Friday, April 3, 2015

DO NOT LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE


While reading through Daktar, a book about the establishment of a Medical Mission work in East PakIstan (late 60s and early 70s), I find myself in the middle of something that reeks of today's political climate of cooperation with the enemy. As I was reading I also felt the heaviness of the deceit of the Japanese as they plotted our demise even while they were “cooperating” with peace negotiations in Washington D.C.

It makes my heart ache to realize once again that there is “nothing new under the sun.” It has long been said that if we do not learn from our history, our history will repeat itself over and over again. This is happening on so many sides right now that even thinking about it can make for a very heavy heart; even a sense of despondence and depression.

BUT GOD* - As we approach this Easter Sunday, we have every reason to rejoice that we live. One song on my heart these days is, Because He Lives, by Matt Maher  This song reminds us that our very lives are completely in His hands because He rose from that grave and gives us new life as we surrender to Him in faith and worship.

So many passages in His Word remind us that He is in charge of the nations and, though we must be watchful (including refusal to cooperate with the enemy), we must Trust in Him and pray heartily that His Will be done with us and with our temporary home on this earth.

Even as the Missionaries involved with the enormous task of bringing life and love to these needy people of East Pakistan -- now Bangladesh – we must also go about our business as He guides us, while being bent on our knees with the realization that the only thing that can change what is happening around us is the Will of God,. And our job is to pray earnestly for just that in every move we make and every conversation we have.

At the height of the turmoil in East Pakistan, there was a free election nation wide that brought a new President elect. This election was the first to be directly from the ballot to the result with no middle men being elected to cast votes for the president or anyone else. (Sound familiar? The electoral voting system?) This President Elect, as we would call it, had no authority until sworn into office, an event the West Pakistan government was determined to stop at all cost. And the fighting raged into a cyclone of national destruction in East Pakistan in order to destroy him and his followers - who numbered more than any other group of people in this split Nation – from taking office and power over entire Pakistan.

Meanwhile “peace talks” went on, with the President elect attempting to make a deal with the enemy, who posed as ready to make peace, while actually building up an army of West Pakistan soldiers and an arsenal of weapons within the boarders of the East. When the “papers” were agreed to and the signatures were expected, the hidden army burst out of their hiding and slaughtered millions of Bengali's and Hindus.

While our President Roosevelt sat in conference with the Japanese officials, Japan slaughtered thousands of people in Honolulu.

While our current President sits at conferences to make peace with our enemies, our enemies are getting stronger and stronger. And he looks the other way. Meanwhile, our only reliable supporter in the midst of all this mess, is rejected by him as an unruly intruder in the Middle East.

Again I say, *“BUT GOD.” This is a book written by our Associate Pastor, Casey Lute, which explains how often things looked and were dismal, BUT GOD intervened and He still is in charge and can and will intervene as He sees fit.

So how do we stop those sleeping dogs from taking over the world? We PRAY, and we pray and we pray: together and singly, we pray. And we PRAISE: together and singly, we praise!

Our Hope is in Him. And, at this season of rejoicing, we have many reasons to give ourselves to Him completely. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! HE LIVES; HE LIVES INDEED.

AMEN! AMEN! I'M ALIVE! I'M ALIVE, BECAUSE HE LIVES...