Thought of the Week - ( Written by Clement Arde-Acquah)

^“ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesian 6: 10-18.

Brethren, Grace, Mercy and Peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ be with us now and always. Amen.

In the last few weeks our brothers and sisters in Israel and the Gaza- Palestine, have been experiencing the horrors of war and conflict and we on our part have been watching the accompanied death and destruction of this conflict on our TV screens. In the last few years as well, we have seen conflicts and usurping of political power in the Sahel region (namely: Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad) in Africa, as well in Gabon (Central Africa), not forgetting the resurgence of the conflict in Kosovo between Muslim Bosnia and the Serbs and the on-going war between Ukraine and Russia.

The questions many of us ask in relation to these incidents are: where is God in these situations? Where is the church? Why are Christians or other good people not seen visibly saying anything? Why can we not live side by side together in peace as God children? Why do we take sides sometimes supporting unjust causes or sides rather than seeking peace in conflicts? Why are some always so eager to call for revenge and retribution in times of conflict? Or simply why is our God who loves us so much that, He sent His one and only beloved son to live among us and to also die for us, where is He amid our troubles?  Many of us will have our own good answers to these questions but let us not forget; our God is an everlasting God beyond our finite human understanding, whose ways are not our ways, who is an ever present help in times of our troubles, to whom we must go to when we need help when we are in difficulty but how many of us seek God’s answer when we are in difficulty and if we do are we ready to hear the answer He gives us without sticking to our own answers? In seeking an answer to where is God in all our problems we must understand, God did not, does not or will ever fail man, it is man who has failed God repeatedly and will forever fail God and also our fellow man. God has always loved us, loves us, and will forever love us but it our own wish to seek our imperfect desires that leads us into conflicts and wars. Man listens to the voice of the accuser who is roaming back and forth on this earth (Job 2: 1-2) rather listen to God. The apostle Peter in 1 Peter 5:18 points out to us that: “our enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” and therefore we need to “be alert and be sober in our minds to able to resist the devil and stand firm in the faith.  Let us be in no doubt that, the time of the accuser is short, and we should not follow him or allow him to influence us because there is no place for the accuser and his followers in the in the heavenly of the heavens where our God dwells.  Paul advises us therefore, in Ephesians 6:10-18 to put on God’s armour which will enable us to stand against the wiles of the devil and when we are able to do this to stand firm.

As we also see in Matthew 24:16, the incidences of wars and conflicts such as mentioned above are signs of the end of the age, and it is therefore important for all who believe; to continue seeking God’s help, guidance and also His wisdom to be able to go through these times. Our goal therefore as God’s children, is to pray for God’s peace, not to seek revenge and retribution but leave our grievances to God because he is the only one who cares enough to take care of all our troubles. Brethren, let us pray ceaselessly so that, our swords, guns and other instruments of war, are turned into ploughshares so that God’s peace can reign in out world always.

 American President Herbert Hoover once said: “peace is not made in council chambers or through treatises, peace is made in the hearts of men”, therefore may God prepare our hearts so that God’s true peace can reside there to bring His everlasting peace to all of us and the world. Amen

Prayer:

Lord God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, we ask that for Your peace which surpasses all human understanding to rest and remain upon us now and always, so that we see Your way of resolving all human conflicts to end all the troubles and conflicts besetting our world. May we realise that we become truly blessed as Your children if and when we live in peace with everyone. Lord, help us tear down our prejudices, selfishness and fears, so that Your Shalom and love prevail in our lives, in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.