President Obama’s Speech to the Nation

In his third Oval Office speech to the American people since taking office, Mr. Obama addressed the issue of the killings in San Bernardino that were committed by two Muslims. He called it a terror attack, which he had avoided doing until now.

Mr. Obama said the terrorist threat has evolved to a new phase and cited the killings at Chattanooga and Ft. Hood (which until now had been called workplace violence.) He pledged to “relentlessly pursue terrorist organizations overseas,” but said he would not be sending masses of troops to combat ISIL. He made four points:

1. Our military will continue airstrikes in Iraq and Syria to take out ISIL leaders, heavy weapons, oil tankers and infrastructure.
2. The U.S. will provide training and equipment to Iraqi and Syrian forces fighting ISIL on the ground.
3. We will be sharing intelligence with our European allies. Turkey will seal its border with Syria, and we will “confront the vicious ideology ISIL promotes online.”
4. We will pursue a ceasefire by Syria and a resolution to its civil war.

At home, President Obama encouraged Congress to legislate stronger gun laws and prohibit anyone on the no-fly list from getting a gun. Finally, the President said we cannot turn against one another by letting this fight be defined as a war between America and Islam because that is what groups like ISIL want. He said, “That does not mean denying the fact that an extremist ideology has spread within some Muslim communities. It’s a real problem that Muslims must confront without excuse”… but Americans must reject discrimination.

In essence, President Obama was saying there is no change of strategy militarily. He will pursue diplomacy to end the civil war in Syria. He will ask for stronger screening for those coming without visas, and will not be drawn into a ground war in Iraq or Syria.

Why this Matters: Praying Citizens have been asking God for an end to the civil war in Syria. It looks as though President Obama agrees. Thank you Father! President Obama’s team provided him with skewed assessments that minimized the threat from ISIS and overstated the success of the U.S.-led airstrikes. More than 50 intelligence analysts complained their reports were being altered by senior officials, and now the inspector general at the Pentagon is investigating. This is good news.

Is more gun control and more lists the answer? These two killers were not on a no-fly list, living in California, a state with one of the strongest gun control policies in the nation–including an assault weapon ban, magazine limits, and universal background check. Despite these restrictions , the killers went entirely undetected.

How to Pray: Father, show us how to love Muslims. Those who want to wage jihad, we ask for diligence and Your wisdom to find them and deal with them. Move in Syria to end the war. Give our military and our allies’ military good strategies. May the enemy turn on himself and be destroyed.

(Psa 40:14) Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil