How to Pray for Paris

"Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest." (Matthew 9:38)

Good morning, dear friends,

As I am sure many of you have been made aware, Friday night/Saturday morning was a tragic time for our adopted country.

I watched the first half of the France-Germany soccer game with my family, and called it quits.  I went to bed and woke up the next morning to a flurry of emails and worried messages from friends and family members on Facebook.  "Are you okay?  I know you're okay, but please let us know you are okay."

(By the way, we ARE okay.  Paris is about an hour south of us by train.  I know we will be affected in the days to come by the different security measures that will be in place as France goes into lockdown, but our area is mostly unaffected by the violence that rocked the capital.  We have many friends much closer to the center of Paris and Saint Denis, who were personally affected by Friday's events.)

I knew after reading these messages, that something awful had happened, that would change my perspective on my country today.  I had no idea how quickly the events of Friday night would travel the globe.

The outpouring has been overwhelming, to say the least.  Social media has intervened in an unprecedented way, calling out to the world to show their support.  Red, white and blue photos have changed the colors of Facebook, at least for a time.

I am amazed at how quickly folks picked up a cause.  "Pray for Paris" instantly became a post, a tweet, a slogan on the football field and the rallying cry for folks who have a desire to feel closer to this event in any way possible.

While I am thankful for anyone who becomes involved in prayer for the needs of France, the French have an expression, "Pourvu que cela continue..."  Roughly translated, it means, "Let's hope this lasts."

How can you pray for Paris?

1.  Pray for the labourers here.  Paris has roughly 2.3 million people living in the city itself, with an additional 8 million people living in the attached suburbs.  There are churches reaching out to the needs of this incredible population, but the handful of assemblies in no way matches the great need of the capital.  Paris, known to many as the "city of lights," lives its day-to-day in great spiritual darkness.  The need for workers in France has never been greater.  The population of France's workers is aging as well, and the next generation of leaders is greatly lacking.  "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest." (Matthew 9:38)  As my husband has often mentioned from the pulpit, the first step in praying for labourers is to be willing to go, as well.

2.  Pray for the believers here.  Many believers in France are first-generation Christians, or Christians who do not have the depth of resources that are available to believers in countries like the US.  Tragedies like this could make even the most mature Christians reel in the face of such senseless violence.  The temptation is great to fall back into familiar thought patterns and questions, some even to the point of questioning God and His unfailing love.  Pray for God's church here to be strengthened in their faith, and to put their trust in God's Word and not man's reasoning.

3.  Pray for the troubled souls.  Because of the lack of spiritual ressources in a country like France, there is very little positive support structure for people who are hurting.  In the vacuum of spiritual guidance, many will turn to psychiatric help, or wordly counselors whose only recourse is in medication and spa-like treatments for nervous breakdowns.  In the absence of real help, many people turn to the government to solve their problems, to help them feel "safe" and to quiet their fears.  The need has never been greater for people to share God's Word  for those who are hurting.

4.  Pray for a nation divided.  France has a very large Muslim population, about 5 million adherents living within its borders.  Any time there is a large attack committed by Muslim terrorists, the backlash against the Muslim population living within its borders is great.  Pray for the Christians living in France to share Christ's love toward all His creation, and not be influenced by the media frenzy toward our Arab population.  In addition, violence begets violence.  Muslim youth, already discontented in many ways, seek to show their support and sympathy by acting out in violent ways, which continues the cycle.  Please pray for the gospel of Christ to shine forth to the people most affected by this tragedy.

It is easy to change a Facebook status, or a cover photo.  It is easy to post a snapshot of you and your loved ones on a vacation at the Eifel Tower.  It is easy to stand with others, when everyone is doing the same thing.

(Remember Charlie?  Probably not, but in January 2015, a shooting in Paris claimed the lives of 20 men and women, including the shooters whose lives were also snuffed out in an instant.  The media response was instantaneous, but now all but forgotten.)

How quickly we forget, the moment the impending crisis is over, to pray for those whose lives have been forever changed in such a short time.  Please keep the country of France in your prayers.

Even after your FB status has changed back, the ministry will still continue here.

Will you continue your ministry of prayer, even after the hype has died down?