Let us seek the God of Peace and Comfort in prayer on behalf of the families and victims of the mass shooting in Las Vegas.

“We will seek You and hope in Your Providence”

Our Father and our Great God, we pray that you would come near the brokenhearted and the suffering families at this moment, and that You would also move us speedily toward mourning, empathy, and compassion. 

Oh Sovereign God of the universe, we are a nation in crisis and a people whose collective experience is defined by a life of trauma and a life of fear.  We bear them in our own lives and our relationships. Because we refuse to place our hope in our  strength and human boldness, we turn  to You for hope and for You to teach us what it means to be human and how to love our neighbor.

Oh Father of Light and Life,  we will trust You and depend on You for a more hopeful future and opportunities to promote the sanctity of life and maintain the dignity of all lives. We live in dark moments and walk in the shadow of death, but we are not hopeless and alone. Your grace is sufficient for this nation.

Our Creator and Maker, we pray that Your Spirit of Life will move us toward a heart of remorse and repentance for failing to love our neighbor and treat them as individuals made in the Imago Dei. Whenever we fail to love others as You commanded, we miserably sin against Thee. Whenever we fail to exercise justice toward another individual as You ordered, we dishonor Your glorious name and fame in the world. Hence, we turn toward repentance and forgiveness that Your Spirit of Grace may grant us.

Lord, remember us in our suffering, trauma,  and pain. Remember the victims and the suffering families in Las Vegas.

Remember us who are weak and with no strength.

We will seek Thee and hope in Thy Providence. 

Amen!

Early Morning Thought about Prayer  and Praying…

I woke up at 3:36 am this morning meditating about the importance and power of prayer in the Christian life and how personally, I need to spend more time in prayer with God and to actively  engage  in intercessory prayers on behalf of others.

 One of the characteristics of the early Christians in the first century is their devotion to prayers.  As the early Christian Historian Luke records:

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”–Acts 2:42

“O what peace we often forget.

O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer!”—Joseph Scriven 
Prayer is not only communication with God; prayer does in fact move the hands of God and transform us. Therefore, let us pray fervently  and continually for the people in our community, neighborhood, and city who are currently suffering and experiencing difficult moments and hardships. Let us also pray diligently and in faith on behalf of the earthquake and hurricane  victims in Houston, Dominica, Saint Croix, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Barbuda, and other countries in the world. 

O Lord, comfort those who are hurting and suffering; strengthen and empower them in the midst of their tragedies and life’s uncertainties.Oh God, our Deliverer and Cornerstone, give them your  peace and heal their wound and restore their land. O Lord, teach us how to suffer with the individuals and families who are suffering and prompt us to intervene in their life in kindness and with acts of compassion and grace. 
Amen!

On Race Talks and the Possibility of Silence and Self-Care

The connection between race and human suffering is undeniably an American experience, which divides and unites individuals and (racial) groups  in our contemporary society. Race talks with no clear objectives toward forgiveness,  restoration, reconciliation, and transformative justice will not heal our deep racial wound and suffering in this country. As a people, we need to cultivate constructive conversations about our racial problems that are  purposeful and cathartic. 

In our contemporary society, constant unstrategic conversations about racial injustice can be overwhelming and could potentially lead to enmity,  individual oppression, and other health problems. Sometimes,  it is important to just observe the order of things and stay silence for a little while for the sake of self-care. Evidently, we are consumed with unhelpful race talks in this country; frankly, I’m tired because the solution to our racial problems and the crisis of race in America seems to be very far and remote from us.

Nonetheless, silence is not equated with racial blindness, nor does it mean the intentional ignorance of racial matters and unfairness that affect us individually and collectively, both directly and indirectly. My point here is not to make an excuse to those individuals who have always been silent and colorblind on matters pertaining to racial injustice and discrimination. In fact, if you have been a passive observer about these matters, maybe now it is the time to explore the connection between love and justice, and human dignity and hospitality, as these issues may pertain not only to race but other equally important areas and concerns in our lives. Maybe, you should become an active agent of racial healing in your neighborhood, community,  city, workplace,  church, etc.

Individuals who are intentional about meaningful conversations about race matters should first take good care of themselves–at the spiritual, mental, and psychological level. Constructive dialogues about race is not/ should never be about winning an argument by proving that person is a racist or that particular individual is wrong about interpreting our racial history. Race dialogues should aim toward collective healing and unity. 

Perhaps, toward the process of focussing on self care and self rehabilitation, the most convenient action to take about the pain and hurt of race in our nation is to grant yourself the opportunity to withdraw from race talks and to muster up the courage to be silent, even temporarily. 

As you’re waiting patiently for a brighter day and actively working toward a beloved community, do the following without being weary: (1) Pray incessantly for forgiveness, healing, and unity, (2) listen carefully to individuals and families who are hurting and suffering, (3) continue in the path of justice and love, (4) show hospitality to the stranger,  and (5) practice small acts of compassion and kindness toward the poor, the widow, the orphan, the disinherited, and toward the most disadvantaged individuals and families in your community, neighborhood, and city.

If the Gospel is not good news to radically transform the social, economic, and political order of the day, then it is not a complete Gospel.

