Praying for Afghanistan

Growing up, my dad used to tell me stories at the dinner table. His fight against the Khmer Rouge. The mass murders. The starvation. The dead bodies. The missing people. The families separated. Pol Pot forcibly turned back the hands of time to turn Cambodia into an agrarian socialist society that he believed would eventually evolve into a communist society. His fight against the westernization of Cambodia led to the death of more than 2 million people; his own people.

I have a very close relationship with my dad. Out of curiosity I asked him how he felt about what was going on in Afghanistan. In the Cambodian Community, the Taliban take over in Afghanistan has triggered memories of the Khmer Rouge take over of Phnom Penh on April 17th 1975. Though different, the fears of a similar result are consuming. His response (translated into English) was this...

“I’ve spent decades wondering what I could have done to help my people... my family. What could we have done to prevent such a tragic chain of events? There are really only 2 options... Do what I can do prepare and protect our people... Or do what I can to change the minds and hearts of those that oppress our people”

When thinking through all that is going on in Afghanistan. We think of the innocent lives... We think of the American citizens... We think of the Afghan soldiers that fought alongside American soldiers... We think of the lost of freedom... the possible death tolls coming. What my dad shared struck me. THOSE ARE THE TWO OPTIONS. We lift our prayers up for Afghanistan. We pray for those at need to be “prepared and protected”. But what about the other option? How about those that need their minds and hearts changed and transformed? The first time my dad prayed for Pol Pot was in 1994; almost 20 years after the fall of Phnom Penh. In this season, I’ve learned a lot. But the hardest and heart torn lesson is that we are called to pray for ALL. Those that are happy, those that are sad. Those that are safe, those that are in danger. Those who are strong, those who are weak. Those that are victims of oppression, and those that are the culprits of oppression. When will we do that?

As we pray for the safety of both American citizens and the Afghan people, let’s also take the time to for the Taliban. Though it may feel like they are undeserving of our prayers, that’s exactly who Jesus targeted. God’s Will and Judgement is His alone. There is an article released by the Gospel Coalition that was very helpful in understanding how we can pray for Afghanistan. I ask that you read it with an open heart as we, as a Church, continue to send heartfelt prayers for the Spirit to intercede.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/how-to-pray-for-the-taliban/

Pray... not from a place of safety, but a place of vulnerability. If we pray because we are burdened, then it is felt and heard. Are you burdened enough to get on your knees today?

- Simon Sim