How Are We to Respond?
By Jeff Cranston
The year 2020 hasn't quite been the year that everyone was hoping it would be. Over the period of about 23 weeks, we've seen our country infected with a deadly pandemic, inflicted with recession, imploded by racial tensions, and incited by toxic political sparring matches. How much more can we take as a nation? As a people? What can possibly heal each and every one of these deep wounds?
How are we to respond when we hear the names Ahmaud Arbery, David Dorn, Walter Scott, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Derek Chauvin and Clementa Pinckney? How are we to respond to the churning rage that is spilling onto American streets?
How are we to respond as LowCountry Community Church? You and I. Black, white, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian brothers and sisters who all make up this church. How are we to respond to these events? Let me partially answer that difficult question by a single word we rarely, if ever, hear: lamentation.
A lament is a passionate expression of grief or sorrow. In the Bible, a whole book in the Old Testament is called Lamentations. When God’s people lament, they cry out to the Lord for His help. Lamentation calls for the Ultimate Help that only God can provide.
The Ultimate Help we need in our nation at this moment is not going to come from any politician. The Ultimate Help we need is not going to come from the National Guard. The Ultimate Help we need as a nation is not going to come from a political party. The Ultimate Help we need as a nation is not going to come from a governor, senator, or president.
We need the help that only Almighty God can give. The help we need can only come from God alone.
An internal struggle
Read Psalm 13. In verses 1 and 2, David asks the Lord, “How long?” This is also our cry. “How long, O Lord?” David calls out to the Lord—directly. Prayer is not an internal musing, but a direct address to God.
We must turn to God, first and most often, especially in times of trouble. Turn to the Lord and cry to Him. When we see a hopeless, frightening and confusing situation—as we see in our nation today—we can be tempted to turn first in a great many directions. But we must turn to the Lord—first.
External dangers
Read verses 3 and 4. David feels abandoned by God. You might feel that as you see the images coming in from all over the country—and you think, “Where is God?” “Why did God allow this?”
We should take the full weight of our pain and anger at the injustice of it all, and the full weight of our sorrows, to the Lord. No matter your background, your skin color, your mother tongue, your education, your standing in this society, pour out your complaints with tears to God. Pour out your frustrations to Him. Pour out your confusions to Him. Pour out your bewilderment to Him. Pour out your anger to Him.
In our lament, we should cry out that the Lord NOT forget this nation. There are external dangers all around us, but do you know where they come from? They stem from our own internal struggles.
· Racism in our hearts gives rise to discrimination and prejudice.
· Greed and envy give rise to theft and larceny and turning a blind eye to those in poverty.
· Anger gives way to assault, rape and murder.
· Lust gives way to STDs, pornography and adultery.
When we lament over these things, we are saying, “O Lord, do not abandon us because of our sin, our pridefully hard hearts, and our idolatry … please!”
In our lamenting, we must also pray for justice and for everyone involved. God is who our nation and our world needs. In our lamenting, let us grieve for the innocent, let us pray forcefully for justice for the guilty, and let us rage against the reptile that is behind it all—Satan, the adversary who seeks to steal, kill and destroy.
An upward look
Read verses 5 and 6. David called out to the Lord, and then he trusted the Lord. We can unreservedly trust our Lord. I have no idea what form justice will look like in all of this, but I can tell that there will still be a lot of unhappy, scared people. True justice does not exist in this world. Don’t misunderstand, we SHOULD work for justice. We SHOULD care about justice. We SHOULD demand justice. But we should realize that ONLY God delivers perfect justice.
Think about it this way: Are you concerned about racism and racists in our country? Me too. But neither of us as much as God. No one hates racism like the Creator of humanity. He created all races and all people in His image. Therefore, when one image-bearer of God discriminates against another image-bearer of God, no one is angrier than God. When one image-bearer of God is treated unjustly because of the color of his or her skin by another image-bearer of God, no one is more incensed than God. Make no mistake: God is, even now, storing up wrath against those who mistreat others. For those that do not humble themselves and turn to Jesus, they will face the wrath of God.
A God without righteous anger, a God without wrath against injustice, racism and oppression, is not the God of the Bible.
We must keep in front of us as Christians, what it truly is that our nation needs: Our nation needs the same thing that our neighbors need. There is a deep-seated hostility that cannot be erased by any human institution. Our nation and our neighbors need something more than political rhetoric, peaceful demonstrations, political rallies, community conversations, governmental solutions, and institutional promises.
Our nations and our neighbors need the healing power of Jesus Christ. Our neighbors need to hear of the One who suffered at the hands of sinful men when He did nothing wrong. You need to look no further than Jesus to find an innocent man who also suffered unjustly.
Our nation and our neighbors need to hear of the One who suffered for those who loot, those who abuse their power, those who oppress, those who are oppressed. Our nation and our neighbors need Jesus. Jesus Christ promises to wipe away your tears. He knows a place where there is no death, no mourning, no crying, no pain. He knows this—and that is what our neighbors and nation need to know.
How are we to respond to all of this? By lament. And as we are responding by lament, let us never forget that we are also called to respond in love.
The apostle John said, Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. (1 John 3:18, NLT) Jesus taught us, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13:34, NASB)
The only thing that will bond our hearts together in America is the love of Jesus Christ. The only answer to racism is a transformed heart by Jesus Christ. So, let’s share the light of Christ and seek the transformation of hearts and minds through the love of Christ!
Jeff Cranston is the lead pastor of LowCountry Community Church in Bluffton, South Carolina.
