Apr
23
2015
Absurdities
Posted in Prayer 4 Comments
I swallowed a bug on my morning walk.
I was going up a hill and my mouth was open just enough for a gnat to fly in.
Before I knew it, I was like the infamous lady who swallowed a fly.
And this was all before breakfast.
Absurd.
A resident of St. Paul, Minnesota lost everything when his house burned to the ground.
He lost everything except his cable service.
He and his daughter tried for an entire week to get the cable company to listen to them.
He was still receiving a cable bill.
Finally, the man’s daughter gave the cable company a brilliant ultimatum.
Disconnect the service or send someone out to fix the cable because it is not working.
That doesn’t make sense because the house burned down, the cable employee said.
Exactly! Shut the service off!
Cable company executives heard about the sixty-six year old man’s plight.
They issued an apology and backdated the cancellation to the time of the fire.
They waived the cost of the cable box.
It was the least they could do.
Absurd.
Quiet beaches are now the scene of horrific brutality and murder.
Masked men, wielding machetes and guns, are leading their prisoners along the beach.
There, near the water’s edge, the masked men are killing them in cold blood.
Murdering them on the sand simply because they are Christians.
And we sit passively by.
Our government sits passively by.
Absurd.
We think that the murders are awful; they are horrific and senseless.
We look away, refusing to watch the graphic videos.
But it is not happening on our beach, so we breathe a sigh of relief.
It is not happening on our shores, so we convince ourselves that we are all right.
Absurd.
Tertullian wrote: The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.
The blood of the martyrs.
The blood there on the beach.
The blood that is being shed there, but not here.
And we relax.
Absurd.
When will we realize the significance of what is taking place?
What is happening to our brothers and sisters in Christ is happening to us.
We are the same Body.
We are oceans apart but we belong to the same Body.
The blood that the masked men think will annihilate the church they hate, only grows it.
The blood nourishes the roots.
The roots are down deep.
Growth happens when blood is shed.
The masked men think they have won.
Little do they realize how strong the Body really is.
Strong when banded together.
Weak when apart.
As long as an ocean is seen as a dividing line of protection, we are weak.
As long as we feel less anxious because what is happening is worlds away, we are naive.
As long as we feel it is happening to them and not to us, we are fools.
As long as it is happening, we must demand action.
In the book of 2 Chronicles, we read about the various kings of Israel and Judah.
Some kings did good in the eyes of the Lord and followed His Word and decrees.
Many others did evil, worshiping idols, forgetting the one true God.
The people, under the evil kings, suffered greatly and were far from the Lord.
The Lord admonished evil kings who used brutality.
But you have slaughtered them in a rage that reaches heaven. (2 Chronicles 28:9)
Even if we turn our heads, God sees.
Those words rightly apply to what is happening on the sand across the ocean.
The rage is reaching heaven.
We must take action.
At a time when we feel most helpless, there is only one way forward.
And that is on our knees.
We must be on our knees.
God heard them, for their prayer reached heaven, His holy dwelling place.
(2 Chronicles 30:27)
When an evil king repented, God heard him.
When the people turned their backs on their idols and turned to God, He heard them.
When the thief on the cross asked the Lord Jesus to remember him, Jesus remembered.
Our prayer reaches heaven and God hears.
If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Two things reach heaven: rage and prayer.
It is absurd to think that we are safe because we are across the ocean.
It is absurd to think that we can continue to go our own way without consequences.
It is absurd to think that God does not hold us accountable for our prayerlessness.
It is absurd to think that God does not hold us accountable for our passivity.
Absurd.
King Hezekiah wanted to encourage his people.
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, was threatening to attack Jerusalem.
He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate and encouraged them with these words: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles. And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said. (2 Chronicles 32:7,8)
For there is a greater power with us than with him.
What are we afraid of?
The masked men do not have the Lord with them.
We do.
The martyrs do.
The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.
May their blood never be shed in vain.
The only way forward is on our knees.
I am challenged to pray more fervently for the church and the persecuted Christians.
We, who are His people, are being persecuted as well.
We may not be led in orange suits on quiet beaches to be murdered.
But we are being tried.
We are being tried in the fire of religious persecution, forced silence, and fear.
God heard them, for their prayer reached heaven, His holy dwelling place.
Are we talking to Him?
Are we interceding for our brothers and sisters around the world?
Are we on our knees?
With him is only the arm of flesh.
But with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.
Why are we not on our knees?
Why are we sitting back passively and allowing all of this to transpire before our eyes?
Why are we silent?
Absurd!
I believe the answer to all this evil that is going on in the world is prayer, as Gina said and the return of Christ. He came humble the first time, but this time he is coming to pour out all his wrath and destroy all evil. He will destroy all of Israel’s enemies and sit on the throne of his Father David, and of his Kingdom there will be no end. Rejoice in this today.
Amen, Ken.
We need to humble ourselves before the Father, in the name of His Son, Jesus. There must be a revival in our land. There is only one God on the Throne.
Gina
Why is it that so often we live by the saying, “out of sight, out of mind”? We see awful things happening far away and say a passing prayer but don’t continue to pray for these situations. Perhaps God is testing us to see just how strong our faith is and how much we care for fellow Christians around the world. Let’s keep praying for ALL Christians EVERYWHERE!
Sue,
The only answer is prayer.
The only way forward is on our knees.
Gina