Hong Kong

2020 holds surprises – and none!  Surprises to us and none to our God!  And since our God holds us, we have no reason to stew or fret.

Many of the things that we thought potentially frightful in 2019 all seemed to weaken or dissipate.  We had some fright over Brexit and tariffs.  There were concerns over the rioting in South America and the rise of the Taliban.  There was the Syria/Kurd/Turkey clash with Russia moving in.  There was ruckus again between Israel and Gaza.  There was concern about pipeline spills and fires.  All caused pause for at least some days but all seemed to fade – at least for most of us – at least for the time being.

Now ahead in 2020 is impeachment (which will likely be dismissed by the Senate), the election of a President, House and 1/3 of the Senate (God raises up and puts down), and continued challenges with Russia and in Iraq.  All those are large matters but the biggest matter in 2020 at this time for me is the upheaval in Hong Kong [I wrote this before the current Iran flare-up].  What will China do and what will be our response?

Personally, I don’t thinking we should be actively involved in the Hong Kong crisis [nor in the Iran protests] meaning supplying troops or materials (the Oliver North Iran-Contra affair).  We should get involved when our economic doings are in support of evil and death for we then need to cease such support.  That is, we must be sure that we are not part of the problem or supporting bloodshed and evil.

When a nation invades another, we as a nation have duty to aid the nation invaded (this is part of the attempt to control nuclear weapons which are a threat to other countries).  That means coming to help France against Germany or Kuwait against Iraq or the Philippines against Japan.  National sovereignty means they handle their internal affairs but they should be helped with bullies.

I am pretty convinced there will be bloodshed in Hong Kong – maybe much!  We should speak out in defense of life.  A principle that is important to grasp here is that life rises out of death.  Consider:

>We bury a seed in the ground so it rots and out comes life.

>Poland suffered much upheaval, injustice, and death and then came independence.

>The five missionaries to the Aucas died and the life of Jesus came into their world.

>A family I know experienced the death of a child and out of that came salvation to the rest of the family (The father once told me he’d love to have Bryan back, but if it meant not being saved, he was good with what God allowed).

>Out of the death of Jesus sprang life – His and ours!

>Out of the death of 6 million Jews came the homeland for the Jews.

While no one wants bloodshed or a bloodbath, often it is the seedbed for change and improvement.

I think America has been exceptional as a keeper of the boundaries between countries.  I don’t think it is America’s role to control or change a nation’s internal issues (I’m not totally settled here – if you have Biblical thoughts, let me know).  While it is noble to want other peoples to have the Rule of Law and its accompanying freedom that we enjoy, those peoples also need to understand the fear of God (have a working inner compass) and the duty of citizenship.  Without the right mindset, the laws and freedoms soon deteriorate into chaos (Iraq today is an example).

What happens in Hong Kong and how we react will be a large player in 2020.  May we be wise and firm and may God use us for the good of others and for His glory!