‘As for me, give me courage. Put persuasive words into my mouth when I face the lion.’
(see Esther 4:17)
Fighting injustice and speaking out can lead us to a precarious place. Many individuals throughout history and in our time have faced danger and even death for standing up and standing out. The likes of Martin Luther King come to mind whose stance against racism in the US led to his death. In our own day, there are people such as Malala Yusafzai who spoke out about education for girls under a Taliban regime which led to her being shot in the head. Thankfully she survived and has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, as she continue with her campaign from the UK.
Whilst we may not live in such an extreme situation as experienced by Malala, we do witness injustice closer to home. Do we prefer to remain silent? ‘All that is needed for evil to triumph in the world is for good men to do nothing,’ is a quote attributed to the Irish statesman Edmund Burke in the 18th century.
We pray that, when faced by injustice we will have the courage to speak up and to make a difference, to proclaim God’s Kingdom of Love and Peace, to be a prophetic voice in the world, and to put our words into action.
PRAY FOR those girls and women in countries that do not allow them an education, and for the courage to speak up against injustice.
Our daily reflections for Lent focus on the many injustices which exist in our world, as we seek to connect our life of prayer to social justice the Justice of God which Christ proclaimed. More resources are available at www.southcardiffministryarea.co.uk/just-lent
South Cardiff Ministry Area 