Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during March 2022]

History is being written before our eyes. It is said that history is written by the victors but our understanding of history also depends upon our viewpoint, both chronologically and ideologically. As Dennis asked last Sunday, what can we believe when we suspect that history is being re-written before our eyes? Here is one perspective, written from very close to the Ukraine border.

In 1854 at the time of the battle of Balaklava, the peninsular of Crimea was part of Russia; some 100 years later it was transferred to Ukraine by a leader of the USSR with his own Ukrainian connections. As Ukraine was at that time a Soviet satellite state, border changes like that were little more than an administrative exercise.

Around 1990 the then President of the USSR granted a high degree of autonomy to many of these satellite states. After the dust settled some of these states stayed close to the Russian Federation; others started to explore other alliances. The population of Ukraine consists of primarily two ethnic groups, one with affinities to Russia and the other tempted by western values.

For some years the country’s leadership swung between one group or the other. In the years leading up to 2014, efforts by the European Commission to force a regime change resulted in civil unrest and were seen as a threat to Russia’s area of influence. Then a certain former KGB officer with an interest in national security decided that too much of his domain was disappearing into the sunset. What followed is less history, more current affairs.

Why this potted history of eastern Europe? No longer can we say that what is happening is far away and irrelevant. But what are the implications for us?

Care for the homeless, the fatherless and widows is a reflection of God’s provision for our own needs. The rapid and generous response of many individuals is in contrast to the indifference and hostility being demonstrated by others who hide behind official formalities.

Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Matthew 25 v40

Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow. Deuteronomy 27 v19

There is a widespread tendency to dismiss history as just being a thing of the past, no longer relevant. The same attitude is applied to Biblical prophecy; the books of Daniel and Revelation are preached selectively, concentrating on the bits that are easy to understand and with the rest ignored. Yet both history and prophesy have lessons for us.

For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the Scriptures might have hope. Romans 15 v4

One of the challenges of studying history is that there is more of it every day. History is being made now, there is more history to come. God is writing a history book, and he has a chapter on you; will you be happy with what is written there?

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. … The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. Revelation 20 v12

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Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
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[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 13/March/2022]

Do not rely on your own insight or – in most translations – Trust in the Lord, and “lean not on your own understanding”. (Proverbs 3:5)

My barber and I have the most frustrating and, sometimes, challenging conversations! (How can she give such perfect haircuts while apparently never looking at what she’s doing?!)

She’ll show me video clips on her phone, arguing that nothing we see is what it appears to be. She speaks several Eastern European languages, and devours news from online sources that I (and, I bet, most of you, my readers) have never heard of! According to her, nothing we watch on, say, BBC news is reliable. That includes coverage of what is happening in Ukraine.

Until this morning I’ve been dismissing her views as wild and uninformed. Now I’ve begun to ask myself, how have I come to trust what I see on my TV? What I see with my own eyes?!

Does the verse in Proverbs mean that I am NOT to trust what my eyes are seeing? Or to ‘rely on my own understanding’? I’m going to experiment with something: I’m going to deliberately ask the Lord to show me what is true. That is, to ask Him to help me see things as HE sees them!

When you read my next YOURS page, I’ll let you know if I’ve learned anything!

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during March 2022]

When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God and rescued from your enemies. [Numbers 10 v9 NIVUK]

Scholars tell us that this is one of the final instructions given to Moses whilst he was on Mount Sinai. Although not one of the better-known Ten Commandments, nevertheless it does have something to say to us.

Justified defensive action:
Even God’s people can come under attack from those with evil ambitions. Abraham’s herdsmen were required to fight off marauders. Nehemiah’s wall builders carried both the tools of their trade and their weapons of defence. Many times, king David had to defend his nation from external attackers, often with a loss of life on both sides.

It is worth remembering that each one of those who fell were some mother’s son and it is likely that many of them had families of their own; in short they were each a valued member of their society and, although personally innocent, they suffered for defending it.

A blast on the trumpets:
Both a warning and a call to arms, to mobilise God’s people to come to the defence of their land and their society. The blast of the trumpet and the scream of sirens are also a call for help. Are the sirens sounding in Burma, in Afghanistan, in Yemen too far away to be distinct? Surely not so those that are sounding less than 4 hours’ flying time away.

