The People are Crying
The events of the past week have brought international attention to working class Canadians who have been burdened beyond their breaking point by two years of government-imposed restrictions. Blue collar workers, ignited by a convoy of truckers, have cried out for freedom in their distress.
This desire for freedom is part of God’s design and firmly planted in every human soul. This freedom is not an anything-goes-just-don’t-hurt-anybody-libertarian-freedom. This is a freedom to plant crops, reap a harvest, feed the family, raise the children, worship God, visit loved ones, welcome people into the home, and live a “normal” life. The truckers, farmers, and many others, simply want to live a quiet and peaceful life without being oppressed through a medically-imposed technocratic tyranny which is nothing more than the failed attempt of bureaucrats to control what they cannot control.
In Biblical Times
In biblical times we see many examples of when the people cried for freedom. When the Hebrews were in Egypt, their rulers—at one time treating them with respect—oppressed the people with hard labor. The people cried out to the Pharaoh and to God. Pharaoh refused to listen. God heard their cry. In Exodus 3:7 he says , “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings” (cf. Ex 2:23; 3:9).
In the book of Judges there are a number of times when the people are oppressed by cruel leaders. They were prevented from eating their own crops, or suffered under heavy taxation that affected their livelihoods and lives. Again and again the people cried out in their oppression and God would raise up a deliverer (e.g., Judges 3:9; 3:15; 4:3; 6:6).
In these cases, the basis for their cry was not religious freedom. They were not forbidden to worship their God. Rather, it was heavy taxation, hard labor, loss of bodily autonomy and property rights, and a cruel government that caused the people to groan and cry out to God. And God heard their cry.
In COVID Times
Nearly two years of government-enforced restrictions have led to a dramatic increase in suicide, the shuttering of many businesses, the false “choice” of maintaining bodily autonomy or a career, a poverty-inducing increased cost of living, a gigantic government debt, the escalation of cancel culture and censorship, the division of families and society, and a host of collateral damage that will prove beyond doubt that the cure was worse than the disease.
In addition, the narrative has crumbled. The vaccine was not the savior it was hoped to be. After two years of seeking to alter society, relationships, education, worship, the economy, and our immune system, “experts” are now saying that we need to simply live with COVID and move on. The experimental injections were a false hope. The mask was a false hope. So too was physical distancing and hand sanitizer. Our leaders couldn’t protect us. Almighty “science” proved (again) to be impotent, ever-changing, and illusive in the hands of scientists who don’t know male from female. The scientific “consensus” was about as solid as putty and worked just as well in the hands of politicians who navigated their course based on public opinion driven by media-inspired fear rather than common sense and biblical-creational principles. Our leaders, facing the least consequence to their own livelihoods, continued to exchange the livelihoods of others for a false promise of safety.
So the people cried. And cried. And cried. The few who ruled the province with never-ending emergency powers did not listen—even when it was clear their policies were ineffective and damaging. The cries continued, and no lesser magistrate rose to the occasion. Mayors, police chiefs, MLAs, and principles were mostly silent even as people in their constituency cried louder. And now, after two years, the people, at their wits end, have taken matters into their own hand. Should we be surprised? Are our leaders that out of touch with the “common folk” that they didn’t understand their pain and hardship?
The Way Out
How do we recover from this time of deep division, confusion, and pain? One word. Repentance. We’re in this mess because we have forsaken God and his creational norms. The church is unhealthy, our education is thoroughly anti-Christian, our leaders are passing laws that praise what God calls an abomination. Even when all COVID restrictions are lifted—and let us hope this is the case—we are still under the oppression of lies and perversion. God will not be mocked and his judgment will continue.
This is the day for the church to confess her sins, cry out to the Lord, stand upon the grace of the risen Lord Jesus Christ and the surety of his written testimony, then go forth to make disciples who know and obey all that Christ has commanded. To the word and to the testimony! This is a call to be thoroughly Christian in how we see and engage in church life, evangelism, education, business, politics, healthcare, and every other facet of life. Following Jesus encompasses the whole man, body, soul, mind, and strength. Following Jesus recognizes that he has authority over all things. He is Lord all and everything ought to be done under his lordship for his glory and according to his will.
So let us pray to the Lord, asking for his deliverance, and for him to revive his church and grant repentance to the people in our churches and province. Let us go forth, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God and expose the statist utopian vision that leads to ruin. May Christ be with us as we go to make disciples of the nations and teach them to obey what Christ has commanded.