A Christian in the Public Space

As Christians we are marginalized in our society. We meet opposition. I agree that there is a lot of senseless bigotry against us, and we are called anything from gullible, stupid or naive to hateful, arrogant or dangerous. I read in the paper today a call for Christians to speak up, clear the air, advocate our beliefs – and I applaud the ones who do. It spurred me on to want to be one of those voices, but as I was staring into the diffuse colours of the autumn foliage, it dawned upon me that my calling was not of such a character.

It is not with a mandate in the Holy Scriptures that we demand our voice to be heard in the public place, that our rights as citizens of a democracy should be advocated, that our careers in the work place should be necessarily fair. This mandate is from an egalitarian philosophy, rooted in a sense of human worth, which can be easily justified by the teachings of the Good Book. Many aspects of the outcome are positive.

As I stood brooding over this, I sensed a much stronger voice, a more powerful strategy laid out for us, as Christians, in the Holy scripture: Let your voice be heard before God, let you voice be heard in prayers. Call on God to deliver us from unrighteousness, from unfairness and from enemies who revile us. Pray the Psalms.

God unleashes his power in our world, in my local society, through his Holy Spirit. This is something I have no control over, but I am urged to pray and come before God with all things. I go to the just ruler. I go to my protector. I go to my king who fights for me. I go to my God, who sees my thoughts and feelings. There, in this meeting, He deals with me in my less applaudable sides, but he also strengthens me, comforts me, gives me the assurance that I need not face the challenges of life alone. He is with me. He makes a way where there is no way.

At times he sends me to the public space, to speak up, to speak about justice and responsibility, to be a voice of a Christian, to share my stories.

God’s realm is of a different kind, but He transforms our society when we pray, for in this process he challenges us to be changed. I live in a local neighbourhood. I am one of the components in a society; may I be a catalyst for change.

So, Christians are an integral part of the public space, but when we speak, let us not simply demand our democratic rights and sulk over lack of fairness, but let us go the One who are stronger than us, to God, who is a just ruler. Then we will see where the real problems lie, and slowly we may gain the eternal perspective of life.

My little prayer room