Psalm 118: 9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.
In three days time, the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded. Instead of going to a major political leader, the prize will be awarded to a humble winner. His name is Liu Xiaobo and at the moment he is languishing in a Chinese prison. The Communist Chinese government is absolutely livid about this choice and will not attend the ceremony. The Chinese have also persuaded 19 allied nations to boycott the Peace Prize award in Norway.
Liu Xiaobo has been in prison for two years. His crime was to publicly advocate for many freedoms and civil rights that we in the West take for granted. Among those precious protested rights was that of religious freedom. Despite announcing to the world years before the Beijing Olympics that it was going to release religious prisoners and allow people to worship whatever religion they freely chose, the Chinese government has never fulfilled those assurances. When Liu Xiaobo protested before the Games, he was quickly arrested, speedily put on trial, and sentenced to eleven years for being a dissident. Now the Chinese government is embarrassed because the world knows of its false claims.
For many years I have advocated for the religious rights of the Chinese people through my sermons and writings. I feel that the Christians in that land are presently the bravest souls in Christendom. What they endure from the oppressive authorities is something unheard of here in the West. We are so casually cozy in our faith that we find it very difficult to understand or even accept what is going on. Chinese Christians, especially those who meet in unregulated house church groups, face prejudice, intimidation, and harassment on a regular basis. Despite these challenges, the Chinese church is growing immensely and one day Communism will be overthrown, just as it was in Eastern Europe during the 1990s. My personal hope is that I live long enough to see this; I also hope that Liu Xiaobo and his family get to see that liberating moment in their lifetimes too.
When the psalmist writes of not putting our trust in princes, he is referring to whatever branch of government presides over a particular country. Princes and governments can be frivolous and ambivalent with the rights of their people. Our unalienable rights as human beings, however, come from God, so no matter what rights are denied by authoritarian governments or totalitarian dictators, freedom and liberty, especially of conscience, speech, and faith, will always be given to us by God and not from capricious governments.
On Friday, I will say a prayer for Liu Xiaobo and his family. He deserves this award and I hope that it will bring about his early release.
Prayer: Lord God, we thank You for our unalienable rights which come from You. We pray for freedom to be experienced throughout the world. We know that many people suffer at the hands of their leaders and the caprice of oppressive governments. Help us to trust in You and to joyfully experience the freedom of faith that You have bestowed and blessed us with. In Christ’s Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.
Today’s image is one of John’s 2010 Winter Wildlife drawings. It features a grey wolf in winter. If you would like to see a larger version of this please click on the following link:
