Psalm 145:19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.
Any serious history student would know that all of the current civil unrest in the world, the riots in Arabian countries, and the protests in Wisconsin are very similar to what happened in 1848 across the world. In the history books, the revolutions of that year are called the “Springtime of Nations” because both Germany and Italy were formed after those revolutions. Before 1848, those countries did not exist and were made up of different kingdoms and small states. Most of the 1848 revolutions across Europe and the rest of the world failed. Reactionary governments quickly suppressed the riots and maintained their authority over the people. Most of the revolutions were actually food riots, the likes of which we are seeing in Egypt and Yemen. A lot of people think this is a democratic global revolution, engendered by the freedom of internet information. If the truth be told, it’s more about sky high food prices and young people who can’t find work.
If history repeats itself, especially when we never learn from our past mistakes, we’ll soon see the cracking down of these revolutionary forces. Bahrain and Jordan, Yemen and Saudia Arabia are already doing this. Egypt is beginning to look like post-revolutionary Iran and we’re likely going to see a theocratic government take the place of the military authorities. I’m not prophesying these things; I’m just recognizing that historic events sometimes follow pre-existing patterns.
My concern is for the minority Christian communities in these revolutionary areas. When a revolution starts to dissipate, a minority group is often targeted as the enemy by both revolutionaries and reactionaries. These Christian communities have suffered for years. My hope and prayer is that the Lord will hear their cries and protect them.
So in the midst of our prayers for the world, let’s remember the Christian communities who are struggling for existence in these areas.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, once again the world is suffering from political and religious turbulence which is destabilizing peace throughout the world. We pray that Your Spirit of peace will prevail, especially in those revolutionary places where the Christian church is harassed and persecuted. Listen to their cries and save them. Hear their prayers and protect. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
John Stuart is currently the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions of today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.
Today’s image is one of John’s 2011 Holy Week drawings. It’s called Passover and depicts the moment when Christ on the Cross passes over into death. You can view a larger print of this image at the following link:
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