Over the years, Louise and I have often met
Christians who have never been able to let go of their past to such an extent
that, in many ways, their past had become their present identity. No matter
what the occasion, these dear folks would inevitably find an excuse to drag up
something from the past that, to them, explained why they were the way they
were. Somewhere, someone – an individual (a parent, a sibling, a friend, an
enemy, a co-worker) or a group or an organisation (such as the Church) – had
hurt them, betrayed them, denied them, abused them, offended them, or whatever
and this seemed to have had a lasting negative impact on their lives.
I often asked such individuals if they had
forgiven that person(s), or institution(s) and I received varied
responses…sometimes surprised, sometimes vexed, or sometimes even angry. It was
as if letting go of the past hurt or pain would deny an integral part of their
person.
I have seen this same tendency here in
Gambela as well…but here the negative is not applied to an individual only, but
to an entire people group. We have seen this especially when there is conflict
between people groups…suddenly the past is resurrected and groups will gather
together to rehash old grudges to confirm their beliefs that the other group
cannot be trusted…or to justify their own bad behaviour. Sadly, we have seen
this even among believers. This atmosphere of negative memory seems to be the
fuel that ignites and feeds the passionate and violent responses to disputes we
have witnessed over the past few years. These negative memories appear to be
deeply engrained in the very identity of each group, giving rise to a culture
of revenge, which is deadly.
Like the individuals in the West who nurse
their grudges like suckling babes, some here hold onto negative memories as if
their very lives depended on it…as if letting go would somehow bring about an
end to their identity as a people group and slander the memory of those who
have died as victims of violence in the past.
But the message of the cross is directly
opposed to such an atmosphere…in His prayer regarding His murderers, our Lord
clearly said, “Father, forgive them as they do not know what they are doing.”
Indeed, forgiveness is very much part of our identity as the people of the
cross. We are forgiven and therefore we must forgive. God does not hold onto
our sins against Him and consequently we ought not to hold onto the sins of
those who have sinned against us. It never ceases to astonish me how those who
pray the Lord’s Prayer so easily still somehow justify their holding onto
negative memories.
Of course we all need healing…very few of
us, if any, have managed to make it through puberty without scars or wounds…but
there is a point in our Christian lives where maturity demands full-scale
forgiveness and a release of the past. Otherwise we run the risk of walking out
of step with the Spirit…and in step with the self-righteous.
And so we need to bring about an atmosphere
of forgiveness – and all that goes with true Christian forgiveness – in this
place.
But this is nothing less than an attempt to
change the spiritual atmosphere over this entire area and to change the
perceived identity of people groups. This involves prayer at a much deeper
level than we have ever prayed before and it involves what some have called
spiritual warfare.
Angus Buckhan once said that the recipe for
a miracle is simply to attempt the impossible for God. I am well aware of how
fragile we are as earthen vessels, to use the Apostle Paul’s image…but he also
said that in our weakness, God is strong and that God has purposefully chosen
the foolish and weak things of this world to shame the wise and the mighty…if
those things are what it takes then we are qualified. We are fragile, foolish,
and weak and the task is impossible.
But our God is the Almighty God and all
authority in heaven and earth is His and the chariots of God are thousands upon
thousands. Indeed, the battle belongs to the Lord.
Would you pray with us, please, for the
Holy Spirit to move in the Gambela People’s Region? Without Him, we are nothing
and we can do nothing…but with God, all things are possible…even the casting
down of strongholds that have existed for hundreds of years…even the opening of
spiritually blind eyes….even the resurrection of the dead.
I was reminded this morning of Jesus’ words
in His letter to the church in Pergamum. “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s
throne is.” Satan has wreaked havoc in this area for years. It is time he is deposed
and dethroned and his work destroyed. Pray with us, please.
