Last evening, US President Obama announced that OBL was dead.

I read numerous tweets regarding Bin Laden’s death long before the President’s speech. Welcome to 2011.

Just a few seconds after reading the news, many thoughts rushed through my head. Thoughts about how grateful I was the men and women of our military sacrifice and do so many jobs I am unwilling and unable to do. Thoughts about how relieved I am our country and world is more secure tonight with his influence snuffed out. Thoughts about how the Islamic world will perceive our response to the news of Bin Laden’s death. Thoughts of how sorrowful it is the full force of the Gospel never hit that man’s heart. By all accounts, it remained cold, callous, and cruel.

With the understanding this was incredible emotionally charged news, I was still surprised it set off a bevy of twitter-ers going wild with their 140 characters. The visceral reaction, by some, made me raise my eyebrows a bit. In my mind, there is a colossal difference in celebrating justice brought to Bin Laden because of his unlawful crimes and unfathomable cruelty as compared to celebrating his death, and the subsequent condemnation of his soul to eternal wrath. There should be rejoicing that our world is likely a safer place. However, it seems right that there also be mourning that another unreconciled, unregenerate soul is separated from Christ forever.

The point of this post is not to delineate the right or wrong way to respond. With a flood of emotions comes a flurry of reactions. That is beyond the scope of this short post, and the conversation, in my mind, is far from a simple one.

I don’t have a lot of answers. I don’t even know the right questions.

This is supposed to be a post focused on missions, so lets get to that.

With the heightened levels of security and advisories issues to US citizens in many Islamic countries, I can’t help but consider the difficult place many of my fellow missionaries working in those lands and people groups find themselves in tonight. Many of them have sacrificed years, even decades, to the painstaking task of laboring for Christ in these areas where his light is dim and his voice is not heard. This is important work, and Satan would like nothing better than to destroy it in the next few days and weeks, as emotions are heightened in much of the Muslim world.

Please join us in prayer, as we cry out for God to be merciful. Pray God would protect the missionaries and other fellow Christian believers in these countries, giving them discernement on how to respond. Pray that relationships they have built would not become frayed and spiritual seeds they have sown would not be uprooted. Pray wisdom for our political leaders and protection for our military. Pray against the powers of darkness and evil in our world.

Pray for peace as we await the return of the benevolent king, Jesus.