Today, I received an alarming email from a good friend who is a pastor in Salinas, California. The email was an urgent prayer request that originated from an official in the U.S. government, who sent it to several prayer networks throughout the United States, one of which was Aglow International. Thankfully, the President of Aglow has made the request public, which is how he and then we got it (God bless you Sister Jane Hansen for making this available). According to the request for prayer:
Osama bin Laden has assigned a man named Adan Al Shukri Juma to carry out a new attack within the US which is intended to be larger than the September 11 attacks. Explosives and nuclear materials have been smuggled into the US through the Mexican border over the last two years and are hiding in a location that the FBI has not been able to discover.
After I got over the initial shock and disbelief, I went immediately to Aglow's international website to verify the prayer request, and there it was on the front page. From there, I went to the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists List but did not find the man identified as "Adan Al Shukri Juma." Then I noticed the Seeking Terrorism Info Page and there he was, but with his name spelled:
Adnan G. El Shukrijumah
Whatever the spelling of his name, every detail thus mentioned lends some credibility that people in our government are very concerned about this man and the threat he poses to perhaps millions of Americans.
Now before people start rushing to conclusions about the veracity of this request and claims, please consider a few points. First, as mentioned in our previous post Wrestling with Angels, Osama bin Laden recently received permission to kill 10 million Americans. Second, other al Qaeda chiefs such as Ayman al-Zawahiri and American-born "Azzam al Amriki" have warned Americans of dire consequences if they do not convert to Islam. Third, it is no secret that al Qaeda has acquired nuclear weapons.
What's more unbelievable to me is not anything in this prayer request, it's the absolute blindness of most Americans to the threat that surrounds us. It's as if I am watching the first three episodes of Star Wars, where Palpatine slowly takes over the entire galaxy. Meanwhile people are just bickering over wiretaps, amnesty for illegal immigrants, how there was no WMD in Iraq, and my personal favorite, September 11th conspiracy theories. Wait a minute that wasn't in the movie...
but it might as well have been.
The fact is that it may be too late for wiretaps, border security, WMD in Iraq, and conspiracy theories. Despite every effort to protect us and wage war against a nuclear-equipped enemy, somebody in government has finally realized that our only hope is in prayer.
Rub your eyes and get some Starbucks people!
Now for those who are awake with me, the first natural reactions such as fear and hate need to be squelched. Secondary reactions, what I call "reflexive prayer requests," also need to be squelched. These prayer requests call for the success of our law enforcement agencies, for our enemies to be scattered, and for them to be thrown into confusion. The Lord knows I have prayed these same prayers over the course of this past year. Although, they are well intentioned prayers, I think we have been missing out on the larger will of God and some untapped power. Here is what I think we've been missing in our prayers:
"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9)
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16)
What are the methods and weapons of our enemies? They want to invite us to Islam? They have nukes? I am here to tell you that we have methods and weapons so powerful that they can make a terrorist stand fast in his tracks. Ours are more powerful than any suitcase-sized nuclear weapon. They have more accuracy and precision than any smart munition.
The methods and weapons in our arsenal are prayer and the good news of Jesus Christ. And here's something else people might not want to hear: Jesus died for every terrorist who is in the United States and is scheming against us as we speak. It's not my will that they come to salvation. It's God's. It's not for me to have unforgiveness in my heart. If so, God guarantees that I'll be judged for that. It's not by any man's power that we can prevent the unpreventable, because it's
"'not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty" (Zechariah 4:6)
Feelings like hate and fear have no place in our hearts right now. Apathy and lethargy have no place in our minds right now. We have the power in our hands and knees to make a difference. As I have said before, if you don't think it's possible that a terrorist can come to the Lord, look at Saul of Tarsus. It's too late for anything else. It's time to pray.
There is a man right now, who is plotting to set off something so horrendous that if it were to come to fruition it would shock the world. Something that will make the September 11th attacks pale in comparison. He's wanted by the FBI, but more than you or I will ever know, he's wanted by Jesus, the Prince of Peace and the author and finisher of our faith.
Please join me as I pray for the salvation of one man that may hold millions of American lives in his hands. Pray that he like so many of his fellow Muslims will see the Lord in vision, dream, or visitation. Pray for the conviction of the Holy Spirit to come upon him. Pray for his soul as if it were your own. Pray that he will repent of his murderous ways. Please, I beg you pray for Adnan or Adan al Shukrijumah.
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)
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