You’re going to hate it when I say it, and you may even stop reading, but it must be said, because if you are a follower of Jesus this must be done.  You must pray for them.  You don’t know their names, but it’s enough to know they are parents, husbands and wives.  They need followers of Jesus around the world petitioning fervently on their behalf.  Many are also followers of Jesus, and their own prayers are reaching the heart of God.  Let your prayers join theirs.  You don’t have to be an activist.  You don’t have to be passionate about the Middle East. You don’t have to be interested in politics.  It doesn’t have to be your pet issue.  As a mom of young children, I think of all the great things I could do for a cause if someone would just take care of my kids so I could get on it.  Then I remember that raising my kids is my great and worthy cause.  And what I need to do with those other serious issues is cover them in prayer.  What about the other ongoing cases of immense human suffering as equally tragic as the displacement of thousands in Syria?  The killing and culture of rape in Congo.  Human trafficking in Asia.  Oppression in North Korea.

You don’t have to hold a prayer meeting.  (And unless childcare was provided, I probably couldn’t come).  You don’t have a hold a fundraiser for a non-profit.  (And unless childcare was provided during said fundraiser, I probably wouldn’t come).  You don’t have to run a race for a charity that supports refugees from the crisis.  (I’d love to run the race and raise funds.  Would someone like to watch my kids during my training runs while my husband is deployed?).  But when you’re stirring your gourmet Kraft Mac ‘n Cheese and Syria comes to mind, pray for the followers of Jesus there, that they would be filled with His peace.  Pray for the moms in the refugee camps, that He would provide what they need to feed their children.  And if you know someone working in an area of devastation, pray for their wisdom, that it would be of God, not of men.  As you scroll status updates, may our first thoughts in tragedy not be “How horrible. . . [continue scrolling],” but “How horrible.  God, may your children be peacemakers and lights.”

The fact of the matter is that I think many followers of Jesus are embarrassed to talk about prayer or even to pray with or for someone spontaneously.  Prayer is an area where we have willingly allowed ourselves to be blinded and then remain content in our disobedient disillusion.  I write this as a reminder first and foremost to myself!  Followers of Jesus are commanded to be steadfast in prayer (Colossians 4:2).  It’s not a matter or preference or gifting or spiritual maturity.  As a mom who can’t commit my time to a “cause,” I’m glad the one thing I can do – pray – is the most powerful thing of all.