“This is what the Lord says: A sound is heard in Ramah, the sound of crying in bitter grief. Rachel is crying for her children. She refuses to be comforted, because they are dead.” (Jeremiah 31:15 GW)
“There was a time when the sanctity of human life, at least publicly, meant more in our society. We now live in a world different from that of 4 years ago. Though pre-2020 life was perhaps more murky underneath than many of us thought, three years of incessant official lying, institutionalized vilification, population segregation, and publicly sanctioned hate has taken its toll.
“Earlier this month, some people with twisted minds unleashed a horror on the people in Israel. They have inflicted pain, humiliation, and death in ways that suggest the perpetrators have lost the basic tenets of human decency. They have unleashed death on innocent people in both Israel and Gaza.
“They knew they were inciting a war that would devastate lives, families, and futures on both sides of the border. We should be saddened and appalled for what is unfolding. And appalled by those who are egging it on…
“To express sorrow for the killing of innocent people is decent. It is not, in itself, a condemnation of those who do the killing. We accept in war that innocent people will be killed. We fight wars when we see no other way to prevent ongoing harm. Many who fight them care about causing further harm, see all those involved as human, and recognize they are making hard choices for a reason….
“It is incumbent on those of us whose children are not dead, and whose eyes are not blinded by blood, to recognize the suffering of all those who are dying simply because of birth and geography. In times like this, the worst we can do is glorify maliciousness and condemn peacemakers. The people involved need those more physically detached to help, to understand the difficulty of the situation forced upon those responding and those being hammered, not to cheer on the killing.
“We have recently compromised truth, human decency, and ideas of basic right and wrong on a public scale. But we can also rise above that and at least refrain from the cowardliness of advocating for the mass slaughter of children and the innocent. Let’s recognize that for what it is, from whoever’s mouth, social media, or news pages it emanates from. And recognize the pain of those who are caught in the carnage.”*
God,
You, Lord, sovereign over all the universe, over every spiritual and physical conflict, and over every person. You have known us from our mother’s womb, and each of us is precious to you. You are holy, just and righteous in all your ways. You are a God who avenges, so we pray you will rise up, Judge of the earth, and pay back the violent, the proud, and the unrighteous what they deserve. How long will they be jubilant, pouring out arrogant words, boasting, and crushing the ones you love? The wicked band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. They kidnap, slay, and rape innocent children, widows, and foreigners because they believe their god tells them to. They do not know the true Lord of the Universe who has taken notice. You hear and see their evil violence, so we call on you to intervene. Scramble their communication. Dry up their finances and other resources. Cause leaders and members alike to have dreams and visions of you that turn them from hate and violence. You know all their wicked but futile plans, so we pray in the name of Jesus for you to sovereignly move in this hour. Do not reject your people, the innocent, and the upright in heart. Supernaturally create ways for innocent civilians to leave the danger zones and then show them places of safety and shelter. You are the fortress, the rock in whom we can take refuge. Repay violence and sin; destroy wickedness. Bind up the brokenhearted and calm the fears of those whose lives are upended. You are the father to the fatherless, a defender of widows; you do not leave us as orphans but you come to us. When our anxiety is great within us, when we face calamity, chaos, and even carnage, your consolation gives us peace and joy. We pray in the name of Jesus for a total and complete cessation of the spiritual forces behind the physical attacks so that your shalom peace may be released into this area. AMEN.
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:8 NIV)
“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.” (Psalm 68:5 NIV)
The Lord is a God who avenges.
O God who avenges, shine forth.
Rise up, Judge of the earth;
pay back to the proud what they deserve.
How long, Lord, will the wicked,
how long will the wicked be jubilant?
They pour out arrogant words;
all the evildoers are full of boasting.
They crush your people, Lord;
they oppress your inheritance.
They slay the widow and the foreigner;
they murder the fatherless.
They say, “The Lord does not see;
the God of Jacob takes no notice.”
Take notice, you senseless ones among the people;
you fools, when will you become wise?
Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?
Does he who formed the eye not see?
Does he who disciplines nations not punish?
Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge?
The Lord knows all human plans;
he knows that they are futile.
Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord,
the one you teach from your law;
you grant them relief from days of trouble,
till a pit is dug for the wicked.
For the Lord will not reject his people;
he will never forsake his inheritance.
Judgment will again be founded on righteousness,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
Who will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?
Unless the Lord had given me help,
I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
When I said, “My foot is slipping,”
your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.
Can a corrupt throne be allied with you—
a throne that brings on misery by its decrees?
The wicked band together against the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.
But the Lord has become my fortress,
and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
He will repay them for their sins
and destroy them for their wickedness;
the Lord our God will destroy them.
*https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/on-death-and-human-decency-5510435