An endless cycle

I awakened to the news of the outbreak of war in Israel on Saturday morning. The news since then has only grown more grim – more than a thousand dead (as of Monday morning) and still climbing, war declared meaning even more death and destruction. The terrified eyes of a hostage that I saw on 60 Minutes last night still haunt me. “Why, why- does humanity insist these endless cycles of violence and death?” is the question that keeps swirling through my mind. 

This war in Israel and Gaza is but the latest. The horrors of war continue in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Yemen, and in several simmering conflicts on the continent of Africa. My prayer is a plaintive cry borrowed from the Psalm - "Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises. … "He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims." (Psalm 10:1-2, 8, NIV)

And then … I pray –
“May Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven!” with HOPE!

While I may not be able to do anything to end the wars, I can live today, right where I am, as a citizen of Christ’s Kingdom, representing Him in my words, my actions, in my place. Jesus told us that He does His work in the world through us. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants and grows into a tree where birds can come and find shelter in its branches. … The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast used by a woman making bread. Even though she used a large amount of flour, the yeast permeated every part of the dough.” Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds. In fact, he never spoke to them without using such parables." (Matthew 13:31-34, NLT)

We cannot just give up, retreat into despair, and wait for Heaven to come.

God has given each Christian the awesome privilege to change his little corner of this globe with the Gospel of Christ, the transformative message of God’s care, His love, and the true hope of humanity. One small act of kindness, one word of that points another to receive the saving grace of Jesus, has potential to change many, to accomplish much. 

We who bear the Name, who have known grace and forgiveness, adopted into God’s family, become people who love and live in joy, ultimately dying with hope. When God’s Spirit lives in us we set aside the pride and power that is so naturally human and we live to serve, to care, to love. Is that just a romantic view of life? No, it is not! While the record of the Church is not a spotless one we do see that where the Gospel is received, life improves. The poor are cared for, the sick are ministered to, those without hope become “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9, NIV)

In 1988, President George H. W. Bush said that people who commit to serve are like a "thousand points of light that are spread like stars throughout the nation, doing good." It is not naïve to hope that our tiny light can make a difference in the world. Will we seek to know Christ and make Him known?  Will we pray faithfully and love fervently?  Ah, this is the choice I want to make even as I weep for those who are suffering, those who were murdered, those who are help in the grip of terror and war!

I want to break the endless cycle – in small ways – where I am, in the opportunities that come my way. Yes, always with this prayer - “May Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”

The word from the Word is the commission that Jesus gave to His followers – including you and me.  It reads this way in The Message paraphrase of the Bible.  “You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand.

Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16, The Message)  Let’s do it.

(Video of this blog at this link)

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This Little Light Of Mine
(don’t miss this Bruce Springsteen rendition!)

This little light of mine

I'm gonna let it shine

This little light of mine

I'm gonna let it shine

This little light of mine

I'm gonna let it shine

Let it shine let it shine let it shine

 

Harry Dixon Loes

Words: Public Domain