With all the headlines and discussions on the Boston Marathon bombings, the joy in capturing someone dangerous to humanity, the speculation about the legal battle to follow... all the many questions we Americans have, I'm finding myself contemplating one thing:
Does the saving of a soul save multitudes?
I'm finding myself praying for the salvation of this young man, believed to have wrought such wickedness, alongside my prayers for the victims of devastation. Now, lest you think I'm showing softness and mercy where none is due, consider this:
If it's true that this wicked event was played out because of radical Islamic belief, what can we do to dismantle that power? If Dzhokhar Tsarnaev faces the death penalty, do we give radical Islam another martyr to fuel their fire? What happens to people at large when the heart of a militant Muslim converts to Christ?
By the power of Christ, hearts can be remade... we see evidence of that in the former murderer, St. Paul. We see it in the conversion of Roman soldiers who witnessed the miracles of Christ, people who were formerly wicked and without concern for life.
What happens in the militant Islamic world when one of their own converts to Christ and follows his commandments? What would happen if nurses and doctors at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center show an uncommon love of Christ in their care of this man? How interesting to note that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's life is in the hands of an institution founded by Christian and Jewish brothers & sisters...
My prayers are for the mercy of God to grant healing to the mind, body and soul of all those who are injured in Boston, for comfort & peace for the families who lost a loved one that day...
and for the salvation of Dzhokhar Tsamaev, believing always that
the power of God is greater than the power of wickedness.
