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Isaiah 54:13-14 – All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you. (NKJV)
When I read today's Scripture, I thought about how we all want our children to know peace, righteousness, and freedom from fear, terror, and oppression. Thus, we have taught our offspring about God, but then, I wondered, have we thanked God for the freedom that we have to teach them about Christ? What if teaching them about Jesus led to persecution, such as happened to the Christian women and children of Lahore, Pakistan, on Easter Sunday?
All of us want our children to live in peace … and safety. Sadly, many Christians in our world have experienced horrors that we cannot begin to imagine. Many have found that peace is a luxury. From the violence perpetrated by a suicide bomber at a Lahore playground, to assault and battery within our own homes, many can only beg God for safety as they crunch over the eggshells of peace broken by abuse, terrorist attacks, or war.
For those of us who live far from oppression and terror, we need only reflect for a moment upon our quiet lives, peaceful homes, and loving families before thanks erupts. Most of us don't live amid constant fear, nor does terror overtake us. Thus, as our litany for our children reflects our thanks for many blessings, let's remember those who have not been so blessed.
Prayer: Father God,
As we thank You for the freedom to worship and teach our children about You,
We pray for those who cannot.
As we thank You for daily lives filled with peace,
We pray for those whose lives have no peace.
As we thank You for keeping our children far from oppression,
We pray for those who are not so blessed.
As we thank You that many of us don't live with the daily fear of terrorist attacks,
We pray for those who do.
Whether we live in a peaceful place or not,
We thank You for keeping us safe within the palm of Your hand, both now and in eternity, through Jesus' name. Amen.
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So true Cass.
Amen to your prayer.
Beautiful, Thank you.
“Crunching over the broken eggshells of peace” – what a marvellous description!! Love it!
Thanks for your writings.
Thanks, Cassandra, for reminding us that we need to be in constant prayer for peace. The world has become a scary place with the advent of so many terror groups.
What a well-written devotional this morning, Cassandra, and so meaningful as well.
Thank you,
(Texas)
Amen Cass. I have just finished reading a book called the Martyr’s Son which goes very well with your devotional, it is a great read.
Thanks for a good word today.
Blessings.
Dear Cassandra,
I appreciated your thoughtful devotion today. Too often, we don’t acknowledge the luxury of freedom and the peace that we have.
Thank you.
(Ontario)
Hi Cass,
Your devotional reminded me of the look on a mother’s face as she saw her daughter or son mistreated or killed.
The world is becoming a very cruel place needing much prayer.
Thanks for sharing.
God bless,
(B.C.)
A simple and comprehensive prayer going from our comparative peace and safety (which is a blessing) to those who do not have those privileges.
I asked a Syrian refugee in Ireland once what he liked about his new country. “Peace and quiet” he replied with great feeling.
Thanks.
Dear Cassandra,
Thank you for the devotional and for the very special litany.
Keep writing.
Thanks Cass for bringing more awareness to this.
We support a Pastor who has a ministry for orphans in Lahore, Pakistan.
The Lord keeps them under His protection.
Blessings to you abundantly.
Ms. Wessel,
I appreciated your devotional, “Peace, Pakistan and Children”. I would like to share your prayer with others.
Thank you for sharing your gift of writing.
Thanks Cass. Your devotional is especially meaningful to me as I know a Pastor in Pakistan who lives only twenty minutes away from the Park where the bombing took place; there are many children in his congregation and some are orphans. Churches in the area came together and held a prayer vigil for the families who lost loved ones. I really admire their faith and courage. Thank you again for bringing attention to those Christians who are less fortunate, who need our support and prayers.
Blessings.