Pause for Thought: When are world leaders going to hear the prophetic words of God and take heed?
Many people in the Old Testament were appointed to be the voice of God to prophesy (speak) to his people, some with warnings to change behaviours, and some with blessings if change was brought about.
Amos was assigned to call out Israel on their hypocritical behaviour, stamping on the poor to line their own pockets to build mansions for themselves and live the good life. God’s heart was broken at his people’s unjust behaviour towards the marginalised.
As a child, I remember watching the tragic story of The Little Match Girl on telly, and feeling utterly desperate at the plight of this impoverished child. Set in the Victorian era, although written by Hans Christian Anderson, it’s a typical Dickensian style tale of life endured by the poor in the big cities. This tiny, starving little girl is sent out by parents to sell matches for pennies on the last day of the year, New Year’s Eve. Her slippers are way too big and her scant clothing not fit for the bitter cold. Shoppers are bustling about getting ready for the big celebration and she is ignored, trampled on, and pushed aside.
Starving, yet not daring to go home, she peers in the decadent windows of mansions, seeing tables stacked high with roast goose and delicious food, but is quickly shooed away by the snooty party revellers. In desperation she lights all the matches to try to warm herself, and sees a vision of her late lovely grandma, who comes to collect her spirit. Her cold lifeless little body is found in the dank dawn of morning, and mourners stand around saying ‘poor little thing’. The very same who had overlooked her not 24 hours earlier. This story, although fictional, moves me to tears even today.
We still live in a world where injustice is served on the poor and marginalised, and the rich profiteer at the expense of cutting any shred of dignity left from the poor. When are world leaders going to hear the prophetic words of God and take heed? In this lifetime, probably never. But God still warns us to live a life in keeping with his love. And we will all be judged accordingly when Jesus comes again. Its not too late to turn our lives around by fixing our eyes firmly on Jesus.