The first time I heard about the attacks, I was scrolling through Facebook. I noticed a post from a friend studying abroad telling his network not to worry, he was safe and he wasn't in Belgium. I thought: "Safe from what?" I went straight to Google to check out what was happening.

Instantly, I saw the headlines: "Terrorists attack in Brussels!" I was stunned. After quickly reading over a few articles, I realized there had been bombs not only in the Brussels airport, but also in one of the major metro stations. I saw death and injuries smeared across the internet. Islamic State claims the attacks. The more I read, the more I am saddened.

How do I respond as a human? More importantly, how do I respond as a Christian? What should my actions be because of this? What is the Biblical approach to something like this?

A lot of people are probably seeking vengeance on the Islamic State for what they have done in the past. It is something that can come easily to us. As a Christian, I cannot respond in the same way.

Now don't get me wrong, God is just and there will be justice, but not vengeance. Jesus clearly says, in Matthew 5:39, "But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." He says this during His sermon on the mount, which is used to tell his disciples and others that are following Him how to act as someone that is a follower of Christ.

How can this be related to us that are Christians? I will not deny that I am angry that this happened to innocent people. I cannot go and get retribution based on this emotion. I cannot justify going and killing innocent Muslims because of ISIS. What I need to do is pray. Pray for the victims and all that have been affected by this tragedy. That is literally the most powerful thing a Christian can do. Pray to God showing how helpless we really are. Pray that the families of the deceased are comforted in the Gospel. Pray that this time is taken to trust in God.

This may sound absolutely ridiculous to non-Christians. Why waste time praying to someone that supposedly controlled what happened? With prayer, I am able to see where God wants me in this picture. With prayer, I am able to empathize with the victims more. With prayer, I am able to speak to my Father for comfort, advice, actions, and reactions. Prayer should be the foundation of how a Christian should react through this.

I look to Philippians 4:6-7, in which Paul explains the idea of how, when we are in suffering, we make our requests made known to God through prayer and supplication. Supplication is literally begging to God for this. This is how we start our actions after this tragedy.

Another Christian dilemma is determining the appropriate reaction to the Islamic State. As I have previously stated, the initial response is to take out more of them than they have taken from us. However, this is not the way we should approach the situation. Justice will be served but vengeance should not be. Christians endure persecution, Christians should not create it.

We do not fight with a chip on our shoulder, we do it with love and justice. Micah 6:8b clearly states "to act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." This is what God requires of us. So when it comes to ISIS, we must strive for justice while also striving for mercy. Justice is carried out by God and should be carried out through the proper authorities such as the government and military, not vigilantes.

When I read about Brussels and was praying for the victims, I couldn't help but also pray for the persecutors of the innocent. They were also made in God's image, and there is hope for them to hear and accept the Gospel. I am deeply saddened for the members of ISIS. They truly do not know the True God and die for a false one. As a Christian, I should not be enjoying that they do not know the Lord. I pray that one of them hears the true Gospel and feels compelled to share it with others. That is what happened with the apostle Paul. Paul used to be called Saul in which he openly and blatantly lead the charge in persecuting Christians. It is written in Acts how he led the group that killed the martyr Stephen. He was known for killing Christians. He became saved and made it his life to go and spread the Gospel and suffer for Christ. This can happen again, and I pray that it does. Sure, not everyone slaughtered in the attacks were Christians, but to ISIS, we are the Christian West.

So as a Christian, I must pray for the victims and their families. I must pray they can be comforted in Christ. I must pray for God to be just and that vengeance does not rein. I must pray those in ISIS and in Islamic Middle East and how there would be salvation in Christ coming from them. I must pray that God is glorified in this. All of this, while in less than a week, I am able to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus in which he was able to take on sin and win.

Grace and Peace.