So, we had someone stay with us last weekend that reminded me that I haven’t posted anything here in a long minute (thanks, Brandon). The truth is, I always wonder what I should write. I have a lot of thoughts and feelings and wonder if they will be understood or appreciated by anyone who might stumble here and read.
I think my hesitance comes from reading posts on social media. We live in an age where our words are unfiltered. No wonder community is so hard to find. But in spite of my feelings about the current state of the world, I find myself sitting on my kitchen floor this morning with my computer on my lap getting ready to write what I am feeling in black and white.
I live in Europe…that’s true. But I have NEVER lived in a European’s Europe. I have ALWAYS lived in the middle of an Arab Muslim neighborhood. In fact, when people ask me about what Belgian food I like, I have a really hard time thinking of what Belgian food really is.
The Turks make the best durums. The Syrians make the best hummus. The Jews make the best falafel. The Palestinians make the best grilled meats. The Iraqis make the best bread. The Moroccans make the best couscous (although, I really don’t enjoy couscous…but they do make the best). The Lebanese make the best salads. And what do the Belgians make…well, chocolate is the obvious answer. But my point is that my Europe, is really the Middle East.
So last week’s international events made my head spin. I am still processing, learning and furiously reading about the history of the events that are unfolding. I want to understand. We have friends from Bethlehem (that’s in Palestine) who are from a Christian background and live near our neighborhood here in Belgium. They came to our house for Christmas and New Year’s last year. And yet we also have a large Jewish population here in Antwerp. And when I prayer walk the city, I often find myself in the Jewish neighborhood and in my favorite kosher supermarket talking to the kindest Jewish grocer in the city who teaches me about all the holidays.
Honestly, war is hell for everyone. I have learned that first hand by going through the Syrian war for the last 12+ years. But people were fairly unified that on the enemy in that situation. I teach Ukrainian children English at school. And the world was also fairly unified on the enemy in that war too. But now people are so divided…especially in my Europe. (Well, maybe not so much divided in my neighborhood since Muslims unify when any Muslim group is at war with someone who is not Muslim.) But it seems like this is a war about land. And here is what I have learned about the land:
Around 1250 BC the Hebrews came into the land and it was divided between the 12 tribes. Between 1030 – 928 BC the country became a Jewish Kingdom. Between 930 – 970 BC, Solomon, the wise king was born. He’s the one who built the first temple. The kingdoms then divided. North was Israel, whose capitol was Samaria. And the south was Judah, whose capitol was Jerusalem. In 722 BC Israel was conquered by the Assyrian Empire. (The Assyrians are a people group until today. I know because my children are half Assyrian. They don’t have any land today…at all. Their diaspora is all over Syria, Iran, Iraq and Turkey.) Between 586-587 BC Judah fell to the Babylonians. That’s King Nebuchadnezzer. By 586-332 BC the Persian empire takes control. During this time the second temple was built. Then from 332-63 BC it was the Hellenistic (Greek) time. In this time, 167 BC, was the Maccabean revolt when they took back control of the temple and the oil lasted 8 days, which is the beginning of Hanukkah. By 63 BC the Romans invaded and of course they still had control when Jesus ministered. 334-638 AD was the Byzantine period when Constantine paid people to convert to Christianity (that did a lot for the state of the church and the condition of the human heart…she said sarcastically). 638 AD (6 years after Muhammed died) the land becomes Muslim territory. 1099-1260 AD welcomes the Crusades (again doing so much for the church that we are still asked to explain this to this day with Middle Easterners). 1260-1517 AD the Mamluks had control…also Muslim. 1517-1917 AD was the Ottoman Empire (aka the Turks). 1917-1947 AD was British control…mainly because of the Suez Canal that let them continue trade with India. It had nothing to do with the land or the people. November 29, 1947 the newly formed UN grants Jews the land. Why? Well, look at the date. That’s just after the Holocaust where 6 million Jews were killed. Having been in the land 3000 years ago and after 2000 years of diaspora, by May 14, 1948 Israel forms the modern state of Israel with only a small portion of land that was originally allotted them by the UN. The Jews accept this but the Arabs did not. 4 hours after Israel was formed, Egypt bombed Tel Aviv. That was the first of many acts of violence over the land that would happen over the last 70 years or so.
Whew!! That was a lot of history and I honestly believe I have probably lost anyone who dared to read. But that brings us to this last week. If I learned anything by the Syrian war, it’s that media lies. And they give you the point of view that they want you to have. So watch one station and Israel is the victim. Watch another and Palestine is the victim. This is a divisive war. People are taking sides all over the world. And honestly, I am not writing to tell you who to support. But I do want to say this:
Pray! Yes, it might be happening on the other side of the world from you, but if you think that this doesn’t effect the whole world, that’s naive. There are bigger things at play than 2 (or more) countries bombing each other. Our job it to pray for peace. Bigger than normal peace (meaning the absence of war) we are to pray that the peace that Jesus gives will be felt and accepted. Pray that God will shine His face on these people. Pray for grieving families in both countries to find true hope. Remember from Ephesians 6 that our enemy is not flesh and blood, so we need to pray for the real enemy to be stopped. In Jesus’ name, we pray.
And if you are so bold to go to the next step…fast. I love this quote by Saint Basil the Great (330-379 AD). “Fasting gives birth to prophets. She strengthens the powerful; fasting makes lawgivers wise. She is a safeguard for the soul, a steadfast companion for the body, a weapon for the brave and a discipline for champions. Fasting repels temptations, anoints for godliness. She is a companion for sobriety, the crafter of a sound mind. In wars she fights bravely, in peace she teaches tranquility.” And since we believe Ephesians 6, then we have to understand that there are things happening that we cannot see with human eyes, but there is a mysterious power in fasting. It does something unexplainable when combined with prayer from an earnest heart.
In all the chaos of this world, may the church be the people of God who shine His light over the whole story with a heart for His peace to reign.
Seasoned with Spice 