Arise, O Lord
"O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more."
(Psalms 10:17-18)
September 19, 2024
Dear friends,
Many of us living in America right now are thinking about the upcoming national election. In fact, many of us are consumed by this. We have very important issues to consider, whether it's immigration, the economy, school violence, or protecting life in the womb. We face at least two dangers, however, in becoming preoccupied with all things political.
The first is that we neglect to be good neighbors and fail to work toward a common culture for the benefit of all (Jeremiah 29:7; Romans 12:17; 1 Timothy 4:10). During the Covid years most of us were locked down and interacted with others mainly online in digital communities. We began to connect with people who thought just like us (aka, echo chambers). We divided ourselves into tribes and tolerated no disagreement. As gratifying as that might have been to us it was also isolating us from others just down the street. Consider this statement by T. S. Eliot: "It does not follow that in a society, of whatever grade of culture, the groups concerned with each activity of culture will be distinct and exclusive: on the contrary, it is only by an overlapping and sharing of interests, by participation and mutual appreciation, that the cohesion necessary for culture can obtain." (Christianity and Culture, 1936, 1948)
Eliot notes that for a culture to be stable there must be an overlapping of interests, participation, and appreciation. Our kids play soccer together, we solve neighborhood problems together, we shop together, we attend community events together. We overlap with one another and are forced to live with differences in language, manners, and opinion. In Eliot's words, we should seek to preserve this "cohesion necessary for culture." In light of this election year, it seems that cohesion has eroded further. We should do what we can to build bridges to other people, whether through common courtesy, kindness in interactions, shared hobbies, charitable work, and taking time for non-polarizing conversations. One of the clerks at our local grocery store — who looks very different than me — likes to garden, so I usually take a moment to ask about how his vegetables are growing. It's not much, but it's a positive connection. I don't think we realize how fragile the fabric of our society is.
And secondly, another danger is that we get so preoccupied with our own national issues that we lose sight of, and fail to pray for, those suffering injustice in other parts of the world. There is injustice here in our country, to be sure, yet God's concern includes the whole world. Psalm 10, quoted above, is a call for God to act on behalf of those being oppressed. "Arise, O Lord..." Certainly, this includes prayer for war-torn areas and for the end of human trafficking. As a Christian, I'm especially sensitive to how the world treats God's children. For example, more than 16,000 Christians have been martyred in Nigeria over the past four years. (Source: The Christian Post, 8/31/2024) Just in the past few weeks Fulani tribesmen murdered 38 Christians in Benue State, Nigeria. Is this on your radar? There's also great violence against believers in the D. R. Congo, India, and North Korea. Since our news media and popular podcasters rarely follow such stories, it's good to get regular reports from organizations such as Open Doors or Global Christian Relief. Pray, and then support these groups.
Jesus said, "...will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily...” (Luke 18:7-8) We should be praying, along with the persecuted, "Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted." (Psalm 10:12) We are thankful that God has spared the life of Donald Trump recently. But we should ask ourselves, are we giving due attention and concern for the protection of Christians around the world? Ours is not the only nation experiencing strife. In the words of Psalm 10 we should pray that God would "hear the desire of the afflicted... will strengthen their heart... and do justice..." The good result, the answer to this prayer, the good news is... "that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more."
IN OTHER READING.
-- Here are "7 Bible verses North Korean Christians cherish." (Open Doors)
-- Here's my Bible reading summary of Psalm 10, from four years ago.
-- How public opinion in America has changed over twenty years. (Pew Research)
-- "It would be an exaggeration to say that every American was a Christian, but Christian religion nonetheless formed the moral core of the republic." Read “Christian Institutions in a New World.”
-- "A regime capable of all that is afraid of a prayer app?" (George Weigel, First Things) Read "Cancelled in China".
-- According to Substack these are the top three columns I read: Erick-Woods Erickson, The Ala Carte Scholar, and Poems Ancient and Modern.
FINAL QUOTE.
"Scars are the price which every believer pays for his loyalty to Christ." (William Hendriksen)
That's it for this week!
Sandy
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.