God’s vision for the world is not simply his moving action toward the radical transformation of the human heart and the renewing of the mind; his idea of the new creation encompasses everything, including all the wrong doings and oppressive systems and structures free (human) agents have created in this world, through the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. God’s redemptive plan does not simply disrupt spiritual darkness; it interrupts all spheres of life–especially the material world.

The Gospel is a holistic effective story for the global world,  for the global people, and for the global order of things. This is what makes the Gospel the good news!

God and Nabeel Qureshi: A Prayer to God!

God: you chose not to heal Nabeel Qureshi and did not alleviate his suffering and pain before he died. However, Nabeel’s incredible suffering on this earth was not meaningless nor were our prayers and intercessions to you to heal him and restore him completely.

God, you decided that death was the healing for your son, Nabeel Qureshi. Although this is painful for us, it is not a tragedy for you O Lord, our Sovereign God. You do what brings pleasure to you and act according to your sovereign will and desire.

Lord, he was so young. Only 34 years old.

Our life is not our own, Oh sovereign Lord of the universe; it is yours. You give us life and take it away when you want to for your glory.

We submit to your sovereignty today and help us to trust you even to our last breath in this world. We pray that you would strength and comfort his wife and their child in this mourning moment.

Lord, we beseech you to fill in this void and emptiness in their heart with Yourself? Would you, O Lord, restore their soul and let them experience your everlasting joy and unconditional loving grace all the days of their life? We inplore you to do the same for their loved ones and friends.

In Jesus Name!

Amen

A lot of people don’t want to talk about justice because it demands accountability–both on a personal and corporate level. Another reason is that justice entails the change of behavior and transformative and restorative relationships.

However, one of the most distinguished virtues and coveted attributes of the Creator-God is justice. God is just. He acts justly towards all people and demands that the poor and the brokenhearted be treated with justice and loving care.

God is the exact embodiment of justice and righteousness.  His just character is linked directly to his holiness. Therefore, He has called all people and nations to walk in righteousness and integrity before Him, and commanded all people to practice justice and act justly towards one another.

When an individual fails to exercise justice towards another individual, that person says I’m not accountable to God and anyone else. The miscarriage of justice is a failure of the human heart.

When a nation fails to extend justice towards all citizens, that nation will be under divine wrath and says to Creator-God we are not accountable to you because we are our own masters.

May we be compelled to be a “justice people” and individuals whose justice  is defined as a lifestyle.

Just a little word of admonition:

How’s your rhetoric in different social media venues advancing the kingdom of God in society,  glorifying God in Christ, fostering love in public, & uniting the various expressions of the body of Christ?

If it is not accomplishing (or will not fulfill) any of these goals, think twice about what you intend to post online and how you interact with people on social media.

God should also be exalted and treasured in our thinking, public interactions, and our actions in the public sphere. If you’re doubtful that Christ will not be honored through your public interaction with individuals, just don’t do it.

The goal of the Christian mind is to savor Christ and  exalt the Triune God in all things. Whatever you do and think and whenever you act, think, act, and do it all to the glorious fame and praise of the Triune God in the world.

A Prayer for National Healing and a Wounded Nation!

The Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Narrative and Despair of American White Supremacy

I’m deeply saddened by what’s going on in our contemporary society: the reemergence and violence of White supremacist groups and hate groups, especially in Charlottesville, Virginia. The level of human despair and quest for hope has heightened in our culture. Hope grounded in hate not love and false human identity is no hope at all. It can never cure the deep wound in our hearts and bridge the walls that divides us as bearers of the Imago Dei.

Human hatred and the idea that a particular race is the apex of human history and universal civilization, articulated through the right of free speech, demonstration, and expression, defeat (American) democratic values that promote human justice, love, interdependence, and equality among all people, ethnicity, and races.

For those of us who are true followers of Jesus, we must resist this form of human arrogance and dispell this present (racial and cultural) darkness in our contemporary society and culture with the light of the Gospel and the love of God in Christ Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Just like any other human sins, white supremacy is a form of human depravity that belittles the significance of the image of God in other races and boldly contradicts the gospel of Christ that calls people from all nations, people groups, ethnic groups, and all human races to form a new human race in Christ and to follow the Jesus Way of life.

The Burning Torch of White Supremacists in our society  is a false light and of the devil.  Jesus Christ is the true Light of humanity and culture. His followers must shine brightly in deep corners of cultural contradicrions and misconceptions and human darkness.

The light of the Gospel of God in Christ Jesus contradicts the narrative, message, and arrogance of American White Supremacists. Biblical Christianity has no room for human hatred, retaliation, and darkness.

Followers of Jesus must not embrace White supremacy, promote its message, and support its ideals. It is the Antithesis of the Gospel.  The Gospel is the power of God that interrogates all human sins, arrogance, and pride; its transformative power lies in the disruptive and liberative love and peace of God.

The supremacy we should celebrate is the overarching supremacy of Christ over all things including all cosmic powers and human authorities, all spheres of influence and guilds of hegemony,  both visible and invisible, earthly and heavenly.

Let’s pray fervently for repentance, forgiveness, unity, and reconciliation in our culture.