First of all, prayer changes things as long as we believe in the power and effectiveness of the prayer offered in faith. We read in James 5:17-18 that “Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops”. The remarkable story of Jabez, a man borne with sorrow, in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 provides a compelling testimony to the wonders of faith and prayer. “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.”
In Mark 4:35-41, Christ’s disciples were probably enjoying the voyage to the region of the Gerasenes (Mark 5: 1) when unexpectedly a storm interrupted, turning their comfort and excitement into a nightmare. In the midst of their fears and uncertainty, they reached out to the Master for help. We read that: “Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm” (Mark 4: 38-39). As emotional human beings we are not immune to the feelings and fears from a dreadful situation. However, we must recognize that God cares for our safety and success. Our responsibility is not to question His wonderful care but to handle the fearful, difficult situation with faith and prayer. No wonder Christ, after calming the storm, said to His disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). We must use faith and prayer to deal with our fears without questioning God’s care for us (1 Peter 5:7).
Terrorism is an act of evil. The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 5: 6-13 recognizes the need for divine help to overcome evil (verse 13). Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 that “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” A person’s thought life and deeds are functions of the spatial and temporal conditions of his/her heart. Matthew 15:19 reads that “For out of the heart comes evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” We have the responsibility in line with 1Timothy 2: 1-2 to pray for hearts to be changed or renewed for peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all people” (1Timothy 2:1-6).
In conclusions, we must pray with faith, fervency and persistence. In praying we must ask God to: (1) demolish all strongholds responsible for terrorism; (2) help our communities, leaders, and all those in authority in their efforts to thwart terrorism and foster peace; (3) touch and change hearts to shun evil, embrace truth, love, and peace. We believe in the power and effectiveness of the prayer of faith. We believe in the name of the Son of God through whom we have eternal life. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him” (1 John 5: 14-15). Thank you for reading and God bless.
Pastor Martins.
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