Living in the Aftermath

A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more. Matthew 2:18 (NIV)

“Yes, Aslan,” said both the children. But Polly added, “But we’re not quite as bad as that world, are we, Aslan?” “Not yet, Daughter of Eve,” he said. “Not yet. But you are growing more like it. It is not certain that some wicked one of your race will not find out a secret as evil as the Deplorable Word and use it to destroy all living things. And soon, very soon, before you are an old man and an old woman, great nations in your world will be ruled by tyrants who care no more for joy and justice and mercy than the Empress Jadis. Let your world beware. That is the warning.” (from The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis)

C.S. Lewis was no stranger to evil. As a young soldier, he experienced the ravages of war when he was seriously wounded by a mortar shell in World War 1 and lost two of his colleagues including his beloved sergeant, Harry Ayers. He would later write in The Weight of Glory, “War creates no absolutely new situation: it simply aggravates the permanent human situation so that we can no longer ignore it. Human life has always been lived on the edge of a precipice. Human culture has always had to exist under the shadow of something infinitely more important than itself. If men had postponed the search for knowledge and beauty until they were secure, the search would never have begun. We are mistaken when we compare war with “normal life.” Life has never been normal.”

If Lewis experienced the horror of evil up close, how much more so did he experience hope through Christ? His faith would shape and mold his thinking allowing him to see through the curtain of evil’s darkness. I wonder as he wrote the story of Lucy, Peter, Susan, and Edmund finding their way through the wardrobe that Lewis knew the fight against evil would be difficult. As the children entered the land of Narnia, an imaginary land ruled by the tyrannical White Witch, they would encounter evil. As one character in the story said of Narnia, “always winter and never Christmas.” The four siblings experienced a new life as they encountered the great lion, Aslan, and through their journey with him, defeated the White Witch and freed Narnia from her power.

On October 7 at 6:30 in the morning the nation of Israel again experienced the reality of “life has never been normal.” The nation was slowly awakening having begun Simchat Torah celebrations the previous sundown. Instead of a day of continuing celebration, they would hear the air sirens bellow as hundreds of rockets were fired into the heart of Israel. They would find thousands of Hamas militants had breached the border, launching a house-to-house terror campaign. “An Associated Press reporter quotes an Israeli army general who stood amid the wreckage of the village: “You see the babies, the mothers, the fathers in their bedrooms and how the terrorists killed. It’s not a battlefield. It’s a massacre.” (Jim Denison, Denison Forum)

The days following the initial attack continue to find a world in mourning, disbelief, and sadness. The images of war and evil on our TV and computer screens can sedate us into a false narrative that we can’t do anything about the situation.  We don’t see how we can make a difference in a situation miles away. However, German pastor Martin Niemoller’s words seem appropriate for this current crisis. Niemoller didn’t think he could make a difference until he realized his silence made him part of the evils of Nazism. His words about guilt and responsibility continue to call us to conviction and action decades later.

“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”

What can we do?

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122) “May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.”

Pray for global leaders to have godly wisdom. “By me kings reign and rulers issue decrees that are just; by me princes govern, and nobles—all who rule on earth.” (Proverbs 8:15-16)

Pray for those in positions of leadership to be called merciful and peacemakers. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:7,9)

Pray for the de-escalation of the conflict, against those who have a vested interest in escalating the crisis and causing untold suffering. “He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.” (Mark 4: 39)

Pray for the victims of these atrocities. “We have escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped.” (Psalm 124:7)

Former President Ronald Reagan once warned, “When men try to live in a world without God, it’s only too easy for them to forget the rights that God bestows.” “Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore.” (Psalm 125:1-2)

The great hope we can share and the hope we have is in Christ. Though it seems we are in the midst of “winter” days, when all the world seems to be in chaos “Christmas” has come. We can confidently pray for the families in Israel and the powerless in Gaza. We can expect more of our political leaders because ultimately they are under the control of God.  We can be part of God’s Kingdom that “His will be done on earth as in heaven.”

God is great!

“Peace be on Israel” (Psalm 125:5b)