Melbourne Reflections

Psalm 97: 10 "Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked"

It was Tuesday. Fab's birthday. And he had gone to class and would not be back until 6:30 in time for us to get dinner and enjoy the sights and sounds of Melbourne city (the wonderful thing about going to Melbourne at this time of year, what with daylight saving and all, is that the sun does not go down until closer to 9 every night). I had walked from our hotel to the Carlton Gardens and was heading back into the centre of the city, just past the City Museum in the Old Treasury Building, when a hand was extended to me. With a distinct Scottish accent, the handsome, blonde young man smiled broadly and said, "Hi, how are you? What's your name? I'm Niall". My defences started going up although, as if on auto-pilot, I smiled in return and responded as if sure of myself.

That started our thirty-minute conversation about the terrible political, economical and social issues that engulf places like Darfur, Sudan and Congo (both in Africa), and the resulting work of the UNHCR. Niall is a representative from the Melbourne office of this refugee agency. His job is to bring awareness to the local community and encourage people, such as myself, to register as an ongoing sponsor for as little as thirty dollars a month. I say little now, but despite his strongly persuasive message of the reality people in such oppressed areas are facing, I was incredibly hesitant to make the commitment and found myself offering a number of weak suggestions and lame excuses to avoid making a decision on the spot. The case he put forward eventually changed my mind and, after explaining the situation to Fab that night, he too agreed that it would be good to be involved. I will not bombard you with the details but please take the time to read through the UNHCR website and inform yourself of what is taking place in our own world. I've known of these issues for some time now, yet though I have been burdened by them at some point or another, I have also quickly forgotten and allowed the trivial things in life to get in the way. Apart from using these stories in my arguments with God and then vainly attempting to humble myself and pray, I have done nothing in the way of practical action. This is my first step.

The Lord detests evil. He has placed us on earth as his representatives, to 're-present' Jesus (in the words of Dutch Sheets, author of 'Intercessory Prayer' which I am currently reading). We are to continue the work Jesus started through His powerful ministry. I need to learn to intercede (mediate, act as a 'go-between') well for the people who are suffering in this world. And for those who are so broken that they bring suffering. As Dutch explains, we intercede to bring about a meeting between God and these people, that they may come to experience His love, healing and restoration. Through our intercessory prayers we meet too with the kingdom of darkness, to claim the life, joy, hope and future that Satan has robbed from these people. We violently destroy Satan's hold over these ones and take back the authority they once had in God.

This is what I need to do as my giving money to an organisation that is providing help to those in pain is not enough. I hope that my intercession will eventually see a revival in those lands and revival even in our midst such that relief aid is no longer required. So that people can feel safe once again in their own homes and rest in the knowledge that their children are secure. I walked away from my time with Niall feeling heavy. I asked God why I was the one approached amongst the sea of Melbournites in their swish suits and fancy accessories. Why I was chosen when I presented in a rather worn t-shirt and a pair of simple black shorts with faded slippers on my sun-kissed feet. Why this challenge had been brought to me at a time when I had just resigned from full time work, which meant no income. I wondered whether I would be posing an even greater burden to Fab for his pay will now have to feed us both, cover our mortgage repayments and bear the weight of all the other bills that will steam in steadily. I questioned my place to make this decision on our behalf, being the one who is failing to contribute to our finances now. My only justification (or perhaps consolation) was that I had delayed the first payment to the organisation to the middle of March and was told that if I needed to, I could call before that date to cancel my sponsorship. It seemed cruel to pull the plug on the people who need this money more than I do but I felt cornered and then rash and foolish for jumping in.


God answered me last night during Pastor Lance's sermon on "Wealth in its Proper Place". I looked over at Fab and whispered, "perhaps I should not make the call". He nodded in agreement. I felt convicted. A dollar a day gives 500 people clean water, Niall said. Imagine that. We take so much for granted. Alright, maybe I ought to just speak for myself. I take much for granted. I have never been in want. Never been in a position where I have had to fight or beg for the basics like fresh water, a roof above my head, clothes on my back. These people have. UNHCR gives them shelter, utilities, education and training to be self sustaining in the future. But most of all they give the people protection. 80% of these people are women and children for they are the ones left vulnerable in villages ravaged by the militia. Sexual assault is rife and happens to females from the age of under 1 to 90. Young boys are snatched from their families and a gun is thrust into their hands. They are the Child Soldiers. The government does nothing. In fact, in Darfur, the government is to blame. They have created monsters. And for what? Power and profit. Their greed and lust for the things of this world deceive them and they give themselves over to be puppets of the devil, destroying lives one community at a time.

That afternoon, after my talk with Niall and more time spent in the city, I returned hungry and flushed to the hotel. I sat on the edge of the bed with my bread roll in one hand and my head in the other. Why was I still in two hearts (you may say minds if you like but I am more a feeler)? I ate quickly and soon settled into a comfortable position with the television running in the background. My mind wandered and soon I found myself drifting off to sleep. I turned to hit the remote and lay in silence. But then I heard my heart skip. My irrational fears returned as thought after thought of someone suddenly breaking into the room and hurting me flooded in. I remembered this feeling. This paranoia. It was all too familiar. I have had it every time I have been alone in a house (when I was studying and renting with friends, these times would be when the others were on holiday and the place was mine for maybe a week or two. Since I got married, these times would be when Fab has been away for a work trip). I was scared yet, as with all other times, my head was telling me how illogical I was being. I called on God.

For the first time He gave me a different perspective. "Remember Christine's testimony last Sunday? How she shared about her meeting with Brendon and then mentioned that she felt overwhelmingly frightened as she approached the estate she lives in later that night and all the lights in the building and along the street went out for a couple of minutes? She cried out to me and I revealed to her that people like Brendon have lived their whole lives in darkness. Christine knew I was showing her what it was like to be without me and how much my people need me, for she experienced such relief when she could once again see the path in front of her to make her way home. All this while you have feared for your own safety but I want you simply to know for now that what you have been feeling is a glimpse into the lives of those women. Though you are protected you fear. Your mind imagines the worst. But you can still brush these thoughts away eventually and find rest at night. These women find no rest. What you fear the most is their reality. They cannot change the channel on the television set. They cannot just pack up their family and things and move to another country. They are bounded. They are trapped. What you feel is just the tiniest percentage of the real and rational fear they carry. Fear for their lives and for their children's' lives. I have given you one way to get involved."

This is a beginning for me. A new chapter. Pastor Lance believes that God is turning years of burden into burning, driving vision. I will eventually find my feet and rise to do greater things for God and for His people. I will trust God for His providence and guidance. This is my journey.