I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will toward men
I thought how as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men
Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound the carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good will to men
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearthstones of a continent,
And made forlorn, the households born
Of peace on earth, good will to men
And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep;
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men
What a story this song tells! It was written during the American civil war. Stanzas 4-5 mention the battle times and are usually omitted from the hymnals. In fact, I had never heard of them until I came across them online. But I wanted to include them because they are so very relevant for the current situation here in South Sudan and in many countries on the African continent.
With constant unrest always on the horizon here in South Sudan, a country barely 2 years old, the words of this Christmas carol bring new meaning to us. As the next few days pass, we, along with millions of other Sudanese wait to see what will happen. The threat of civil war is very real. It breaks our hearts. To think about the incredible suffering that hundreds of millions faced during the past 22 years of war between the North and the South of Sudan. To think about the millions of people who died as a result of it. Most who DID NOT KNOW JESUS. Most who had NEVER EVEN HEARD HIS NAME. PLEASE pray earnestly for this country. As of now, SS government officials are denying that the attempted coup in Juba had anything to do with ethnic tribal disputes between the Dinka and Nuer. However, the Dinka and Nuer have a very conflicted past as rivals. As pockets of conflict break out across other SSudan states it seems extremely probable that it is in fact related to the hatred between these two tribes. More people continue to get injured or die as this situation stretches its violent arm across this new country-its evil fingers leaving blood in its wake.
As a team we are grappling with so many questions. Why, Lord? Why NOW? Our house is ready. We are ready to move in and get to work. Ready to share Your Good News with the Dinka. We are so close yet so far away because of this new security threat. I mean, we knew it would be likely we would face political unrest because of the instability of this young country, to date the newest country in the world. Yet we never expected to face it so soon upon our arrival in SSudan (only 1 month in), especially not now!
We are earnestly seeking the Lord for His direction and His timing. Earnestly counting the cost of our calling to the lost here in South Sudan. The continual unrest of SSudan is one of the major reasons why the Dinka are unreached.
Do we stay now, believing that the Lord has placed us here for such a time as this? Or do we leave because it is not yet the right time and the Lord is thwarting our way? Or if we evacuate, would we even be able to get back into SSudan? Please join us in praying for these major decisions. Pray for wisdom from our supervisors and our organization as they seek the Lord in this decision. Every day is filled with much uncertainty as we grapple with these major questions. We want to be wise and courageous. Our go bags are packed if we need to evacuate quickly yet we are in the process of moving into our house. We cling to this passage the Lord showed me just yesterday in our Advent Christmas devotional:
“I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guard post.
There I will wait to see what the LORD says and how He will answer my complaint...
I trembled inside when I heard this; my lips quivered with fear.
My legs gave way beneath me, and I shook in terror.
I will wait quietly for the coming day when disaster will strike the people who invade us.
Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty,
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
The sovereign LORD is my strength!
He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.”
Habakkuk 2:1, 3:16-19
So we wait! We have climbed up to the watchtower and we are standing at the guard post. We will wait to see what the Lord says, knowing He will be faithful to answer with His perfect wisdom. We will rejoice in the Lord! Remembering in this Christmas season that He is the ONLY answer to a world broken, bleeding, and scarred by war and conflict that often seems unceasing and unending. Even though a pending earthquake of civil war threatens the very foundations of South Sudan. We will choose to hear the bells that ring, telling of Jesus, the hope of our salvation. When despair looms on the horizon and it seems as if hatred between ethnic rivals will overcome peace.
God will have the victory, as the lost come to know Him. God is NOT DEAD, He does NOT SLEEP or SLUMBER. The wrong shall fail, the right prevail with peace on earth, good will to men!
