No Fear of Terror

I was just about to fall asleep when the news started rolling in. First it was just that something was going on near the airport, and residents of Ouagadougou were instructed to rest in place and not leave their homes. Then we heard something about shots being fired, a restaurant, a hotel, and the number of those dead kept rising higher and higher. Finally, the minister of security announced it as an act of terror. 

Over the next few days, news came out gradually and with uncertainty. How many attackers were there? Some shooters were killed on the spot, but it was presumed that some got away. No one has yet claimed responsibility for this attack. 

Tucked away in our town and far from the capital, I felt somewhat safely distanced from the events. But to say I was untouched or unaffected would not be true. Our beloved Burkina is not the same as it used to be. Our world is not the same as it used to be. You can hardly go one day without hearing some news story about some terrorist attack somewhere; I just suppose it's harder when it's closer to home. When you know these restaurants, when you frequent these parts of town. 

In the following days after the attack, several people in the United States heard about it on the news and contacted me to ask if I was safe and what these events mean for us here in the ground. I have found the various responses very interesting. 

My Burkinabé friends are mainly sad and confused. They don't understand how their own people could behave this way, and I sense a general feeling of disappointment. 

My Muslim night guard had the strongest reaction of everyone I know. He was totally not himself. He refused to eat or drink anything I offered him, saying that he just couldn't take it. And he didn't seem to want to talk about it. 

Some people are afraid. One attack was enough, now a second attack could indicate a new normal. 

One missionary in ouaga said things just went right back to business as normal the next day. 

Some people are rolling their eyes and saying "not again" with a sigh. Others exclaim in disbelief, "What in the world?" And then shrug their shoulders and move on. 

Another missionary noted that they had been anticipating an attack, but since this attack was more disorganized than the last one, they were actually relieved that it wasn't anything worse. 

"How awful is it," she noted, "that a terrorist attack can happen and we are like 'oh, that's all?' and then act as though we are relieved. Have we really become that familiar with terrorism already?" 

In hearing all these different responses mixed with my own emotions, it makes me wonder about God's reaction to these things. Is he grieved, like he was during the time of Noah when the earth was full of violence? Is he angry that the people he created would turn their backs on him and then kill each other, all for the sake of "religion" created by man? Is he hurt, disappointed, or even furious with the enemy for his forces of evil and destruction in the world...the world that he created to be good? Did he expect and predict these things, like in the days of the prophets when he knew the terrible actions the kings and kingdoms would commit? He spoke of them, saying that they boasted and claimed responsibility for their conquests when it was really him who ordained them and used them as instruments for his plan among the nations. Does he say the same thing about our world today? Or does he take the mess we have made and do what he is so good at doing - transforming ashes to beauty, using our disasters to accomplish his greater purposes, turning everything around for his glory?  Does he see all these crises and disasters as lumps of wet clay on his potter's wheel, which he will spin and push and transform into something beautiful? 

All I know is this: God is forever sovereign over all nations and peoples, over all times and events, and he is always good. Good things come from him, and he works all things for good for those who love him. 

Therefore, "we will not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness nor the plague that destroys at midday." For "he will cover you with feathers and under his wings you will find refuge." (Psalm 91) 

Although we are not unaffected by these events, we are unshaken. For we have a Refuge in God alone, and Christ is the solid rock on which we stand. All other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand. 

When you think about terrorism, pray for Burkina Faso and for all the nations and peoples affected by this modern day crisis. 

Pray for...

...faith to reign instead of fear.

...good to overcome evil.

...protection for God's people, especially the Christians in the northern regions of Burkina Faso where persecution and danger is fiercest. 

...revelations of Jesus himself through dreams, visions, his word, his people, his spirit, and circumstances to change the hearts of radical Muslims who are seeking to destroy the fame of Jesus.

...Muslims to come to faith in Christ as they see and are confused by the acts of terrorism by people of their faith.

...for Christians to stand up boldly, stand out strongly, and testify fearlessly to a hope-hungry world during these times of uncertainty.