I'm gonna fix my eyes on Him...

Yesterday morning I read this news story about a young man who was sneakily taking pictures of young children in his neighborhood.  The pictures ended up on a Russian child pornography website and even though the pictures of these innocent children were not sexual in nature the comments that followed the pictures most certainly were.

The story gave me the creeps, the idea that some random person or even your neighbor could take pictures of your children playing at the park and post them to the internet inappropriately and you wouldn't have a clue.  And if you read the news you would know that this story is pretty mild compared to some of the insane and horrific things going on in the world.

So all morning I was walking around my house, looking at my sweet children and thinking "Oh, I wish I could raise you in a bubble."  As a mama I want to do anything to protect them from harm, whether it be physical, emotional or mental.   Wouldn't it be great to just lock us all in the house and be safe for the rest of our lives?

Then in the afternoon I checked my email and I saw one with the title "Urgent Prayer Request". Here is an excerpt:

Prayer Request from Missionaries who are in the areas that are being attacked by ISIS are asking to be showered in prayer. ISIS has taken over the town they are in today. He said ISIS is systematically going house to house to all the Christians and asking the children to denounce Jesus. He said so far not one child has. And so far all have consequently been killed. But not the parents. The UN has withdrawn and the missionaries are on their own. They are determined to stick it out for the sake of the families - even if it means their own deaths. They are very afraid, have no idea how to even begin ministering to these families who have had seen their children martyred. Yet he says he knows God has called them for some reason to be His voice and hands at this place at this time. 

Even so, they are begging for prayers for courage to live out their vocation in such dire circumstances. And like the children, accept martyrdom if they are called to do so. These brave parents instilled such a fervent faith in their children that they chose martyrdom. Please surround them in their loss with your prayers for hope and perseverance. 

Wow. I felt sick. But then God whispered to me "This is my command-be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your GOD is with you wherever you go. {Joshua 1:9} Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified because of them, for the LORD your GOD goes with you; He will never leave your or forsake you. {Deuteronomy 31:6} In this world you will have trouble. But take heart; I have overcome the world! {John 16:33} I have given Your word to My followers. The world hated them because they do not belong to the world, even as I do not belong to the world. I pray not that you take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from evil. {John 17:14-15}"

And so I prayed. I prayed for peace for those that were grieving and courage for those that were afraid. I prayed for a strength in their faith that could only come from an intimate knowledge that they were doing the work of their Creator. I prayed for open minds and open hearts. I prayed that the missionaries work would not be in vain but that God's message would be heard. I prayed that they would feel Jesus presence with them and hear His voice. I prayed that God's name would be glorified. And then I prayed that God would teach me how to raise my girls to be like those kids who lost their life. Kids who were so solid in their faith that they would not denounce the name of Jesus even if it cost them their life.  

And that was a hard prayer to pray because I know God is not asking me to raise them in a bubble or lock them in the house.  He's asking me to raise them to do His work. To go out in this crazy messed up world but to be strong enough to not be overcome by Satan's deceptions and temptations.  

It might have been easier to pray that God would just stop ISIS and call it a day. It would always be easier to ask God to give us freedom from doing His work, freedom from suffering, freedom from temptation, but we live in a fallen world and there is evil here. So instead I choose to pray for strength to do the work, joy in the suffering and power to overcome the temptation.  Instead I pray that I can fix my eyes on God and all that HE is and let him make all my worries, fears and doubts fade away. And that is my prayer for you too.