Afghanistan (series) - Jim DeCamp's Blog

My Prayer for Afghanistan

Photo credit: “Afghan Children,” Ginny Barahona, 2004,
Creative Commons

August 16, 2021

Eternal God, Creator of all we see and Lord over all we do not see, we turn to You this night.

We worship You as the God of history, of time and space. You set the world in motion, You made the seas, the mountains, wildlife of all kinds––and You said that it was “good.”

You made man in Your image––male and female You created them––and You said that it was “very good.”

We, to whom You gave dominion over all the earth, have often turned to our own devices. We acknowledge that sin infects every part of creation––beginning with the human heart.

This night we plead with You for the innocents in Afghanistan.

Those who name the name of Christ stand to be cut down in the coming days and weeks. Lord, make them strong to the end; may Your Name be lifted up by their testimony. Nothing is too difficult for you, O God. May Your eternal purposes flower in their lives.

Women and children are vulnerable to brutal attacks by fighters, or to being sold into the hell of human trafficking. Lord, set at liberty those who are oppressed, we pray.

People with unapproved political affiliations await slaughter. Enable those among them who love Jesus to bear strong witness in their final hours. Help them to proclaim liberty to the captives––and captors––alike.

Many from other countries, who are there for reasons of commerce or charity or religious witness, are in danger. Set a hedge around them, we pray, and increase the faith of their loved ones back home.

Give protection and success to our military forces, as they seek to hold back the hand of the oppressor and to deliver those who are in peril. And be very near to their families.

We pray for our leaders. Help them to look earnestly to You and, as they do, please give them all the wisdom that they need.

As a nation, O God, bring us to repentance. Replace open defiance with sincere devotion to Your Word. May the Prince of Peace take up residence in our hearts, that we might bring glory to You and blessing to the world.

Hear our prayer, Oh God, in the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

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The Diplomatic Fissure of My Lifetime

British military leaders, and Members of Parliament across the political spectrum (historically our closest ally in the western world), spare few words for President Biden. In British English:

“…throwing us and everybody else to the fire.”

“shameful”

“particularly distasteful and dishonouring”

“absolutely the wrong call”

Mr. Biden’s withdrawal “is, and will be seen by history as, a catastrophic mistake which may well prove to be the defining legacy of his presidency.”

On Wednesday, “General Sir Nick Carter, the head of the Armed Forces, accused the US of ‘shattering’ the morale of Afghan troops when they stopped air strikes.”

“Senior former UK defence figures criticised Mr Biden, with Lord Dannatt, the former head of the British Army, saying: ‘The manner and timing of the Afghan collapse is the direct result of President Biden’s decision to withdraw all US forces from Afghanistan by the 20th anniversary of 9/11.’”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/08/18/parliament-holds-joe-biden-contempt-afghanistan/?fbclid=IwAR347ooeiXtqm-0yFs_vmpjh-0vxihJ0r5ghissiHwHwZt2yneJRALrkyGA

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Passing the Baby in Kabul

August 21, 2021
Lord, bless this child’s life and give the parents hope in You.

According to the Army Times, the baby has been cared for by medical professionals, and has been reunited with the father at the airport. (No information that I’ve found about the mother.) Pray….

KEITH NIGHTINGALE
August 20, 2021
PASSING THE BABY

No image better depicts what our Nation and our Uniforms means to others than this photo.

An Afghan mother, in desperation, passes her baby to a US Uniform.

She may never see her child again, but she knows that child, will have a far better life than the one she knows and from what her mother saved her from.

She knows this because the Uniforms she saw were entirely honorable and displayed the best of our humanity.

Their performance stirred her innermost core of Motherhood when survival became the dominate issue.

All the genetic protective mechanisms that drive motherhood made this wrenching decision.

It is this image that shows the incredible value our Uniforms have in representing what we are all about.

If any Uniform, past or present, that served in Afghanistan, wonders if it was worth it, this photo answers the question.

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For Those Who Served in Afghanistan

A tribute and encouragement for those who served in Afghanistan, from Vietnam Veteran Marine Colonel Keith Nightingale (Ret.).

August 17, 2021

OK. Take a deep breath and put your mind in neutral.

Yes-Afghanistan has fallen and we left a lot of blood there.

No-You and our combat casualties did not serve in vain.

You shined a light in some of the darkest places on the globe.

You did your job. You supported righteous endeavors.

You ensured tens of thousands of terrorists never died from old age.

You showed, for a brief shining moment, what American values are all about.

A moment some others may not be able to share.

You did this in obscurity and without public note, but to those that witnessed, you made a difference that will resonate far past your absence.

You were an American displaying what we as a Nation are surely all about.

Above all else, you were supremely, demonstrably honorable.

Many others cannot say that.

You brought smiles to countless people who otherwise would have nothing to smile about.

For a moment in time.

The “agonizing reappraisals” can be left to policy makers, historians, and the American people. Not your job.

Rest easy, You, those that served, gave our dead and wounded meaning by your presence and participation in something greater than yourself.

You are and were our Praetorian Guard-providing purpose and pride to a Service in which many others, acting on a higher plane, could not match the honor.

You well served the small band of family you were with as your successors will wherever they are asked to serve. As they surely will.

Our Nation depends upon its well of citizens willing to serve for all of us, not just some of us.

Causes and policies will change, but the quality of your service will not and cannot.

That would be a betrayal to what serving is all about and for which we, the 99% who do not fight, expect.

Others may have cause for judgement. You do not.

We have no choice.

You do.

Rest easy. You can sleep well. Some other citizens may not.

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