What Next?

Will there be a reaction, from the US and others, to the chemical gas attack in Damascus? 

And if there is, what will happen next? 

And will this bring peace and justice to the peoples of Syria?

It isn't yet clear whether those calling for some response to this appalling attack on civilians have a plan about what to do.

We can only hope that lessons of other 'interventions', in Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan, have been learned.

All of us are often confronted by difficult situations, which either make us want to intervene, to make things better, or make us feel helpless, as we can see no way forward. 

Asking the 'what next?' question may help us be more effective than a rushed response.

In difficult situations, Jesus taught his followers to pray, trusting the good purposes of God. One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”

 Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”  (Luke 18.1-8)

The judge in this story sounds very much like Bashar al-Assad. And some of his opponents are not much better. 

It is striking that Jesus highlights God's determination to see justice done, as his people pray relentlessly for his will to be implemented.

So my prayer, especially in the many situations where I cannot see the way forward, is 'May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven'.

And then I must learn to trust the Lord who loves passionately to answer this prayer.

Best wishes,

Richard