The events that have followed the terrorist attacks on France, both in Paris and in Nice, have urged us to pray for the country. We pray for France because of the lives they have lost, the fear produced inside them and for the terrors they are continuing to face. We see signs that encourage us to pray for France; we see Facebook profile pictures changed for the country, which supports them endlessly. We want to bring France up and help them improve the situation that they have been thrown into, but have we ever thought that France is not the only country that needs our prayers?
We need to pray for the next victim of these attacks if there is one. We need to ask for support, that they have a strong leader who will help them in their time of need, we need to ask them to be prepared for whatever may be thrown at them. These terrorist attacks are sudden and unexpected. They can harm and murder several people -- they are devastating.
We need to pray for Belgium, Orlando, Istanbul, Iraq, Iran, Baghdad, Bangladesh -- we need to pray for every country, every state and every individual that has experienced these terrors. We need to also pray for those who have not experienced these terrors because they need to understand what is happening and be prepared if one of these attacks were to happen to them or their home.
But, finally and most importantly, we need to pray continuously for the people committing these terrors. We need to ask for some joy to come into their lives because they obviously don't have any pure joy if they are committing these terrors. We need to pray for them to have love. I think it must be pretty hard to love someone that is about to die in a suicide bomb or attack, and I also know that they probably don't get any love from each other, much less from people outside their group. These people need just as much prayer as the countries going through the attacks.
While it sounds weird, we are taught to love our enemies. We need to care for each and every person on this earth, even if that person is a suicide bomber. They need love in this world just as much as you do.
