When it's stopped trending: why we still need to #PrayForPakistan Emma Howlett - 13 Apr 2016

“In spite of the violence, evil and injustice in the world, God is still in control...”

In a park in Lahore, Pakistan, the Christian community was celebrating Easter. Just like I was.

Nearby, a bomb was detonated next to the park entrance, close to the children’s swing area. The attack, by a faction of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, killed 74 people and left over 300 injured.

Many of the victims were women and children...

I heard the news that tragedy had struck amid the joy of celebrating Easter Sunday. On days like this, working for an international charity like Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is truly heart breaking and challenges the very core of your faith.

The Christian community in Pakistan was left reeling – this deliberate, violent attack took place just a year after a double church bombing took 17 lives and injured 70 others.  

According to CSW workers in Pakistan, the situation is much worse than the media has been showing.

 Chaos has followed the attack. Many children have become separated from their parents. Hospitals in Lahore have been full beyond their capacity, treating victims suffering horrific injuries and urgently appealing for blood donations. 

And the mood in Lahore has changed: Although the people of Pakistan are united in grief, many have become afraid to venture out in public places; with shopping centres and roads becoming less busy. 

In the last week, we’ve started to hear some of the stories of the people who survived.  Our partners met a 12-year-old-girl who doesn’t yet know that both her parents were killed in the attack, and one man who lost three of his children. They also met one young boy who lost both parents and his brothers and sisters.

Just when I think I’ve seen the worst that people can do to each other, I hear of another person or community deliberately targeted because of their faith.

On those days, it’s hard not to wonder when the evil in this world will end.  But I’m reminded of these words:

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” 

-Psalm 24

In spite of the violence, evil and injustice in the world, God is still in control.

He is still a God of justice. 

He is still our source of hope, redemption and certainty.

So please, as you spend time with God this week, pray for Pakistan...

• For complete healing for survivors and their families
• That God would silence extreme voices that do not represent the will of the majority in Pakistan
• That God would watch over the families that have been devastated by this violence; especially where more than one family member has lost their life and children have become orphans
• That Pakistan’s government would show greater commitment to address the underlying causes of religiously-motivated violence.

Together, let’s pray and believe that God will bring beauty from ashes in Pakistan.

In Pakistan, CSW partner Michelle Chaudhry and her team are working round the clock to meet the needs of those who survived, and to support the families who lost loved ones. At the same time, they’re an outspoken voice, demanding that the government does more to protect Pakistan’s religious minorities.  

When you’ve prayed, put your prayers into action and use your voice to bring justice for Lahore survivors: www.csw.org.uk/lahore