Daily Devotion: Burma's burning and the UN is full of doormats, not diplomats

John 12:42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; (NIV)

I wonder how many of us today would stand up and risk our lives for our faith? It’s so easy to condemn the people of the past for not wanting to show their faith in Jesus. They didn’t want to lose their livelihood, respect, or esteem. They didn’t know where His ministry was heading either. I guess they felt in their hearts that Christ was speaking the truth – they were just too afraid to show it.

The eyes of the world are upon Burma right now, where thousands of Buddhist monks are standing up and risking their lives for freedom. The Burmese people have been oppressed by a military tyranny for decades and our world has done nothing about it. Once again, the mighty United Nations has proved to be ineffective because they are too afraid to intervene. The Council knows what is happening and have been confronted with the truth – they are just unwilling to do anything about it.

The old saying is true: “Evil triumphs when good people do nothing.” It’s true about Iran and North Korea; it’s true about Burma and Sudan. There are areas and nations in the world where democracy doesn’t exist and freedom is suppressed. Just as the Pharisees managed to eliminate Christ and His followers through fear and control, so these tyrannical governments seek to do the same.

So what do we do as Christians? Several things. We can earnestly pray for God’s Spirit to move amongst these far away peoples and restore them to the freedom that they long for. We can pray for these despots and juntas to be torn down and overcome by the collected will of the people. And we can pray that the United Nations starts to do what it was called to do – to intervene and become proactive diplomats in the world, instead of a bunch of ineffective doormats.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Prince of Peace, so we call upon You to restore democracy, freedom, and justice to many areas in the world. We especially pray today for the noble Burmese people who are struggling to win back their country from the hands of evil and corrupt leaders. Grant them success in their revolution and let the sacrifices, which have already been made, give the people the will, resolution and power to restore their nation. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.