Miracles of healing such as those reported in the Gospels – blind people seeing, the mute speaking, the deaf hearing, the lame walking (eg Matthew 15:30-31) – are regarded as supernatural manifestations of God’s power through his Son Jesus Christ and the apostles, during a special foundational era of the Christian church, and are not expected to occur in the present day.

The emphasis placed on the ministry of healing by more exuberant segments of Christianity, sometimes involving rather unusual practices, together with the lack of clinical confirmation of many alleged healings and miracles, has also contributed to the discrediting of this ecclesial ministry.

What Does the Bible Say?

There is no biblical basis for the belief, present in many churches, that the healing of the sick is a rare event and that the ministry of healing and deliverance is unjustified in contemporary society, which is more educated and informed, and has easier access to healthcare services.

Healing is part of God’s character. In Exodus 15:26 the Lord is called Rapha, the One who heals. In Psalm 103:3 we read: ‘who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases.’ Since his character is eternal and unchanging, this attribute remains present today, and was further enhanced after the coming of Christ and the descent of the Holy Spirit.

In the four Gospels we find reference to 41 healings (or moments of healing) performed by Jesus, which certainly represent only a fraction of those he carried out (cf John 21:25). At the beginning of his public ministry, in the synagogue of Nazareth, Jesus read from the book of Isaiah (61:1-2): ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’ (Luke 4:18-19) These words were fully fulfilled in the life of Christ and represent a synthesis of the Lord’s mission (cf Luke 4:21; Acts 10:38).

For some theologians, Christ’s death on Calvary provides not only salvation for all who believe in him but also physical healing. In the messianic prophecy of Isaiah 53:5 we read that ‘by his wounds we are healed’. Indeed, the word “salvation” (sozo in Greek), in its original etymological sense, includes both the forgiveness of sins and the healing of diseases (cf Mark 2:9-11).

The Lord Jesus commissioned his disciples (Matthew 10:1), and later the seventy, to heal the sick and cast out demons (Luke 10:9), making it clear that ‘whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father’ (John 14:12). After Pentecost, the ministry of healing and deliverance continued to be exercised by the apostles and the first believers, as we read in this account from the book of Acts: ‘They carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and mats, so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed’ (Acts 5:15-16). However, it was not only the apostles who performed healings and miracles in the name of Jesus. When the apostle Paul lost his sight on the road to Damascus, God called a believer from that city named Ananias to lay his hands on Paul so that he might see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:17).

We should also reject the idea that illness is a cross that, as Christians, we must bear. Biblical texts that present a positive view of suffering associate it with persecution and tribulations related to the proclamation of the gospel, and not with illness (eg Romans 12:12).

It is true that in the first-century church there are recorded cases in which healing did not occur, such as Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25-27), Timothy (1 Timothy 5:23), and Trophimus (2 Timothy 4:20). The apostle Paul himself refers to a ‘thorn in the flesh’ (2 Corinthians 12:7), which we do not know whether it was physical, mental, or spiritual in nature, although it is quite likely that he suffered from vision problems (cf Galatians 4:15; 6:11). Only in eternity will we have a full understanding of these matters (1 Corinthians 13:12), but one possible explanation for not experiencing the full manifestation of God’s power on this side of eternity, and for the many failures in prayers for healing, is that the prince of this world and the forces of evil remain active in opposition to the plans of the Lord and the Church. For this reason, we await with expectation the day when Satan and his angels will be destroyed and there will be no more death, disease or suffering (Revelation 12:9-10; 21:3-4).

Conclusion

The extraordinary scientific and technological advances of recent decades in the field of biomedicine have contributed to improved health and increased life expectancy worldwide. We should be grateful to God for this and value the dedicated work of healthcare professionals, many of whom are Christians.

Whenever we make use of healthcare services, we should not feel guilty, as if we were demonstrating a lack of faith, because high-quality healthcare – preferably delivered in a compassionate and humane manner – is a gift from God. However, we must not neglect the spiritual resources to which we have access as children of God, including healing from illness and health problems, whether physical or mental.

God heals today, as he has always healed throughout history, but this fundamental biblical doctrine lay dormant for centuries. In recent years, under the influence of the Pentecostal and charismatic movement, which is open to the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit and the exercise of spiritual gifts, it has been rediscovered by a growing number of Christians around the world, from all denominations.

Having myself experienced God’s healing power in my own life and in the lives of people I know well, I am fully convinced that the time has come for churches that call themselves Christian to fully fulfil their responsibility and mission to pray with confidence and expectation for the healing of the sick. Otherwise, they will not be faithful to the Lord’s mandate: ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.’ (Mark 16:16–18)

References

Brown, C. G. (2011). Global Pentecostal and Charismatic Healing. Oxford University Press.

Clark, R. (2015). Power to Heal: Keys to activating God’s Healing power in your life. Destiny Image.

Keener, C. S. (2021). Miracles Today: The supernatural work of God in the modern world. Baker Academic.

Johnson, B.; Clark, R. (2011). The Essential Guide to Healing: Equipping all Christians to pray for the sick. Chosen Books.

Raichur, A. (2023). Ministering Healing and Deliverance: Every believer can do this! All Peoples Church & World Outreach.

Trachsel, J.L. (2023). Moving in Miracles & Healing: A supernatural handbook. Destiny Image.

Jorge Cruz, MD PhD (Bioethics) is a vascular surgeon working in Portugal. He’s a member of the national committee of the Portuguese Association of Christian Doctors and Nurses (AEMC).

End of year and cross-over into a new year are exciting and joyful times in all cultures around the world. Two things come to mind at the end of year: reflection and thanksgiving.

The end of the year is first a time for reflection, when we can turn our minds back to the beginning of the year, ponder and scan through the months, and see how God’s grace has carried us through.

