The fall of Afghanistan is already a reality, as the Taliban forces are regaining full control over the country that they had lost two decades ago. While we don’t know for sure what the future will bring, we can be sure that Afghan Christians face grave danger in the days ahead.
Despite the control exercised by the US military presence, he listed Afghanistan as a land where “oppression…is only slightly less stifling than in North Korea.” Converted Christians face dire consequences if their new faith is discovered. As Open Doors points out, they have to flee the country or they will be killed. “God only knows how we survive on a daily basis,” says an Afghan secret believer. “He knows it because he has been good at making his home with us. But we are tired of all the death that surrounds us.
As US troops rapidly withdraw from the country, followers of Christ in Afghanistan will be even more exposed to persecution. Girls and women will also suffer, as will those who have aided Western forces for the past 20 years. We need to pray diligently for these vulnerable populations and ask God to protect them from the coming suffering.
When Jesus gave us the commandment to love and pray for our enemies, he knew that one day that would mean praying for Islamic extremist groups.
Western Christians should pray for the spiritual provision of ministers and missionaries in the country. “Every church leader who has emailed or texted me has asked us to pray that the Lord would strengthen them in their faith, that they might stay ‘strong in the Lord, who is the Sovereign King,’ as one of them expressed it,” said .
We must also pray for the sick. As he points out : “Although they are not reported in the international media, the cases of COVID-19 are increasing in the country and hospitals are quite limited. There is no certainty how the health system will be able to sustain itself under the new Taliban government.” We must also pray that the fall of the state does not lead to more extremism and terrorism. “The rapid advance of the Taliban can only encourage extremists,” says Paul Robinson of Release International.
But there is another group that Jesus tells us to pray for: the Taliban.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven” (Mt 5:43-45).
When Jesus gave us the command to love and pray for our enemies, he knew that one day that would mean praying for Islamic extremist groups, like the Taliban, who murdered his girlfriend, the church. Praying for the Taliban is not something we would choose, but it is what Jesus has commanded us to do.
Here are three specific ways we can pray for those who might murder our Afghan brothers and sisters:
Pray for the conversion of the Taliban
If we really love our enemy, how could we not ask God to change their hearts?
There are two main reasons why we do not pray for the conversion of Islamic extremists like the Taliban. The first reason is that we believe it is absurd to think that they will become followers of Christ. The second reason is that we fear that they will actually become Christians.
The first reason is more common, since praying for extremists to convert seems like a futile request. We recognize the theological truth that God can do for them what he did for us: give them the gift of grace so they can be saved (Eph 2:8). But we look at the situation “realistically” and tell ourselves that the probability of his genuine conversion is close to zero, so it would be a waste of our time (both ours and God’s) to bother praying about it.
To be sure, such conversions are unlikely and rare. However, we should be praying for his conversion anyway. If we really love our enemy, how could we not ask God to change his heart?
Another less common reason why we don’t pray for their conversion is because we fear they will really repent. Like Jonah in the land of Nineveh, we want our enemies to receive what they deserve, not mercy and forgiveness from him.
For example, during World War II, there were probably many Christians who obeyed Jesus’ command and prayed for the Nazis. However, how would those prayer warriors have felt if they found out that Hitler, in the moments before his death, truly repented of his sins and was forgiven by God? Many would have felt cheated, as if it was unfair of God to forgive such horrible crimes. They would probably want to complain, as Jonah did when God forgave the Ninevites: “I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and rich in mercy, and that you repent of the evil announced” (Jon 4:2). .
There is no dichotomy between praying for the good of our enemy and praying that his evil deeds be restrained.
But it is precisely because God is a gracious and compassionate God that we must pray for the conversion of our enemies. How could we do anything less than ask God to show our enemies the same grace that he showed us when we were his enemies?
Pray that the Taliban refrain from doing evil
There is no dichotomy between praying for the good of our enemy and praying that his evil deeds be restrained. It is for the sake of the oppressive Taliban, as well as the persecuted Christians, to pray that they be prevented from further evil. For those who have hardened their hearts against God, it would be better if their lives were shorter than to continue persecuting their children. As Jonathan Edwards says in a sermon on Matthew 5:22, people in hell would give everything to have committed one less sin in this life.
For the past 20 years, protecting the innocent has required human governments, including the United States, to take military action to prevent the Taliban from targeting the men, women, and children of Afghanistan. We were justified in supporting the just use of force to contain such evil and we must pray that God will provide that restraining force once more. However, we must be careful about the reasons for our request. While killing Taliban forces may be the only effective way to contain the death and suffering they cause, we should not rejoice in their suffering or death (Prov 24:17).
Pray for the Taliban to receive divine justice
As former enemies of God, we should be gracious and thankful that we are allowed to pray for our enemies.
Just as we ask duly established governmental authorities to dispense earthly justice, we can ask our holy God to dispense divine justice. as it says : “While it is true that love and blessing are the characteristic ethic of believers in both testaments, cursing and the call for divine vengeance are their extreme ethic and can be expressed in extreme circumstances, against hardened, deceitful sinful people, violent, immoral and unjust”.
When asking for divine justice, we must be careful about our motives. Praying for divine justice can be a way of avoiding our duty to love our enemy. While we must leave vengeance to God, we must not forget what is commanded. As Paul writes:
“Beloved, never take revenge yourselves, but give place to the wrath of God, for it is written: ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will pay,’ says the Lord. ‘But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; and if he is thirsty, give him a drink, for by doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:19-21).
In the order of our prayers, asking for divine justice should be included as the “last resort” option, a plea to do what is necessary for those who will not turn to God or turn away from doing evil.
As former enemies of God, we should be gracious and grateful that we are allowed to pray for our enemies, confident in the knowledge that Jesus will hear our requests. We should be so thankful for God’s grace that we want even the Taliban to receive mercy from him. But if they refuse and harden their hearts against the One who can forgive them, then we must ask that they receive the divine retribution due to all who stray from the righteousness of Christ.
Originally posted on . Translated by Team Coalition.