and though this world with devils filled

Recently I have been feeling so anxious about the really scary stories in the news, especially concerning a terroristic group that is gaining ground in Iraq. You know the one I am talking about. I don't even want to name them here as they scare me to my core. Pure evil is torturing, raping, and killing Christians, Americans, certain ethnic groups, gay people, women... I know God will deliver their just due some day, and that He is in control and will not allow evil to ultimately go unpunished, but in the here and now, I feel terrified about it. Another part of me feels guilt for having been born by grace into a country that we are able to enjoy so many freedoms. Yes, we Americans have bad days; we suffer various trials, but we do not have to live in fear of sharia law or under tyrannical regimes. Sometimes I wonder if in my lifetime or in my children's lifetime we will suffer to an extreme degree--that the winds will change and our freedoms will dissipate, and I wonder if I will stand fast in my faith. Will my children be spared? It is hard for me to fathom that people living in one part of the world are enduring unspeakable horrors daily while we enjoy freedom and the luxuries of a safe neighborhood, clean water, education, two cars, etc.

My anxieties have pushed me to pray more and to depend on God to give my heart peace and rest. I pray for those who are being persecuted. I beg God to deliver them and end their suffering. I ask that he would spare our nation from the same plight. There are times when I wish I could empty myself of caring...that I didn't see the news or read the articles that make my heart sink to the floor. But I am the type of person who stays informed. And I care and empathize and feel wrung out afterward. Being informed drives me to advocate through prayer as I don't have anything else to offer these people right now.

Please join me in praying and doing whatever we can to help those who suffer.

I leave you with these posts written by Ann Voskamp who recently visited Northern Iraq: post 1 and post 2  which give me a glimmer of hope that love will ultimately prevail over evil.

...and though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us...
from A Mighty Fortress is Our God by Luther

Almost immediately after I was born, when my father held me for the first time, he recited this verse over me, and it became "my verse". As a somewhat fearful person, this passage has brought me so much peace throughout my life so far: