“Pray for Peace” - Growing up as a child in the 60’s, I remember seeing that phrase a great deal.  I performed a wedding on Saturday for a young couple that has been visiting GCC.  At the wedding I met a relative of the bride who was of Kurdish descent.  Of course the logical discussion went to the events in Syria and Iraq, and now, right up to the Turkish border.  With great earnestness he shared of the struggle of his people to survive, and upon my urging he gave me his ideas on how to “fix” things.  I spoke with him of our Christian brothers and sisters and their sorrows in this violence.  At the end, with all the sorrows his people have experienced, I had few words to offer him.  If I’d known him better I’d have bear-hugged him.  I only said to him, I will pray for peace.

That seems empty in light of the horrors that ISIS or Islamic State have brought to the world.   But it is not an empty promise unless we fail to pray.  We believe in prayer.  We believe God is sovereign and powerful and works through the prayers of His people.  Somehow He will work these terrible evils to a great end, especially in the return of Christ.  Last week at Grace we heard of the new openness to the gospel in that part of the world that this evil has brought.  That is one good thing that has come.

I saw the face of the news stories in the grief of one man.  Let us pray for peace.

In Him,

Don