Watch and Pray (Before We Act)

What a year it has been so far....

• - Winter Olympics took place in Sochi, Russia amidst very erratic weather conditions.
• - Deadly mudslide in Oso, Washington kills 43 in March. 
• - Ebola rages and starts spreading in the Western African countries.
• - Many states rule on legalizing same-sex marriage.
• - Ongoing turmoil between Ukraine and Russia escalates.
• - Malaysia Flight 17 is shot down in Ukraine, and Air Algerie Flight 5017 crashes in Mali (298 and 116 die respectively)
• - Eric Garner is killed by police officer Daniel Pantaleo in New York in July.
• - ISIS shows videos of beheading American hostages throughout the year.
• - Michael Brown is shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Missouri.
• - Thomas Eric Duncan is the first person in the U.S. to die of Ebola (who gave the disease to nurses Nina Pham and Amber Vinson).
• - Dr. Craig Spencer is first diagnosed Ebola patient in NYC.
• - As the year progresses, more people contract Ebola outside of the Western Africa. 
• - More unarmed African Americans are killed by police officers as year progresses (sadly, too numerous to mention their names).
• - Protests, violence, and riots break out in Ferguson after the acquittal of Officer Wilson in November.
• - National anger and protests explode after the acquittal of Officer Pantaleo in New York City in December.
• - Outbreaks of other diseases (Enterovirus, Legionnaires, Chikungunya...) fill the news feeds.

.... and this is not even a quarter of all that has happened in 2014.

As I write, many people are angry; beyond angry. The acquittals of Officers Wilson and Pantaleo have angered more than just Americans, but the world.  The growing trend of injustices to minorities, along with the lack of care and funds to Ebola-stricken countries, the silence of the American public over political unrest in other countries, the famines, the wars and rumors of wars...the human plight seems to be getting worse. We are in the midst of winter, but we have been getting more rain than we do in Spring! The world as we know it, has changed forever, and will continue to change year by year.

One of the most memorable texts Jesus said while speaking to His disciples about the end days was in Mark 13:33 'Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is'. It is easy to get up in arms when we see things in the media that anger us. The enemy wants to divide and conquer us. He is a mastermind at stirring people to hurt each other. But as tempers flare, and passions rise, remember this is the very time we should be watching and praying THE MOST! Please take some time to pray and plead for ALL those who have been involved in the recent minority murders, in wars, in shooting sprees and in terrorism groups. We forget Christ did tell us to pray for our enemies; that's not a group we even want to mention on our lips, but we are commanded to pray for them.

The LORD warned us on what to expect in the latter days, and as much as it rips our hearts and weighs heavy on our souls to see all that is going on in the news, we must always, always, always commit our ways to God before we spring into any action (especially when we are enraged, hurt or frightened - those are the moments we are more prone to making matters worse instead of better). 

So family, as you seek an eye for an eye, as you demand 'blood' and justice for injustice, as you riot, protest, cry, swear, destroy other people's property and their characters, check in with the Commander-in-Chief first for your orders on how to respond to any situation. Like a good soldier, watch and pray.

So let's act!

Let's advocate for the right!

Let's talk and find ways to fix a broken system of justice.
Let's protect and love each other!

Let's watch and pray and work to make things better in this world!

BlackLivesMatter but even greater than this, ALL LivesMatter as well!