Reflection on God’s care through the year leads us to thank God for:

• blessing us and our families with good health, food, protection, finances, friendships, the communion of believers and spiritual nourishment
• blessing our ministry, businesses and the work of our hands
• seeing us through difficult and challenging times
• giving us peaceful times in our nations

We always have a lot to thank God for. As we count our blessings one by one, we lay a stone of thanksgiving, ‘Ebenezer’, and say, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.’

But crossing over to a new year also brings uncertainties as we don’t know what lies ahead. It is often a pleasant time of the year, a time of excitement. It was, for instance, an exciting moment for the people of Israel when they were told: ‘Get ready for in three days you will cross the Jordan to go in and possess the land’ (Joshua 1:11). We don’t know for sure what the future holds but we know the LORD who holds the future and who goes ahead of us to the new year to fight our battles and arrange things before us (Deuteronomy 1:30-33).

Samuel’s annual stations and circuit

The Bible text above gives us a glimpse and insight into how the prophet Samuel served his people and managed his year.

First, Samuel served with dedication ‘all the days of his life’ and with the right motives that his people know God and that God alone be exalted and glorified.  As we come to the end of the year, it is time to stop and ask ourselves: What has been my level of dedication in ministry? What were my motives as I served?

Second, the prophet Samuel had the following four important work stations which we can all learn from as we cross to start the new year.

Bethel

Samuel starts his year from Bethel. Bethel is the awesome place of God’s presence, a place of dreams, the place of a ladder connecting to heaven, a place of blessings and great promises, the House of God and the gate of heaven! (Genesis 28:10-17). What a great place to start the year from! Start in God’s awesome presence!

Gilgal

The next station is Gilgal. Gilgal is the place of circumcision, the place where the manna stopped and people ate from the produce of the land for the first time, a place of celebration of the Passover (Joshua 5:1-12). Both painful (circumcision and stopping of the manna) and enjoyable (celebrating the Passover) things happened in Gilgal. Gilgal might not be a place we like but it is an important station in our life and ministry. God at times allows us to go through Gilgal, through both painful and enjoyable times. In Gilgal, we might need to consider cutting out (circumcising) some activities and readjust to changes in funding and limited budgets. Gilgal is a place of refinement and re-alignment of goals, activities and budgets.

Mizpah

After Bethel and Gilgal, comes Mizpah. Mizpah is where the ark of the covenant was received back, prayers and sacrifices were offered, a stone of thanksgiving ‘Ebenezer’ was laid, battles were fought and lands were recovered. It is where Samuel judged Israel.  Mizpah is operations centre. It is a great place but not the starting point. The mistake we all make at times is starting the year from Mizpah (operations) rather than from Bethel (God’s presence), a reason we fail.

Ramah

Samuel’s final station is his home town Ramah where he built an altar. Ramah is where we reconnect and have communion with God before starting over again in Bethel. As we come to the end of the year, we need to return home to our base, Ramah, and build an altar before we cross to the new year. Bethel and Ramah are next to each other in the circuit.

Have a blessed end of year and cross-over to 2022!

Alex Bolek is ICMDA Africa Coordinator and East Africa Regional Secretary

Sadly, the ever-increasing specialism we see in the medical world furthers the concept of fixing the part, making it harder to see the whole, especially if we work in isolation rather than in a team. In this Covid era, where fortunately the need for and benefit of compassionate care has been emphasized both in the medical world and public media, our care and support for each other has become even more vital in underpinning our care of the patient.

This was expressed recently in Dame Claire Marx’s candid and refreshing resignation letter as Chair of the UK General Medical Council, which we reproduce here in part.

Dear Colleagues,

I wanted to write to you all to let you know that I am stepping down from the GMC, having recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Since receiving this news, I’ve been reminded once again of the importance and power of kindness in everything we do as doctors.

Compassionate leadership has been a cause I’ve championed throughout my career, from my early days as a surgeon, to my position as Chair of the GMC. Now, as a patient, I’ve appreciated that kindness from my medical team and found its impact to be profound.

As doctors, the interactions we have with our patients are a crucial part of the medical care we provide. Our empathy and professionalism shape a patient’s experience almost as much as our diagnostic ability or surgical skills, and they shape our own experiences as clinicians.

As an orthopaedic surgeon, I was often in the fortunate position of being able to ‘fix’ my patients. Performing a hip replacement and knowing how much it would improve someone’s quality of life is immensely satisfying.

But receiving my diagnosis reinforced for me that neat outcomes aren’t the norm in most areas of medicine. Many doctors carry this weight, but kind words can soften the blow of bad news, and empathy and understanding undoubtedly ease the burden. There is no greater comfort than human connection.

The events of the last year and a half have meant many doctors have been dealing with unimaginably sad situations. Facing them has required great fortitude.

In those dark moments, it is the support of our colleagues that pulls us back up. Being able to laugh and cry together, to share our experiences and lean on one another provides the courage to keep going. In a profession that rises or falls on the strength of our teams, dignity and respect for each other is indispensable. So, in addition to compassion for our patients, we must show respect and kindness for colleagues.

Perhaps then, in areas of the world where medical citadels were once resistant to prioritising care and compassion, we will now find open doors that PRIME as an organisation is able to walk through. As well as sadness then, is this also a time of greater opportunity to bring God’s Kingdom into the medical world?

Dr Robert Sadler is Chair of PRIME Management Team. This article is republished from their website by kind permission.

My personal reflection about death started during my teenage years, after the sudden death of some people close to me, and continued during medical school, specialisation in vascular surgery and coordination of organ harvesting from cadaver donors. In my master’s dissertation in bioethics, I researched the concept of brain death and its medical, ethical, and legal implications. However, the most relevant answers I found on the problem of death were not obtained from philosophers, theologians, sociologists, or health professionals. They were the result of my faith in Jesus Christ, the only one who can declare with all authority that he is alive and has power over death and hell (Revelation 1:17-18).

Martin Luther King Jr wrote shortly before his assassination in 1968: ‘God, through Christ has taken the sting from death, and it no longer has dominion over us. This earthly life is merely an embryonic prelude to a new awakening.’

