On Sunday December 11, 2016 a 26 pound bomb
exploded inside an alter in Cairo's largest Coptic cathedral. The explosion
killed at least 25 people and wounded 49, many of them women and children
attending Sunday mass, in the deadliest attack on Egypt's Christian minority in
years.
There are many Christians feeling persecution today in
many countries.
Our first reaction may be anger, and thoughts of
revenge, however let us remember what God Himself said:
Vengeance is Mine, and retribution
لِيَ النَّقْمَةُ وَأَنَا أُجَازِي.
Deuteronomy 32:35
What we can do is to pray for all
Christians in suffering, and the Christians of Egypt, and seek the Lord’s
guidance and wisdom and comfort to our feelings and actions, for we know that:
Blessed
is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he
will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
طُوبَى
لِمَنْ يَتَحَمَّلُ الْمِحْنَةَ بِصَبْرٍ. فَإِنَّهُ، بَعْدَ أَنْ يَجْتَازَ
الامْتِحَانَ بِنَجَاحٍ، سَيَنَالُ «إِكْلِيلَ الْحَيَاةِ» الَّذِي وَعَدَ بِهِ
الرَّبُّ مُحِبِّيهِ!
James 1:12
We listen to
the words of the Apostles James and Paul as they tell us:
My
brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3
knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But
let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and
complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him
ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be
given to him… James 1:2-5
For this reason we also, since the
day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be
filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual
understanding; 10 that you may
walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work
and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His
glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has
qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. Colossians
1:9-12
احسبوه
كل فرح يا اخوتي حينما تقعون في تجارب متنوعة
3 عالمين ان امتحان ايمانكم ينشئ
صبرا.
4 واما الصبر فليكن له عمل تام لكي
تكونوا تامّين وكاملين غير ناقصين في شيء. لِذَلِكَ نَحْنُ أَيْضاً، مِنَ
الْيَوْمِ الَّذِي فِيهِ سَمِعْنَا بِأَخْبَارِكُمْ، مَازِلْنَا نُصَلِّي
وَنَتَضَرَّعُ لأَجْلِكُمْ، لأَنْ تَمْتَلِئُوا مِنْ تَمَامِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ
لِمَشِيئَةِ اللهِ فِي كُلِّ حِكْمَةٍ وَإِدْرَاكٍ رُوحِيٍّ،
10 لِكَيْ تَسْلُكُوا سُلُوكاً
لاَئِقاً بِالرَّبِّ وَمُرْضِياً فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، مُنْتِجِينَ الثَّمَرَ فِي
كُلِّ عَمَلٍ صَالِحٍ وَنَامِينَ فِي مَعْرِفَةِ اللهِ إِلَى التَّمَامِ،
11 مُتَشَدِّدِينَ بِكُلِّ قُوَّةٍ
مُوَافِقَةٍ لِقُدْرَةِ مَجْدِهِ، لِتَتَمَكَّنُوا تَمَاماً مِنَ الاحْتِمَالِ
وَطُولِ الْبَالِ،
12 رَافِعِينَ الشُّكْرَ بِفَرَحٍ
لِلآبِ الَّذِي جَعَلَكُمْ أَهْلاً لِلاشْتِرَاكِ فِي مِيرَاثِ الْقِدِّيسِينَ فِي
(مَلَكُوتِ) النُّورِ،
I invite you to repeat the following prayer for the Christian victims of
persecution:
Abba
Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings
and for the riches of Your grace and mercy. Thank You Lord that You go before Your people; let
them feel Lord God Your presence and let them know beyond a shadow of a doubt
that You are with them. Let them have total faith that You will never fail or
abandon them. Lord please remove from them any fear or dismay. Lord You promised and
we hold to Your promise that You will strengthen them and assure them of Your
help; that You will certainly take hold of them with Your righteous right hand
which is a hand of justice, of power, of victory, and of salvation. Lord fill them with the knowledge of Your will in all wisdom and spiritual
understanding; so that they may walk worthy of You Lord, fully pleasing You
strengthened with all might, according to Your glorious power, for all patience
and longsuffering with joy. In the Holy Name
of Jesus we pray. To Jesus be the glory and the power and the dominion
forever and ever. Amen.
Jesus loves you,
In Him,
Wagdi Henein
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