Readings for today: Isaiah 51-53, Ephesians 5, Psalms 69:19-36, Proverbs 24:7
One of the great blessings of my life has been to meet saints who have suffered for the cause of Christ. One of those is Bishop John Rucyahana of Rwanda. Bishop John gave up a thriving ministry in Uganda where he was relatively safe to enter into the horror of the aftermath of the genocide in his home country. He writes and speaks powerfully on the subject as he seeks to answer the question, “Where was God as over one million people were being slaughtered?” His answer is powerful because it is born out of his personal experience as well as his willingness to sit in the ashes with so many and listen to their stories. “Where was God when a million innocent people were being butchered? Where was God when priests and pastors helped massacre the people in their churches? I’ll tell you where God was. He was alongside the victims lying on the cold stone floor of the cathedral. He was comforting a dying child. He was crying at the altar. But He was also saving lives. Many were saved by miracles. God does not flee when evil takes over a nation...God is the giver of eternal life, and He can bring great good out of any situation. He raises the dead; He can also raise the broken. He can restore their hearts and minds and lift their spirits to renewed life. In my country God is doing this today by the thousands. There is so much pain here, so many real tears, and so much guilt that our ministry is like preaching hope from the top of a pile of bones. From atop a mountain of mutilated bodies, we are stretching a hand upward to proclaim a message of transformation and recovery.” (The Bishop of Rwanda )
Another saint I’ve had the privilege of spending time with is Pastor Chun Ki-Won. Pastor Chun is the founder of a ministry called Durihana in South Korea which operates both as an accredited international school as well as a base for rescue operations for those enslaved in North Korea. Pastor Chun risks his life on a regular basis to save those who are trapped and suffering. He has been nicknamed the “Asian Schindler” for his work at saving literally hundreds of refugees over the last few decades. A few years ago, I had the privilege of visiting the Durihana school and spending time with some of the refugees there. It was heartbreaking to listen to them tell of the starvation, physical and sexual abuse, rape, and torture they endured. These young women had suffered on a level I simply could not fathom and yet their faith remained strong. Only Jesus could provide such grace. Only Jesus could give them such strength. How can I be so sure? Because Jesus knows the depths of human suffering. He experienced the absolute worst this world has to offer. He knows evil intimately and through his death defeats it once and for all. Listen to how the ancient prophet Isaiah describes the suffering of Jesus, some hundreds of years before His death and resurrection.
“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed...He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth...Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand...Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:3-5, 7, 10, 12)
The same God who bore the sins of many. The same God who makes intercession for the transgressors. The same God who loved His enemies so much He died for them is the same God who is alive and active in Rwanda. Bringing about reconciliation through forgiveness. Alive and active in North Korea. Bringing healing to broken bodies and restoration to broken souls. Preaching hope from atop a pile of His own bones. From atop His own mutilated body, He stretches a hand upward to proclaim a message of transformation and grace. It’s truly incredible and it is available to all who would place their trust in Him. Friends, if God can bring about reconciliation between the victims and perpetrators of genocide in Rwanda can He not accomplish the same in our lives as well? If God can bring healing to the refugees of North Korea can he not do the same for us? What is required? Repentance. Confession. Truth-telling. Courage. Faith. Humility. Most of all, a deep and abiding and enduring trust in the power of the gospel.
Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 54:1-57:14, Ephesians 6, Psalms 70, Proverbs 24:8