Daily Devotions - Troy Davis - Isaiah 3:5

Isaiah 3:5        People will oppress each other-- man against man, neighbor against neighbor. The young will rise up against the old, the base against the honorable.

 

I am deeply troubled this morning and I cannot shake off a feeling of gloom. It started about a fortnight ago when I became aware of Troy Davis. Up until then, I didn’t know who he was, what crime he had committed, or that he was even on Death Row. I received an email from another pastor about Troy Davis and so I began to read about his plight.

My mind wasn’t fully made up until I read about witnesses recanting, evidence being questioned, and judges belittling the appeals. It made me feel as though something was deeply wrong with the Justice system; not necessarily corrupt, but definitely failing to do what it should in questionable cases like this one. I signed an online petition for clemency (something that I have never done before in my life) and waited to hear the outcome of the Supreme Court ruling. I was saddened by the rejection and ultimately the execution of Troy Davis. It honestly made me wonder if justice had been truly served or if this was a tragic case of judicial oppression.

This morning, when I read of Troy Davis’ last words before his execution, I felt terrible. Based upon what he stated and how he said it, I have now reached the personal conclusion that an innocent man has been executed. I even find myself totally agreeing with what ex-President Jimmy Carter has now said: "if one of our fellow citizens can be executed with so much doubt surrounding his guilt, then the death penalty system in our country is unjust and outdated."

I feel deeply sorry for the painful losses of everyone involved; for the slain police officer Mark MacPhail and his family, and for Troy Davis and his family. My prayer is that the truth will be truly known and that justice will right its wrongs. The system has failed and we need to review all of the past procedures to ensure that this kind of tragedy never takes place again.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, You see and know all things. You know the complete truth of what happened in August of 1989. We pray that all will be revealed so that any doubt may be fully put to rest and that our community will progress on the path to real justice for all. If any have grievously sinned, if any have deceived intentionally, if any have unjustly ignored the truth, then let them be fully exposed to our community. Let justice roll down like waters and freedom truly ring. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask a question about today’s devotional, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Daily Devotions: Soraya M.

Today’s devotion may be alarming to some. Please do not read if you are squeamish.

Isaiah 53: 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

I’m going to a movie this afternoon, but it’s not one that I’m going to enjoy. It’s called “The Stoning of Soraya M.” It’s about a young Iranian woman who was falsely accused of ‘unworthy conduct’ in her village and who ended up being horribly stoned to death, just for being a woman.

I cannot believe that in this 21^st century that women are being stoned to death in Iran. Gays and teenagers are also being killed in their communities by religious fanatics who wrongly believe that God wants these people stoned to death.

About eighteen months ago, I watched a horrifying video which was smuggled out of Iran of two young people being stoned to death. They were semi-entombed in a pit and covered in a white shroud. They were absolutely terrified and their families were desperately trying to protect them. When the mullah gave the word, stones the size of baseballs were harshly thrown against the bodies, faces, and heads of the unfortunate couple. Their agonized screams were drowned out by a fanatical chorus of “Allah akbhar!” (God is great!). The execution took fifteen minutes and when the camera secretly panned over the bodies all that could be seen was blood, guts, and brains.

How long can the United Nations allow this to happen? How long will Western governments dependent upon oil put up with these satanic injustices? How long will liberated women in the West ignore the plight of their sisters in Iran? And how long will Christian churches, whose Savior died a similar agonizing and repulsive death, who also spoke out against the stoning of women, how long will our churches refuse to speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves?

Prayer: Lord God, this world is tarnished by religious monsters and zealous terrorists who commit atrocities in Your Holy Name. Stop allowing them to hide behind the trappings of faith and raise up Your Son’s Church to courageously and boldly speak out against these evils. In Christ’s Holy Name, we pray for the women, the gays, and teenagers of Iran who live in fear of false accusations and satanic executions. 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.

4 Minute Daily Devotions: Rebel Cry

How a religious rebel kept his faith in the midst of injustice and oppression.

Psalm 138:1 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing your praise.

Podcast version here: http://media.libsyn.com/media/stushie/Rebel_Cry.mp3

This is a rebel psalm. It was perhaps written when the Jewish people were exiled in Babylon and found themselves surrounded by images and idols, statues and altars to the mighty gods of the Babylonian empire.

In such conditions, people usually become overwhelmed, but not the guy who wrote this psalm. When he bows down in front of the other ‘gods’, he doesn’t give his heart to them. When he sings praises, he doesn’t offer them to Bel or Nebo. And when he prays, he doesn’t ask foreign idols to intercede on his behalf.

On the outside, he may have looked like any other convert to paganism, but within himself he keeps his faith fully focused on the God of his fathers, the Jehovah of Jerusalem, the Lord God of hosts.

I love this psalm because it encourages God’s people to hold on to their faith in the midst of trying circumstances. This person would be silently praying in schools and public places. He would organize and attend underground churches in China. He would hold on to hope in the midst of a Nazi concentration camp. He would keep the faith no matter who or what tried to take it away from him. This psalm is a sacred poem of a religious rebel.

We may never experience anything like this in our lifetime, but the lesson that we learn from this psalm is the same as that of which Paul once wrote: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the courage of some of God’s people whose faith never fails them, even in the midst of tyranny, oppression, and injustice. We pray especially for Christian groups in China that seek to worship You, even though they are constantly harassed, arrested, and imprisoned. Help us to be reminded of the true cost of faith and of the blessings that we freely experience. In Your Holy Name, we humbly 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.