What is death?

Death is considered a dramatic reality of human existence and the main taboo of our age. It is a unique and irreversible event for each person. The diagnosis of death almost always results from an irreversible cardiorespiratory arrest, whatever the underlying disease or the factor that caused the termination of vital functions.

Death is universal and it is the most egalitarian event of human existence, because it does not discriminate between men and women, between rich and poor, or between celebrities and ordinary people. The time of death is usually unpredictable, although we can influence our longevity by the way we live. Most diseases, such as cardiovascular and oncological diseases (the two main causes of death worldwide) are influenced by behavioural risk factors related to lifestyle. Recent studies have shown that adopting healthy behaviours such as not smoking, controlling weight, exercising, avoiding alcohol consumption, and eating a healthy diet can contribute to a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes, and an increase in life expectancy.

The enormous medical and technological progress achieved in the last decades has led to a considerable increase in the average life expectancy, especially in developed countries. Prevention has contributed more to this increase in longevity than the possibility of treatment of many diseases, through improved hygiene and sanitary conditions, effective vaccination, and generalised access to health services. But despite all the successes in the fight against the disease, sooner or later the moment of death always arrives.

The death that gives meaning to life

The good news is that death is not the end of the human being, because each one of us is a biopsychosocial and spiritual entity, consisting of a body and a soul and/or spirit. The spiritual dimension of the human being is eternal and, therefore, does not disappear nor is annihilated by bodily death.

It is my personal conviction, based on the Word of God, that in the person of Jesus Christ, God made Man, we find the answer to the existential problem of death, considered an enemy that was not part of the original plans of the Creator. The sacrificial and voluntary death of Jesus on the cross of Calvary gives meaning to the lives of all those who, through the centuries, have accepted and followed Him as the promised Messiah and the only way to God. Jesus died to set free ‘those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death’ (Hebrews 2:15).

For Christians, the attitude towards death should be like that of the apostle Paul, who recognised that he was faced with a dilemma: to remain alive and enjoy the fruit of his labour or ‘to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far’ (Philippians 1:22-23). In his letter to his young disciple Timothy, shortly before he was put to death by order of the Roman Emperor, he expresses his unshakeable confidence in the promises of God: ‘For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.’ (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

Most of us do not know at what moment we will make the last journey and finally will have the opportunity to ‘look death in the eye’. It could be many years from now or in the next few minutes. One thing is certain: the decisions we make today, while we live in this world, limited by time and space, will have eternal consequences. After death, there will not be another opportunity to repent and have peace with God, as we read in the Letter to the Hebrews 9:27: ‘People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment’.

I found peace with God and the assurance of salvation and eternal life when I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ, repenting of my sins and believing that He died on the cross in my place. From that moment on I have never feared death again because I know where I am going when I die. And you?

Jorge Cruz MD PhD (Bioethics) is a vascular surgeon working in Portugal. He is a member of the national committee of the Portuguese Association of Christian Doctors and Nurses (AEMC).

More recently the Dutch Catholic author Henri Nouwen, who wrote a book with the eponymous title, developed the idea that, ‘the great illusion of leadership is to think that (people) can be led out of the desert by someone who has never been there.’ This would require that the healer be able to acknowledge their own woundedness and have made some progress in their own recovery. Wounded healers are able to walk alongside the client/patient rather than acting as their superior, and by using careful self-disclosure may promote hope for recovery.

However, for most readers of this there is I’m sure a deeper resonance to the term ‘wounded healer’ that is found in the book of Isaiah, where in the well-known ‘suffering servant’ passage of chapter 53 we read, ‘Surely, he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed’ (Isaiah 53:4,5). A clear prophecy about the coming Messiah (Jesus) who was to take away the sin of the world by his sacrificial death for all lost and broken humankind, thus acting as the ultimate, divine wounded healer.

In this context it is interesting to read a paper in a recent edition of Medical Education entitled, ‘Why impaired wellness may be inevitable in medicine, and why that may not be a bad thing.’ In it the authors say:

‘A wellness crisis exists among physicians and medical trainees. High rates of burnout, depression, stress and other states of impaired wellness have driven a sense of urgency to create solutions, and the medical education community has mobilised impressively. However, we argue—and data suggest—that this rush to find solutions has outpaced our efforts to understand more fully the nature of impaired wellness in medicine. This, we believe, has led to the implementation of solutions informed by limited understanding of the problems we intend to solve.

We propose a different way of thinking about wellness: one based on what we view as an inherent—and potentially unavoidable—risk of experiencing impairment during a career in medicine. We argue that efforts to extinguish and eliminate all states of impaired wellness may also eliminate opportunities to develop constructive coping mechanisms and future resilience, and that wellness may best be conceptualised as healthy and authentic engagement with the inevitable adversity of a career in medicine.’

In other words, the authors are proposing that a healthy recognition of our own wounds as healers (including those sustained as a result of our professional engagement with patients and colleagues) is better and more realistic than denial and projection of our pain. This theme is part of a now well established and widely taken up PRIME seminar called ‘Compassion Without Burn Out’, that encourages participants to recognise the factors that tend to push them towards burn out and develop their own solutions, whilst acknowledging, in the author’s words above, ‘the inevitable adversity of a career in medicine’.

All the great wisdom teachers in the Christian (and indeed other major religious) tradition agree that it is only in ‘letting go’ of our human tendency to want to rid ourselves of pain and suffering and humbly accepting the reality of whatever ills befall us, that we can use our own experience to empathise with and promote the healing of others. The life of Jesus shows us all that the road to resurrection runs through (not around) the pain and suffering of the cross. So those of us in the healing professions must acknowledge our own lack of wellness, and use it constructively to help us walk alongside our suffering patients.

The vast universal suffering feel as thine:
Thou must bear the sorrow that thou claimst to heal;
The day-bringer must walk in darkest night.
He who would save the world must share its pain.
If he knows not grief, how shall he find grief’s cure?
(From the Indian Epic poem Maha Bharata)

Huw Morgan is a retired general practitioner and PRIME tutor. This article is republished with permission from the PRIME newsletter.

I think back to clinic visits over the years with patients living with Trisomy 21, whose visits I would eagerly anticipate, knowing that I would get a joyful hug and loving greeting as I walked into the exam room which would keep me smiling throughout a busy day. 

But closer to home, I had the tremendous blessing – and I use the word ‘tremendous’ advisedly in its most comprehensive definition, meaning not only ‘greatness or excellence’ but also the broader sense of ‘arousing awe and trembling’ – of having a younger brother who taught and inspired me from my earliest memories, as he overcame great physical challenges. I share part of his story as an example of how God instructs us through the lives of those who overcome.

My younger brother, Stephen Glenn Teusink, died a few days ago in his 66th year, having lived victoriously in the face of mobility challenges from severe cerebral palsy, initially acquired when he was three months old from encephalitis complicating chicken pox. Decades later it was exacerbated by being stabbed in the neck with resulting spinal cord damage during a robbery in his apartment, not long after starting to live independently as a young adult.

Steve’s vibrant Christian faith, fierce independence, enthusiasm, ready smile and laughter and what the French call ‘la joie de vivre’ were a blessing to all who knew him, particularly my sister and myself who grew up with him and assumed our family was typical. Steve was my primary motivation for pursuing a medical career. His way of tackling life head on was an inspiration to all who were privileged to know him, including those of us who knew him best. 

After graduation from secondary school, Steve attended college and worked in data entry for the City of Seattle. He was the first person with his severe degree of spastic quadriplegia and significant speech difficulties (he used a typing pad with voice synthesizer to communicate) to serve on a jury (twice) and he was active in his church. When the sanctuary of the church he attended was renovated, Steve served as a consultant representing church members in wheelchairs. 

He was asked where the wheelchairs should be located during worship: in the back near the entrance doors for ease of access, or in the front indicating a place of honor where everybody could see them? He responded, slowly typing one letter at a time, that they should be right in the middle of the congregation, where they belonged. And that’s where they were placed, in the middle, even though that might impede the smooth flow of other parishioners as they arrived and left. But in that impediment, interaction occurred with those in wheelchairs to the benefit of everyone.

During my infrequent home assignment visits back to the States when I would attend church with him, I would meet his friends. Once, a distinguished Seattle business man, whom I recognised from television commercials, turned around and introduced himself as a friend of Steve’s and wondered who I was, sitting in that place of honour. After services, when we would go out to lunch at his favourite restaurant, the host/hostess and wait staff spoke of their appreciation for Steve as a regular customer.  Just being with him felt like an honour.

When Steve left the love and care of my parents’ nurturing home as a young adult, our parents prayed daily that people would be kind to him in his vulnerability. That prayer was answered in abundance and I again saw poignant evidence of it two years ago on a brief visit home from overseas, when I went to see him in the small group home where he lived after his retirement.  

Steve had just left the residence before I arrived, in his electric wheelchair, taking the backroads and paths for his daily shopping outing at the local supermarket located about a mile away. I drove and arrived just as he was entering the store. As we walked down the aisle together, the store manager came up and with a cautiously protective air, asked if I knew Steve. I replied that I was his big brother and she immediately relaxed, smiled and shared how much they appreciated his daily visits to buy one or two items.  

One of the workers would be assigned to help him get the articles he desired off the shelves and then helped him pay by getting his debit card from his wallet and running it through the card reader. Steve was totally vulnerable and completely dependent on the kindness of strangers but in that dependence exhibited a confidence and strength that was extraordinary and profoundly instructive.  

All of us are only temporarily ‘enabled’ in this broken world and whether our period of disability extends for decades or only briefly before we transition into eternity, it’s helpful to have guides who have walked that path before us.

My brother’s strong Christian faith enabled him to face each day with courage and optimism. He was by far the bravest person I have ever known.

Steve, I look forward to walking and talking with you when next we meet, unencumbered by human frailty and made whole by the God in whose Image we were made. Thank you for being so patient with your big brother when in the midst of my busyness and ‘abilities’, I was actually the ‘disabled’ one.

‘Good night, sweet prince,
And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!’
(Hamlet, Act V Scene ii)

Tim Teusink MD MA (Bioethics) is an American physician based in France with SIM in France but his primary work involves teaching Bioethics around the African Continent to medical students and resident physicians. In normal times he travels a lot and also teaches at the CMDA-CMDE Conferences in Thailand and Greece.

The life of Jacob speaks much into our lives in this season.  The part of his story that is particularly relevant to our days is the encounter at Peniel.  A man who always wants to be in control of his life – scheming, planning and strategising to be upwardly mobile even when that means pulling others down – suddenly finds himself vulnerable and alone, wrestling with a man who turns out to be God!  (Genesis 32:22-32)

In his early years, Jacob displays all too well the characteristics of his name – supplanter, deceiver, the one who struggles with man.  He is always running ahead of God’s plans for his life, trying to take control of it by various means.  He deceives his brother and his father and runs away to Midian fearing retaliation from his brother.  But the 20 years he spends in Midian with his father-in-law are a tough phase of his life, for he meets his match.  Laban is an equally sharp deceiver and manipulator.

The Peniel moment happens on his way back to the land of his forefathers.  Jacob, having had enough of his father-in-law, wants to return to his native place with his two wives and eleven children, but he is afraid.  He remembers his brother Esau’s wrath and expects the worst.  So, he plans his journey well to protect his belongings and his family.  At the head of the caravan he positions multiple gifts followed by different groups, his family next, and then he himself follows them at the back.  After he sends the others on across the ford, he is alone.  There he meets the man.

The man enters a wrestling match with Jacob. They wrestle the whole night.  Finally, the man dislocates Jacob’s hip.  Though handicapped, Jacob does not leave him and says, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’  (Genesis 32:26)

A self-made man who is trying to move up in life and is seemingly in control suddenly finds himself lame.  From that day on, when he wakes up in the morning he will wake up with a limp.  When he gets out of bed, he will be reminded of how on that day at Peniel he was crippled, broken and made vulnerable.

As individuals and as nations, we can recognise that we are in a Peniel moment of our own.  Many of us have been reminded that we are not in control of our lives.  The nations and their leadership have realised that they are not in control either.  The systems on which we put our confidence – the economy, stability, health etc – have all been taken away.  We are being reminded that we are a broken world.  Let us not reject but embrace this season of disability.

After crippling Jacob, the man at Peniel asks him to state his name.  Names in the Jewish culture denote character.  The supplanter and the one who struggled with man – Jacob – is now being asked to state his name and thereby his character.  When he does this, he is given a new name – Israel, the one who struggles with God.  A change in name also means a change in who he is.  From being a person who struggles to control his life he becomes one who hands his life over to God!

In this Peniel moment we as individuals and as nations not only need to embrace our brokenness, but also need to allow God to change our name and character.  Let us change from being needy of control to handing it all over to God.

What could be the outcome of this?  

If we follow Jacob’s life after the encounter at Peniel, two things stand out. 

First, there is a renewal of his relationship with God.  Until then, unlike his father and grandfather, he has not built an altar or worshipped Jehovah.  While running from his brother he had bargained with God and promised that if brought back safely to Bethel, he would build him a house there.  (Genesis 28:20-22)  He forgot that promise.  Post the crippling and name change, we see Jacob building an altar to God at Shechem.  (Genesis 33:18-20)  But after settling down, he again forgets his promise about Bethel.  God comes to him and reminds him, so he returns to Bethel, builds an altar and worships God there.  (Genesis 35:1-7)

Second, if we follow Jacob’s life after the Peniel moment, we see that he is not leading himself anymore.  Instead, he is being led – peaceably – by God and his loved ones.  This is what will happen to us if we do not waste this precious Peniel season.  We should pray for our world to receive this experience too.  Let us pray that the nations and their leaders will develop a sense of confidence, dependence and restfulness – not in their own ability to control the situation, but in God.

May this season be one of proactive engagement with God through which we are broken, made vulnerable and allow God to change our name and character.  Such a season will lead us to a renewed relationship with God and the peace of being led by him.

Dr Santhosh Mathew is Regional Secretary for South Asia and Head of Training at ICMDA

‘Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me…..For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?”’ (Matthew 16:24-26)

Adoniram Judson (1788-1850) was a Baptist missionary and the first American clergyman to bring the gospel to the Buddhist people of Burma. Soon after his appointment at the age of 25, he proposed to Ann Hasseltline, with what some might call an unromantic offer: ‘Give me your hand to go with me to the jungles of Asia, and there die with me in the cause of Christ.’

Judson, who already knew Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, immediately began studying the Burmese language. He saw his first convert after seven years, and it took him 20 years to translate the Bible into the local language. He returned to the USA only once in his 37 years abroad, was widowed twice, and six of his children died in the bush. He was arrested and chained during the Anglo-Burmese war, and on his release, he requested to be moved to another province to continue preaching the gospel. The ruler said to him: ‘My people are not fools enough to listen to what a missionary might say, but I fear they might be impressed with your scars and turn to your religion!’ Jeremy Camp, in his book I still believe, said: ‘I’ve learned that suffering doesn’t destroy faith, it refines it.’

During Easter, we are reminded again about the cross of our Lord and what it means for our salvation as Christians.

Before we commit to something today, we usually want to know: what’s in it for me? Or if we’re being given the hard-sell by someone else: what’s in it for you, what’s the catch? Whichever culture you’re from, whatever background you have, whether in the corporate world or private, it’s widely accepted that there is no such thing as a free lunch.

A young couple walked into a jewellery store to buy a necklace with a cross on it, but they couldn’t agree on whether to have one with a ‘little man’ on it or one without the ‘little man.’ As the saying goes, ‘many people can wear a cross, but few can bear them’.

Looking at the cross of Jesus Christ, there are two sides: The Suffering Christ and the Victorious Christ.

The Apostle Paul writes: ‘For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.’ (1 Corinthians 1:18) What a contrast between what the world thinks and what the Bible says about the cross.

The message of the cross is scandalous. It is even offensive to those looking with merely human eyes. It looks weak – especially to those who see religion consisting of only signs, miracles and powers. It looks unsophisticated – especially to those who think religion is about knowledge and fine-sounding arguments.

Scientists claim to have buried God – ‘God is dead,’ as Nietzsche put it. But to Christians, the cross is a message of hope for all people: Jesus was born to die, and to rise again. That was the reason for the incarnation. On the cross, Jesus faced the judgment of God. He took the wrath of God upon himself.

Is it just a matter of Science vs Faith?

As C S Lewis put it in his book A Grief Observed, ‘You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you. It is easy to say you believe a rope to be strong and sound as long as you are merely using it to cord a box. But suppose you had to hang by that rope over a precipice. Wouldn’t you then first discover how much you really trusted it. Only a real risk tests the reality of a belief.’

In the face of death, almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – just falls away, leaving only what is truly important.

Recently, the Ghanaian president Akufo-Addo, while encouraging his population to stay home to fight COVID-19 claimed: ‘We [the government] know how to bring the economy back to life. What we do not know is how to bring people back to life.’ This simple but powerful quote has gone viral on the international scene, earning him a lot of commendations for his leadership.

When considering the current pandemic, one might sense natural selection at work. Others consider the population control views of environmental or animal rights activists. Should the shutdown provide a boost to their arguments? Of course, Christianity says no – the Lord has paid the price on the cross. We must stand in the gap for those are suffering and those in need. We love one another as we love ourselves. We stand up for the weak and marginalised and are a voice for the voiceless. Protect lives – this has been at the core of the Christian message all along.

Was the cross necessary? Can anything good comes out of pain?

The Apostle Paul goes on to tell us that the world in its wisdom did know God (1 Corinthians 1:21). Man can figure out many things; man can build impressive things – but in all his wisdom he cannot make his own way to God. You will never know God through the wisdom of the world.

Martin Luther King wrote: ‘The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.’

So, one might ask, where is God when it hurts? Phillip Yancey in his book, Disappointment With God, provides an answer by rewording the question: ‘Where is the Church when it Hurts?’

We are the church. We are Christ in a suffering world. As we follow the Lord Jesus and are filled with his Spirit, we carry with us the power of God through the resurrection.

John Wyatt, in his book Matters of Life and Death, writes: ‘Suffering is not a question which demands answer, neither a problem which demands a solution. It is a mystery which demands a presence.’

St Augustin wrote: ‘Since God is the highest good, he would not allow any evil to exist in his works unless his omnipotence and goodness were such as to bring good even out of evil.’

When faced with suffering, we, like the Lord, may cry out, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’ (Mark 15:34). Jesus was bearing the sin of every believer in the world, including your sins and mine, by dying in our place. That is why he came.

Here is good news: nails did not hold our Lord Jesus to that cross. Love did. I am glad. Sunday came, and our Lord overcame death. HALLELUJAH! We are seeing and witnessing the other side of the cross, victory. The Bible says, as they came to the tomb, the tomb was empty, our Lord is alive. (Mark 16:6)

So what then is our part in all of this?

Jim Elliot once said: ‘He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.’ Our salvation is eternal. Though we may die, we will rise with him. We are eternal beings.

For the world though, this life is all there is. Live and enjoy it while it lasts. Existentialists have argued that life has no meaning or purpose, we are all just a bunch of cells or meat. As Richards Dawkins put it: ‘DNA neither cares nor knows. DNA just is. And we dance to its music.’

Ravi Zacharias however, while reflecting on the cross of Jesus Christ wrote: ‘We live with the hunger for truth, love, justice, and forgiveness. There is only one place in the world where these converge: it is in the cross of Christ, where perfect love and perfect justice became united in one death on Friday afternoon.’

Thank God that Sunday is coming. Our Lord has overcome the grave. We sing with Billi Gaither: ‘Because he lives, I can face tomorrow.’ We too shall live after the grave – our hope is not in vain, we will live with him for eternity. (1Corinthians 15:12-19)

I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

Happy Easter to you all!

We all face difficulties in life. What is unique about the coronavirus pandemic is that we are all facing the same difficulty at the same time – although its effect on each one of us is different.

But each family has its own story of illness – mental and physical, chronic or terminal. Each family at some time will face loss – of money, possessions, hopes and dreams. Bereavement, failure and disappointment is part of life for all of us at some point. And we all eventually know the pain of broken relationships or loneliness and isolation – be it temporary or permanent. In addition, for Christians there is the promise that in some way or another we will face persecution (2 Timothy 3:12).

People of various worldviews and faiths all have their explanations for suffering. For Muslims it’s about the will of Allah – it’s all fate. For Buddhists, it has to do with unsatisfied desire – it’s in the mind. For Hindus it is payback for past lives – it’s all karma. And for atheists it’s the product of time and chance – it’s just random molecules.

But for Christians who believe in a God who is at once all-powerful, all-knowing and all-loving – the question is often raised – why doesn’t he do something about it? Surely, he must know and care and be able to deal with it?

Philosophers and theologians throughout the ages have grappled with this question by devising ‘theodicies’ – explanations for why God might allow suffering.

At one level these usually fall in the category of one of four F’s.

First, we live in a fallen world which is damaged by sin. The breaking of God’s relationship with human beings (through our rebellion and indifference) has led also to a breaking of our relationships with each other and with the planet. War, disease and natural disasters are to be expected in such a world. The whole world is ‘groaning’ (Romans 8:22).

Next is the effect of free will. God has granted human beings, and indeed the devil himself, the ability to make choices. How much of the difficulty in our world results from people (or demons) making bad choices or failing to make good ones?

Third, we need to see difficulties through the eyes of faith. God has higher purposes in suffering which we, from our limited human perspective, may be unable to discern. Suffering produces perseverance and perseverance produces character, as the Apostle Paul reminds us (Romans 5:3-4).

Finally, we need to see suffering in the light of the future. God has unfinished business with this planet and its inhabitants and his intention is to create a new heaven and new earth where there is no suffering (Revelation 21:1-4). Everything will eventually be put right. But he is in no hurry as he wants to give people a chance to turn to him before it is too late (2 Peter 3:9). And pain and difficulties, as CS Lewis reminds us, are his megaphone to a deaf world.

But the Bible is also a book for life travellers more than armchair philosophers. Travellers ask different questions: How do I get over this next hill or obstacle? Or, Which route do I take at this fork? Don’t expect to know the answers to all life’s mysteries and especially what God’s purposes might be for you personally through them.

And so, we would expect Scripture to be replete of practical advice for travellers – and it is.

Psalm 13 is a great example, worthy of thousands of words. Facing problems? Keep praying (Psalm 13:1-4), trust in his unfailing love (5), rejoice in his salvation (5) and sing the Lord’s praise (5). All of these are life-transforming exhortations.

But in this post, I want to draw to your attention five keys to resilience and perseverance from one of my favourite chapters in the Bible – Hebrews 12. I hope they will be as much help to you as they have been for me when I need something a little more. Hebrews 12 is a feast of practical instruction – and its appeal is to use our minds to think our way out of bitterness, despair and self-pity.

1. Consider those who have gone before (Hebrews 12:1-4)

The chapter starts with the word ‘therefore’ calling us to look back at what has just been said.

‘Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.’ (Hebrews 12:1,2)

Who is this great cloud of witnesses? They are the heroes of faith whose names are listed in Hebrews 11 – Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Gideon, David, Samuel and the prophets. Many of them won great victories – but none had a life devoid of suffering and struggle.

Some of them, we are told, were ‘tortured… faced jeers and flogging, chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning… sawn in two, killed by the sword… persecuted and mistreated.’ (Hebrews 11:35-37).

In comparison many of own burdens pale into insignificance.

But most of all, the author bids us to consider Jesus Christ himself, who ‘endured the cross, scorning its shame’ in order to win our salvation. In fact, he put himself through this ordeal for ‘the joy that was set before him’ – the joy of saving us, and of winning us for himself.

Jesus, in his struggles on our behalf, always had the end in view and this is what encouraged him to press on. In the same we need to remember that nothing done in the Lord’s service is ever in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58) and that our labours for him are fruitful (Philippians 1:22) even if there are times when we cannot imagine the fruit, let alone see it with our own eyes.

‘Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.’ (Galatians 6:9)

Have we ‘resisted to the point of shedding our blood’? (12:4) Not many of us. So, let us consider those who have gone before – especially Jesus Christ – and think about what they went through before feeling too sorry for ourselves. Let’s instead ‘throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles’. (12:2)

2. Endure hardship as discipline (12:5-12)

‘Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?’ (Hebrews 12:7)

God uses the hardships we face to build into us the qualities we need to be his effective disciples. ‘Perseverance produces character,’ says Paul (Romans 5:4). ‘Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance’, says James. (James 1:2,3)

Just as training hones the athlete and grit produces a pearl in an oyster, so God uses trouble and difficulty to shape and improve us, so that we are more useful to him. This is a mark of his love for us.

So, ‘do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves.’ (12:5). Just as our parents’ discipline is a mark of their love for us, so when God brings hardship into our lives it is with a higher purpose of moulding us into his image.

‘No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.’ (Hebrews 12:11)

Often if we are honest, we find ourselves taking exactly the opposite view and assuming that God cannot love us because of what he has allowed us to go through – but in fact he never promised us that life would be easy. Rather Jesus said to his disciples, ‘In this world you will have trouble.’ (John 16:33)

How we love to hear the tender words of Jesus, ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’ (Matthew 11:28). But sometimes we actually need him to be tougher with us. Jesus said some unbelievably tough things to his disciples, which they badly needed to hear for their own good.

When Jeremiah was complaining to the Lord about how difficult things were for him as the Lord’s prophet he received a salutary telling off:

‘If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?’ (Jeremiah 12:5)

Effectively God is saying, ‘toughen up. If you think this is bad how are you going to cope with what is coming?’

God disciplines us through the hardships we face in order that he can use us more effectively in the future.

‘No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.’ (12:11)

So, when we face difficulty a good question to ask is, ‘What is God teaching me through this? What qualities is he building into me as I rise to this occasion?’

3. Make every effort to live in peace and be holy (12:13-17)

Sometimes we can be tempted to grumble against God when we face difficulties. In the Book of Malachi God accuses his people of saying ‘harsh things’ against him (Malachi 3:13). ‘What are these harsh things?’ they ask. God replies that it is when they say, ‘It is futile to serve God. What did we gain from carrying out his requirements?’

How often we fall prey to this – pouring scorn upon our Lord and Saviour because we don’t like our personal circumstances.

This part of Hebrews 12 warns us of the danger of using hardship as an excuse to stop being serious about our discipleship. Esau is cited as a sobering example in throwing away his inheritance just because he was tired and hungry after a hard day’s work. (12:16)

We need to ensure that we do not fall into bitterness, sexual immorality or fighting with others out of spite for God or because we think that what we are going through gives an excuse for such behaviour.

Living holy lives and living in peace with others are no less our duty when times are tough.

As Peter reminds us, we ‘ought to live holy and godly lives’ as we ‘look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.’ (2 Peter 3:13)

This is crucial if we are to commend the Gospel to others. Let’s not use tough times as an excuse for sin.

4. Remember what you have been saved to (12:18-24)

The writer here draws a contrast between the Old Covenant made by the Israelites on Mt Sinai and the New Covenant sealed with the blood of Christ on the mount of crucifixion.

The promised rewards of the former were dependent on obedience to God’s commands (Exodus 19:5-6) and there were accordingly warnings, commands and punishments for disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). But there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

By contrast, the New Covenant is based on God’s grace – his unmerited favour to us through Jesus paying the price for our sins on the cross.

We look forward to the ‘heavenly Jerusalem’ (12:22) and a glorious eternity with God. Christians often forget that the rewards in the Christian life are almost entirely in the future.

And it is the glories and delights of heaven that put the sufferings of this life into perspective.

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9). In the light of the eternal glory that is coming, our troubles on earth, however bad, are but ‘light and momentary’ when seen from this perspective (2 Corinthians 4:17).

5. Remember what you have been saved from (12:25-29)

Keeping our troubles in perspective against the joys of heaven is sobering, but so also is seeing them against the horrors of hell, eternal separation from God.

If God was simply a God of justice, then he would have eliminated humankind at the moment Adam and Eve first sinned. But he is thankfully also a God of mercy, who delays the judgment we all deserve to enable us to repent.

We cannot stand safely in his presence unless we are clothed with the ‘righteousness of Christ’ (2 Corinthians 5:21) because ‘God is a consuming fire’. (12:29)

The author of Hebrews here reminds us about the fate of people at the time of the Exodus who turned their backs on God.

How much worse will it be if we reject him now, after the coming of Christ.

The threat of coronavirus is nothing compared to facing Jesus Christ unforgiven on the day of judgement so we need to be thankful, reverent and humble before him. (12:28-29)

Conclusion

Are you tempted to fear, despair or give up? Consider those who have gone before. Endure hardship as discipline. Make every effort to live in peace and be holy. And see things in an eternal perspective – always remember what you have been saved to and what you have been saved from.

Let’s take these five keys to resilience and perseverance to heart as we negotiate these current difficulties.  

‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.’ John 14:1

We are going through times when fear has invaded everyone, including some Christians. The fear generated by COVID-19 is another virus that is even more contagious and more virulent than COVID-19 itself. The psychosis it generates is, therefore, a more serious pandemic than that of COVID-19.

However, the Lord Jesus Christ reassures us that we have absolutely no reason to worry in such a situation, if at least we believe in him. Fear has never helped to overcome a difficult situation, on the contrary, it only makes things worse.

Fear, a powerful weapon of destruction

Fear is indeed a weapon that the devil has always used to destabilise and destroy human beings. Likewise, in war, one of the main strategies used to destabilise the enemy is that of panic. The first battle often turns out to be one of thoughts. If one of the parties loses the battle of thoughts, it has lost all chance of winning the war. If you give in to fear of the enemy, you are already defeated even before the actual war begins.

Remember the war between the Philistines and the people of Israel during the reign of Saul in 1 Samuel 17. The two armies encamped on both sides of the valley, each physically and materially prepared for the war. But the Philistines took a big step ahead of the Israelites by preceding the actual battle with that of fear. A giant named Goliath, about three meters tall, armed to the teeth, was responsible for spreading terror in the camp of Israel, morning and evening. The Israelites were terrified by his imposing stature, his heavy armor and his arrogant threats. They were certainly about to capitulate and deliver all the people as slaves to the Philistines, when finally, on the fortieth day, the diminutive David who, despite all the threats and intimidation (coming both from his fellows as well as from Goliath) succeeded in defeating Goliath using a single slingshot!

Fear destroys one’s entire defense system, starting with one’s mental defense weapons. It leads to deep discouragement, total lack of concentration and a tendency to inaction or to inappropriate or even dangerous actions. It also attacks one’s weapons of spiritual defense, especially faith in God, the real shield of the Christian (Ephesians 6:16). It finally weakens the one’s physical defense (the immune system), thus giving free access to any germ and disease to destroy the body of this person. So, Job’s experience could be yours: ‘What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me’. (Job 3:25).

Why should we not be afraid?

Let me share with you three reasons not to give in to this psychosis. I think they can encourage us and keep us from this scourge.

1. God reassures us of his protection

The first object of psychosis is the fear of being infected with the virus, and therefore of contracting the disease. But the Word of God contains many promises from the Lord concerning our preservation from all danger.

In Psalm 91, it was said in verses 5 to 7: ‘You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.’

As the children of Israel, residing in Goshen, were saved from the plagues in Egypt, God reassures us of his protection during this pandemic and any other scourge. Our Goshen is Jesus, and we are marked by his blood. If we stay under his shelter, no harm can come to us, unless it is His will.

This is not, however, a license not to comply with the protection rules recommended by national and international authorities. On the contrary, the Bible encourages us to submit fully to such provisions and encourages our relatives to do so.

On the night when the children of Israel came out of Egypt, God himself had recommended that each of them should remain locked in his house, after having marked the sides and tops of his doorframe with the blood of the Passover lamb. Thus, they would not be affected by the last plague with which he would strike Egypt: the death of the firstborns (Exodus 12). If someone, negligently or stubbornly, does not mark his home with the blood of the Passover lamb, or stays outside, or even circulates freely, they would certainly be affected by that wound. We must therefore submit to the recommended preventive measures, while being aware that it is God who protects us first.

2. We have a definitive victory over death

In the end, what is everyone afraid of? Is it the simple fact of contracting the disease that scares so much? Obviously not! In fact, it is the fear of death that makes people tremble most of all.

Death is the final and ultimate object of every fear. People tremble before death because they do not know what will happen after it. Death derives its terrifying force from the fact that it remains a totally unknown and impenetrable mystery for natural man. And the uncertainty of this unknown creates fear in most human beings.

In fact, by being afraid of dying, they subconsciously fear hell, reserved for the devil, demons and all those who have not accepted Jesus Christ during their life as their personal Saviour and Lord.

On the other hand, if we are confident that we have been reconciled to God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, we need not fear death. If we are born again, we must also be reassured of our complete and final victory over death. The Apostle Paul could cry, ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’(1 Corinthians 15:55).

King David, the man after God’s heart, says: ‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me’. (Psalms 23:4)

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, facing the threat of the fiery furnace, affirmed with unshakable confidence: ‘If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’ (Daniel 3:17-18). What assurance before an imminent threat of death!

We are reassured that our covenant with God in Christ preserves us from death before the time planned by God. The Lord can protect us from any serious and dreadful disease; but if perhaps we get sick, he also is able to heal us and deliver us from physical death. And if in spite of everything, it happened that he allows, by his unfathomable sovereignty, that death prevails through any disease, we are reassured that it would only be a passage to eternal joy and happiness, infinitely more than what we could have experienced on this earth! ‘For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.’ (Philippians 1:21).

Billy Graham could declare before his death: ‘Some day you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.’

This must also be the assurance of each of us, if we are truly in Christ.

3. We are carriers of life

In the current situation, where everyone is stressed and distraught, and where many are desperate; we, children of God, are the only ones who can truly communicate hope and peace to the world. If the world is afraid and we, Christians, are also afraid, who will reassure whom? If we are discouraged, like unbelievers, who will comfort and encourage others? Who can transmit hope and new life to distraught souls if it is not we who believe in Jesus Christ?

Furthermore, these times are more than favourable for the proclamation of the gospel. And if we are filled with fear, what message shall we give to the people? Can we tell them firmly that Jesus Christ is coming soon and that they have to repent and believe in him before it should be too late?

With fear, how can we pray? And if we pray, would our prayer be effective? Certainly not!

Jesus said to Peter: ‘Simon, Simon, Satan has asked you to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.’ (Luke 22:31-32).

Fear, as we saw above, is an enemy of faith. It destroys our faith and paralyzes us spiritually, psychologically and physically. Let us therefore be strengthened in our faith in Jesus Christ. And, being relieved of all fear and worry, let us stand up to rescue the afflicted souls.

Shalom!

Luc Mahougbe Kouwanou is ICMDA Area Representative for Francophone West Africa