As you know, four Marines and one sailor died in Chattanooga this past week by what is perceived to be a follower of ISIS. What were your thoughts when you first heard the news? Did your reaction change 
when you discovered the killer’s name (Mohammad)?
When first heard of an attack on a military recruitment office, I thought it was someone denied entry into the military. After I discovered ISIS took credit, my gut reaction was toss all the Muslims out of this country and use their mosques for homeless shelters. Not a very Christian response. But a very human one.
Our initial reaction is to strike out. Allowing God to get our revenge is the last thing on our minds. Proverbs 11:21 guarantees … The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free. God will be the judge in the end.
But how do we, as Christians, put aside our anger and pain to allow God to do His job? We must desire God more than anything else. Remember that He has forgiven you, and in turn, you are to forgive others.
Easier said than done, but that’s why we should pray about our emotions. And the more we allow anger to control us, the more we let the devil to get a foothold.
God will be our vindicator. An evil doer will see justice in His time, not necessarily ours. Sometimes we don’t even live to see righteousness done. Justice might not occur in this world, but be assured, justice will prevail.
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To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. – C.S. Lewis
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We must, as Christians, learn to have a gut reaction of prayer, not hatred. Even if that response is justified. When people come to this country, or follow a fanatic group of killers, and kill others in this country because of it, we have a tendency to want to treat them like a boil on our backsides and have them lanced. However, we must be patient and allow God to do things in the appropriate order.
In the meantime, pray for the protection for our military and our country from any fanatics, not just those from the Arab nations. And when something tragic happens, like in Chattanooga, we must keep the families first and foremost in our minds.
They need our love and prayers far more than our anger toward a bunch of extremists.
If you or someone you know are in need of prayer this week, please leave a comment. We’d be more than happy to pray for you.
And if this post moved you in some way, please feel free to share it.
