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Note: You can also find Matt's Weekly Devotional on our website.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2024

The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;

he frustrates the plans of the peoples.

The counsel of the Lord stands forever,

the thoughts of his heart to all generations. –– Psalm 33:10-11


As the long parade of athletes make their way into the venue hosting the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, I am always simultaneously amazed and embarrassed by the appearance of a country I did not know even existed. Hopefully, Nauru doesn’t catch on as a tourist destination because there are only a smidge over eight square miles on the island. Yet, maybe you could find a little more elbow room over in Kiribati, which has approximately 313 square miles. Of course, be warned, those square miles are shared by 33 islands spread out over 1800 miles of ocean. Nevertheless, if island hopping is your thing you could always pop over to the country of São Tomé and Príncipe hiding in plain sight in the Gulf of Guinea. Though the Peak of São Tomé rises to over 2000 meters above sea level, the southern tip of the island touches the equator, so there is no snow for an Olympic ski team.


Far too easily, Americans slip into a parochialism that regards the rest of the world as ancillary to our concern –– out of sight, out of mind. However, the world is a surprisingly large place, and there is a lot going on out beyond our borders. I’m not smart enough to be nerdy, but I do try to maintain some semblance of awareness when it comes to the big ol’ world out there. Each week, I read a one-page summary of world events, learning of coups; political repression; signs of famine; transitions from ethnic hostilities to full-on civil war; and various accounts of the malfeasance of public figures in nations from the smallest to the largest. I also listen to a thoughtful weekly podcast on foreign policy and international affairs, and, thanks to a member, I scan a newsletter from the State Department highlighting hot spots in global affairs. Just this week, in addition to headlines updating the status of war in Ukraine, Gaza, and Lebanon, the former transport minister of Singapore was sentenced to prison; the son of Osama bin Laden, an artist, was deported from France following inflammatory social media posts seemingly supporting terrorism; the continuing threat of global warming was evidenced –– yes, in the mountains of North Carolina, but also across the globe in the Himalayas where at least 224 people died in flooding and landslides, Kathmandu registering the highest daily rainfall in decades. And get this, that tiny land/big ocean nation I just discovered, Kiribati, made the news as they criticized their mighty Pacific ally, China, for testing an intercontinental ballistic missile! What an impressive act of courage in the cause of peace.


At my age, I may not remember tomorrow what I read today, but at the least, this minor habit of pausing to peek at international affairs reminds me that the tiny sphere of concerns in my world are minuscule when compared to the tangled, complex affairs of the world beyond my horizon. Our pains and anxieties are generally no less burdensome than the pains and anxieties of people we’ve never met, living in places of which we’ve never heard. In addition, I am made aware that a preponderance of suffering in the world is a direct result of human –– hate, neglect, indifference, malfeasance, greed, or even intervention. Lord, have mercy upon us. No, we will not conquer all the afflictions to which we actively or absentmindedly contribute, but we can always do more to alleviate suffering if the counsel of the Lord is the light that guides us. As we have seen, the counsel of the nations often comes to nothing, and the plans of the peoples are often frustrated. Yet the counsel of the Lord, most clearly revealed through the self-giving love of Jesus Christ, can open a way forward, one act of mercy at a time, from here to Kiribati.

Grace and Peace,

Matt  


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