There are some things that we can do to offer assistance but, for us, the call to arms is primarily a call to prayer.

Then you will be remembered:
God claims that his love is greater than that of a mother for her children, even a mother seeking to protect her children from an invading army or a mother giving birth in an isolated bunker attended by medics with the sounds of explosions ringing in their ears.

Do we still believe that God knows what is going on, that God has it all under control, that God is good? How can we declare that to someone who has lost their livelihood, their home, their family? But what else have we to cling to?

Lord, we bring to you our doubts and the scepticism of those around us; help us to overcome our unbelief.

Rescued from your enemies:
In around 473BC the Jews were again facing a threat from a vicious enemy. Queen Esther was asked to intervene but when she hesitated she received a stark warning: relief and deliverance would come but she would suffer for refusing to get involved. She then used her influence and resources to bring about a means whereby the Jews could defend themselves.

Does all this talk of fighting upset you; do you worry about where world is going? Maybe God allows these things so that we will draw closer to him. Here are some words from Jesus; can you spot the reassurance hidden within a depressing prophecy?

You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened [Matthew 24 v6, 22 NIVUK]

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Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 06/March/2022]

Do you remember the song, “He gives beauty from ashes”? Isaiah 61 v 3. How true this verse is when we hear about the war in Ukraine and various other atrocities around the world. The Bible says while the earth remains there will be seed time and harvest Genesis 8 verse 22.

All this seems so glib to write about when such terrible things are happening in the world, but God, Our Father is full of encouragement even in the bleakest of situations and will give us new hope. I only have to look out of our window and our garden is producing new shoots of spring flowers. Walking through the woods the same thing is happening.

To hear stories of how people are encouraging each other is amazing and gives new hope to a weary world. So at this time what can we do, as Christians, to encourage each other? Speaking hope and love in difficult circumstances and do whatever needs doing within our capability is key to a healthy community.

I remember listening to Richard Wurmbrand when I was at Bible College in Dallas Texas, he was a Romanian, Lutheran Pastor who was persecuted for his faith. While he was in prison a man was sentenced to death and on his way to be killed he gave his shoes to another prisoner so the other man could walk comfortably.

Show us Lord how to be a blessing where we are in our day and in our time.
Every blessing,

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during March 2022]

I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound;
Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us ^[1].

For all of my life to date there have been wars and rumours of wars, but they have been at a safe distance. Insurrections and violent unrest has been sufficiently far away to be simply items of news and perhaps prayer; even the troubles in Northern Ireland were, for the most part, over the water. Now I am sitting just 15 miles from a country that is fighting for its survival and knowing that we too could become a target if a single man decided that would help achieve his ambitions.

Throughout history people have lived with the threat of war, whether declared or implied, and our own times are no exception. Human attempts to bring peace usually have limited success and are often temporary. Where is the Prince of Peace when you need him?

In his discourse on times and seasons the writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is

a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace ^[2].

Does this mean that war is part of God’s plan? Surely that does not fit with our preferred image of him but we have to recognise that there have been times when he has allowed strife to illustrate the consequences of mankind’s inherent sinfulness. Nevertheless, that does not imply that the victims of aggression are any worse sinners than others; we all have sinned and have fallen short of God’s requirements.

Where is the Prince of Peace when you need him? Are we not his representatives? Sometimes it is necessary for the strong to make sacrifices in order to help those who are weaker. What sacrifices are we willing to make? There may well be occasions to use force to resist aggression but we claim that prayer is the most powerful weapon in our arsenal; are you ‘weapons-trained’, are you willing to use it?

In Exodus 17 we see Joshua leading the people of God in a fight against an aggressing force. As long as Moses held up his arms in an attitude of prayer, Joshua’s army prevailed; when the prayer lapsed the advantage went to the enemy. Last Sunday a more contemporary Joshua asked us to pray to God to intervene in the situation developing in eastern Europe. Subsequent events have emphasised the urgency of that call.

A final thought. In first-century Damascus the early Christians were fearing the arrival of Saul, a man who believed that his violent actions were justified. Who would have thought that their deliverance would come through the conversion of that same man? Can God do the same now?

[1]: Habakkuk 3 v16
[2]: Eccesiates 3 v8.

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.