How to Pray in this hour of War!

At this hour of war and retaliation, I hope and pray my (Evangelical) Christian brothers and sisters will not abandon the pacifist teachings of Christ for the sake of patriotic zeal and triumphal nationalism. Followers of Jesus are called agents of peace and reconciliation (Matthew 5:9; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21).

Also, when you do corporate prayer tomorrow morning (Sunday worship) at your church, do not be partial in your fervent prayer to “just” pray to God to protect “our (American) troops.” You must now understand that the biblical God does not have a military army in this world; his army is certainly not the American military forces nor the ones in Syria or in any Western country. Your prayer is not or should not be for the American Troops to win the war; this attitude toward life will be an abomination to the God of peace and love.

The kingdom of God is the church, that is the people of God who are commanded daily to be protagonists of peace and agents of reconciliation in this world, not promoters and defenders of war, military crime, or human suffering. Jesus, the Head of that Kingdom (the church), is the Prince of Peace.

Therefore, you should equally pray for God to protect the people of Syria and the Syrian troops, and eventually, for peace and unity among the nations. The Biblical God is the sovereign and cosmic Lord of the nations; He is not an American deity!