Clean Prayers

It is almost as obnoxious as the shrieks of pigs being slaughtered in hidden rooms in the Temple.
Such prayers give God goose bumps!

Prayers for Ukraine suddenly became in vogue.
“Pray for Ukraine!”
“Prayers for the people of Ukraine!”
“Let’s ask for God’s mercy for Ukraine!”
So pious.
So neutral.
So clean.

In the UN Security Council on February 25, the motion to condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine was vetoed by none other than the perpetrator, Russia.
This is the well known farcical function of such edifice as the UN.
The vote serves its function not to decide but to reflect, kind of like the magic mirror which will reveal who is Dracula.
So don’t focus on which nation cast the veto.
Check who abstained: China, India, and the United Arab Emirates.
These three will join the fourth name to be etched in the “pillar of shame of history” as it is so often cited by one member of the Gang of Four 2.0!

Of course, it is obvious.
To vote to condemn Russia is tantamount to committing suicide, for them.
Yet to join with Russia in voting down it is, so to speak, unpopular and unwise, given the current international sentiment.
Fortunately, there is a safer option—abstain.
A clean option.
It has the look of being neutral.
It commits to no position, it seems.
It condemns no one.
It denounces no one.
It pronounces no one as evil.
It is so peaceful, unprovocative, safe.
It even has the merit of “calling for dialog”, as the pope also joined its chorus.
Clean.

But abstaining and calling for dialog, smudges over the fact of invasion and the identity of the invader.
Unwittingly, this farce shows the true color of so many Christians who pray “for Ukraine”, “for the people of Ukraine”.
These Christians who utter such prayers in this moment of history, are precariously close to what Churchill once warned, “the choice between war and dishonor.”
A nonbeliever would have prayed for the frustration of the invading troops.
A more indignant one would ask God “to intervene and wipe out the invaders.”
A clearly partisan, yet straight shooting person, would: “destroy Putin and his force!”

We continue to find prayers in Chinese churches all over the world, and in HK in particular, to seek God’s mercy on the people in HK.
Particularly from the pandemic, which began ever since its outbreak in Wuhan over two years ago.
Prayers asking for safe keeping of people’s health, physical and economical.
From 2019 June well into 2022.

These prayers are like the abstaining votes of India, UEA, and of course China.
Shrieks of pigs being slaughtered in God’ house.

Would it feel better to call upon the LORD who sees hearts to bring down judgement on the party who shattered peace, took away fathers and sons to war, and drove millions to become refugees overnight?
Would it be a lot more straight forward, to pray to the almighty God who is just, to take away the spears and swords of the invaders, and even send worms to his heart?
Remember Herod in Acts 12:23?

Or for that matter, to those waving batons, shooting tear gas, putting innocent to jails, and driving abroad hundreds of thousands young and budding individuals and families.

Neutrality in prayers is not the highest virtue when abstaining is so safe, hypocritical and revolting.
Neither are prayers that are so clean.

God detests the shrieking of pigs emitting from within His Temple.