Dead Babies, Worldviews, the Prince of Persia, and Prayer

About a 5 minute read.

Lord, I’ve been praying for what to post to PURSUING. I wonder if what I have been thinking about–dead babies, worldviews, the Prince of Persia, and prayer–is how you are answering my plea for guidance.

Father, it’s been a week since Hamas terrorists attacked Israel. Chaos. Carnage. Inhuman brutality. Demon-driven, surely. Worldview-driven, certainly.

One thing you have me thinking about is the massacre of the infants. Abhorable. Yet, so many cannot see the sameness of infant beheadings and . . . abortion. It would seem as if secularists, self-ists, and jihadists have the same worldview in relation to innocent life. 

Open our eyes, Lord, to see (and feel) the abhorrent nature of the slaughter of innocent, defenseless babies, whether in or out the womb. May we be severely disturbed by brutality of the innocent, be they born or not-yet-born, no matter their complexion,culture, or religious background of their parents.

Spirit of my Lord Jesus, another worldview thing that you have me pondering is the inseparability of physical and spiritual reality. The unreasonable incongruity and dissonance of chaotic current events is compatible with a biblical worldview that understands reality is much more than physical (physical/emotional/social). 

The Bible reveals a physical-spiritual struggle between good and evil that has been evident since the very earliest of recorded history. With a biblical worldview one understands there is a lot going on that we cannot see that is just as real as what we can see. Thus it is not a leap to perceive the universal good-evil struggle as demon-driven Hamas terrorists are screaming, “Death to Israel!,” killing babies, dragging women young and old to captivity to use as human shields, seeking to foment universal hatred by calling for universal jihad against the “two great Satans.”

Open our eyes, Lord, to see things as you see them, to confidently hold to truth, to be salt and light, to offer love and hope, and to pray with heartfelt conviction, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Precious Lord Jesus, how should I, how should we, respond as Jesus-following, pursuers of God’s heart? 

In a way, I wonder if at a time like this we may be like Israel and King Jehoshaphat when they were confronted by a vast hoard who felt Israel did not have the right to exist. In the face of extreme antagonism, they didn’t know what to do . . . except pray. “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12). There was a lot more going on than met the eye. Read about what really happened in 2 Chronicles 20 in answer to prayer, praise, and faithful obedience. More-than-meets-the-eye is what happened!

Open our eyes, Lord, to see more-than-meets-eye, to understand what you desire of us during this tumultuous time.

Precious Jesus, Ephesians 6 and Daniel 10 come to mind. How can we participate in what you are doing in this more-than-meets-the-eye time? 

In Ephesians 6, Jesus opens our eyes and expands our worldview. We are strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Our battle is not merely against flesh and blood. It is “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (6:12). Spiritual armor, the Word of God, and Spirit-soaked prayer must be engaged by the Body of Christ.

Daniel 10 gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse into probable current regional-political-spiritual dynamics that underlie the present Israel-Hamas conflict. Daniel had been given a terrifying vision of ongoing war and destruction that was overwhelming, leaving him in confused mourning for three weeks. Finally, an angelic messenger revealed that he had been delayed in interpreting the vision for three weeks because the evil, spiritual power, “the prince of the Persian kingdom” (10:3), had resisted and detained him. The heavenly messenger revealed, “Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come” (10:13-14). 

With a biblical worldview, it is reasonable to assume the Prince of Persia remains the evil spiritual strongman influencing/driving Israel’s nemesis, Iran. Geographically, Iran once upon a time was Persia.

What then should the sincere Jesus-follower do? Per Ephesians 6, pray under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, with the measure of authority God gives, that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Let’s join Jehoshaphat in confessing and declaring, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” 

Open our eyes, Lord, as they are fixed on you. Guide and direct our prayer. You are the Lord of history, of the present, and of the future. You have provided the Messiah through your promise made to Abraham, through your covenant made with David, through the words of truth given to the prophets. Precious Jesus Messiah, who suffered death for us, who triumphed over the grave for us, who is coming again for us, our eyes are on you. You who wept over Jerusalem, who welcomed innocent children to your side, who loves Jew and non-Jew equally, have commanded us to love and have filled us with love. You have given us, your followers, everything we need to spread your love to the nations, to people of every language and culture everywhere. We pray for passion and power to complete that mission.

In this moment, we are moved by you to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We pray also for justice to be served on those who are the instigators of this chaos. We also pray for mercy for all who would cry to you for mercy. We confess our personal need for your mercy, and grace, and forgiveness. Without it, we too would stand in opposition to you.

And precious, Lord, suffering yet victorious Servant, grant us faithfulness until your return as King. Maranatha!