Iran, Israel, Easter And Passover-Oh My!
“Passover is a time of reflection and joy. When we emerge from our cocoon of doubt to fly freely on the wings of faith.” ~Unknown
Here we are again, another week of war, hatred, pious and pernicious politicians and podcasters. Whatever can we do? I say we all collectively throw our hands up and scream, seriously! After that, we should pray without ceasing.
Concerning Iran
Are you familiar with the history of Iran’s occupation? I must admit, I was not until recently. I know a few people who lived in the country before 1979, when the Shah ruled Iran. My friend showed me pictures of such elegance and excellence from their culture. There were glorious chapels that looked like glass, the women were absolutely gorgeous and free thought was encouraged. My Iranian friends referred to themselves as “occupied” after they were taken over by another regime. Women became objects covered from head to toe and the society plunged into what looked like a primitive culture that was greatly set back. I listened to my friends’ impassioned cries for deliverance back to what they knew before. They knew what life was like in better times. Also, Persia is the seat of so much history, namely the story of the beautiful queen Esther and her bravery. The gallows that were created for Mordecai, Esther and the Jewish people were turned around and Haman was hanged on his own noose!
Could the time of Esther be for today?
Are we living in the days of Haman? Could the world be so full of evil and injustice that God Himself has stepped down to intervene? Haman wanted to kill those who would not bow to him and his ways; could the same be true for today? Have the prayers of those in Iran who have been slaughtered for wanting freedom to be Persian be coming to fruition? One must wonder. After all, history just repeats itself over and over. It is a battle of good and evil until Jesus comes back. What if the words Mordecai gave Esther are pertinent for today? When Esther went to the King, she was taking her life into her hands, coming unannounced, but if she didn’t go see the King the lives of her people would hang from Haman’s noose. Let us ponder the words uttered to Esther: “If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” My dear Iranian friends believe they were created for such a time as this.” Let us join them in prayer and solidarity.
Concerning Israel
Have you read all that is being said about Israel lately? My goodness, the pure hatred for this tiny little nation has caused me to shake my head. I’m talking about the nation of Israel, not the government. Personally, I believe you can have issues with a government and its policies, but the nation of Israel? The group that believers are grafted into when you receive Christ? That mindset is treading on some very dangerous waters. God watches over Israel and He never slumbers nor sleeps. Also, ask yourself, if your echo chamber spews hatred, malice, slander, conjecture and over-all darkness; does that reflect the character of God? No, dear ones it does not. The scripture says: pray for the peace of Jerusalem: may those who love you be secure. The Apostle Paul spent much time talking about believers being grafted into the body of Christ. He also said that salvation is indeed for all, the Jew first, then the Greek (or gentile). Why all the antisemitism? Like my last article, my suspicion is once again he who comes to steal, kill and destroy. Ask yourself, dear ones, is it true, honest, just, lovely and of praise? Hating God’s creation and people? That’s not good. Please remove yourself from some idle talk.
Easter is here and the culture is getting crazier by the day
Church, I’ve been shocked at what has come from the mouths and posts of believers. There may be legitimate reasons to have a grievance with all that is politics these days. Believe me, I get it. But what is disconcerting is the descent into acting just like the world (or in some cases, much worse than the world). We’ve become the gossipers of the world rather than the light. Jesus came to this world, bore each sin for us and triumphantly rose on the third day to defeat death, hell and the grave! Let us come together during this holy time and re-dedicate our lives to reflecting Jesus. It’s not powerless to pray, nor is it weak to love your neighbor! On the contrary, it is within our reach to do these very basic things and it will produce much fruit. To love God with all of your heart is to search and dwell with Him. In that search, you are transformed to walk more like Him. And the fruit? You love your neighbor as yourself. God is timeless, and He has provided us a way to deal with our current zeitgeist because of His great wisdom.
We are living in a Passover moment
The other day I casually mused, “You know with everything going on right now, I wouldn’t be surprised if we looked out the window and saw frogs flying down from the sky or even fire.” My friend without hesitation said, “Yeah, I feel that.” Dramatic floods, crazy winds, mounds and mounds of snow, earthquakes, meteorites falling from the sky in several locations all in one week. I live in the South, where the weather is usually unpredictable, but last week? We had 80 degrees, storms, punishing winds and snow-all in 24 hours! Then of course a blood moon, planets aligning for the first time in a long while and strange phenomena blasting across the sky. Me thinks God is trying to get our attention. What happened during Passover? God delivered the Jews from slavery and bondage into His freedom. The events that led up to their deliverance were amazing. The water turned to blood, locusts plagued them, cattle died, boils and sickness came, darkness and then the death of the firstborn.
Are we due for another Biblical proportion Passover?
With all that is going on in the world, it does beg the question: Are we in another Passover time? Has God stepped down, sent the plagues and signs to get our attention? I’m not saying He’s going to take your firstborn, but in the words of my grandmother: “Have you painted your doors?” During Passover, the Israelites painted their doors with the blood of the sacrificial lamb so that the Angel of Death would pass over their home during the judgement. God again in His wisdom was foreshadowing the coming of His precious Son to be our Passover Lamb.
How can we paint our doors?
We have a couple of options right now with the swirl of world events. We can continue down the path of absolute panic and anger or we can choose this holy time to re-dedicate our lives to walk with God as in the time of Passover.
- Give God some time each day. If you can spend an hour on a television show or scroll on socials for a while, can you give God 15 minutes of your time? There are several devotionals on Youtube with that concept in mind.
- Find a Bible believing church and surround yourself with believers. Let’s face it, we need each other right now. The church is a place to nurture your soul and each other so that you can go forth and give God’s hope to others.
- Be mindful of what content you consume. There is so much hateful content right now that is being put forth as “asking questions” or “hatred for a people group” that it’s quite frankly disgusting. The scripture tells us that our thoughts dictate who we are. If those thoughts are crammed with hateful slander, you will become just that.
- Pray! At all times and in all seasons. Did you know that Psalm 91 is a Psalm of Divine protection? He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Your prayers do not have to be eloquent and verbose. Just pray the scriptures! The Word of God is powerful and active. Recently I walked around my home and prayed the scriptures near my doors and in each room. Create an atmosphere where God is the center.
- Touch some grass! Turn off the tv, socials, podcasts, the divisive news and take in God’s creation. God has been showing us signs in the heavens, perhaps we should look up instead of looking down at our phones.
May this holy time bring you closer to God and His purpose for our lives. If the evil one had his way we’d be at each other’s throats until Jesus comes back. While the wars, rumors of wars and ugliness swirls around us, let us look to Jesus as our beacon in this life storm. Selah
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