It is devastating news to hear about a number of our service members and even more Afghans have been lost in just this awful, tragic attack. As we were watching the news come in, the consensus among all of us as we were talking was that we just have to keep pointing people back to God, just have to keep talking to God about the situation.

Especially in these moments where it seems like the world is falling apart, it's comforting to remember that 70% of the Psalms in the Bible are Psalms of Lament, which means they are crying out to God because the Psalmist is angry. He's frightened and doesn't understand why it appears as though God won't act, when there's so much hurt, so much heartache, and so much violence.

"How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?


How long will you hide your face from me?


How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?


How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.


I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me." - Psalm 13

The reason I'm grateful that those psalms are included (like the one above) is because it means that God not only allows our grief, frustration and anger, but He welcomes it. He communicates to us that we cannot do this on our own. We bring it to Him and let Him minister to us. So with that being said, here is a prayer we can utter to our Father in Heaven today as we pray for the situation in Afghanistan:

Heavenly Father, we love you so much God and we groan, we cry, and we ask how long? How long Oh, Lord, will you let the earth crumble around us? How long? But Lord, we remember that you are the God who speaks order into chaos. You spoke order into chaos at the creation and you have never stopped. So we thank you that we know that even when it appears as though nothing is happening, your Spirit is always working. Lord, we ask that your glory would be evident amidst this chaos and that you would speak order into the chaos of our world, but also the chaos of our minds. Lord Jesus, for so many who are grieving amongst all this reckoning as well as the unexpected tragic losses we've seen. May you be the Prince of Peace in a very real way, Lord. For our world at this time, be the true Peacemaker. Be the one who's come to make all things new to restore broken things. Your death on the cross was the ultimate sowing of peace. It happened. It's coming. Because of you, terror is terrified. Because of you, one day there's going to be no more terror or tears, no more brokenness, no more heartaches. No more war or even evil. Until that day, Father God give us all mercy, grace, and the peace that we need for this day and we pray with joy and hope. 

In Jesus' name, Amen.