feel Your love for them. I hope we do, and You invite us to come to You and ask You about that and plead with You, as we’re doing right now, to rescue those who are being led away to slaughter, to intervene, to save those who are lost in this turmoil that is manmade now in many places on our globe. 

We do pray for the victims, all of them — men, women and children, combatants and non-combatants, those who are in harm’s way, for there is such fear. There is, indeed, terror, and we pray for that word coming to them from You, “Fear not,” because You are with them. Lord, please be with them — be close to them — and let it be known to them that You are there with them and that those who don’t know You, personally, would cry out to You. We pray for that, whether it be by visions, or by a word of scripture, or by someone talking to them — however it happens, whatever You want to do, Lord, please do it!

Pour Your Spirit into those parts of the world that are now on fire. And we even dare to pray — as Jesus taught us to pray — for our enemies, those who see the rest of the world as their enemy, and we pray, Lord, because they can’t know what they’re doing; they couldn’t do these things and know what they’re doing. They’ve lost their humanity. They’ve been robbed of their own dignity as they steal the dignity of others. We pray for them that some of them would be rescued. That they would come out of the darkness and see that Jesus is in fact the Prince of Peace and Savior of the world, who loves humanity deeply; far more deeply than anyone else ever could. 

We can stand at the grave of our great leaders, but there is no grave that can contain Jesus; and so, Lord, You are alive, and You are conquering by love even today, so would You rouse us, especially those of us here in America, rouse us to prayer — rouse us to care — would You rouse us to show the love that only comes from You. I pray this all in the name of Jesus, the Messiah, Amen.