We’re all grappling with the hateful events in Paris this weekend.  Once again, the world’s attention is gripped by unfathomable evil.  All of the sudden a city that many of us have never been to is in the forefront of our thoughts.  We want to hope, to believe, to encourage but don’t know what that really means in a situation like this.  Maybe more to the point, our hearts are struggling to respond.  If it’s helpful, this is how the Bible is helping me respond:

Pray

If our zeal for prayer was as strong as our desire to hashtag about prayer, it would be a beautiful thing.  Prayer is more than a warm feeling about a group of people.  It’s a blood bought privilege that we must utilize as followers of Jesus.  We have the ability to approach the sovereign Lord of all creation and ask Him to move with justice, compassion and mercy for the sake of His great Name. May we truly pray that “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” would comfort Paris in all of her affliction. (2 Cor. 1:3-4)

Long

I’ve come back to Revelation 21:4 often since first hearing about these attacks, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”  Come quickly, Lord Jesus.  This broken world needs You.  Wipe our tears and declare the death of death.

Love

Until Jesus comes back, He accomplishes His work through His church.  We honor the victims of Paris and the call of God on our lives when we shine the light of Jesus into our homes, neighborhoods, campuses and offices.  Romans 12:21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  We are the overcommers, the salt, light and hope of the world.  Don’t be afraid to love, to draw near and to point to Jesus.  He and He alone can put the shattered pieces of Paris  back together into something even more beautiful than before.

All of our hearts are with the people of Paris.  I pray Jesus will be visible through His church in these days in Paris, in DC and all over our lost, confused and broken world.