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Eye on the World: tension in South Sudan and Iraq
South Sudan, the world’s newest country, has been the site of protests and ethnically-motivated fighting since December, when the country’s army mutinied against President Salva Kiir. Peace talks between South Sudan and Sudan, its neighbor to the north, haven’t brought an end to the fighting. Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir flew to South Sudan on Monday to hold crisis talks with President Kiir.
Meanwhile, in Iraq, Al Qaeda fighters have taken over the city of Fallujah, prompting air strikes by the government and the displacement of many residents. The United States and Iran both pledged to help the Iraqi military, although US Secretary of State John Kerry said US assistance would not include boots on the ground. Analysts say that while ISIL, the Al Qaeda group occupying Fallujah, has a strong military arm, the group isn’t very popular with Iraqis and may be quickly pushed out.
“Security: Where does it come from?” explains how God, divine Mind, guards each of His ideas and keeps them safe from harm. This is true no matter where in the world we live — God’s plan for Iraq and South Sudan doesn’t include chaos, political volatility, or death. We can insist that the “whole armour of God” (Ephesians 6:11 ) protects all of God’s creation — and that as this fact becomes clearer through prayer, we’ll see it evidenced in everyday events, too.
“To preserve life,” an editorial from the Christian Science Sentinel, expands on this foundation. It explains why there’s a Biblical basis for casting out fear and violence from the human scene, and how assertive prayer — taking a stand for the truth and presence of God’s government — can dissolve threats of violence and cruelty and bring reconciliation where enmity or ethnic animosity appeared before.
Finally, you might enjoy “Insight while flying over Iraq,” in which the author shares how he prayed while his flight took him over a war-torn area. He realized that finding a divine law of harmony — recognizing its operation and power — allows us to counter a picture of death, destruction, corruption, or poverty. Each of us can feel this conviction that God is in control in Iraq and South Sudan, and that solutions are at hand.