THE GOOD ONES ARE NOT ALWAYS SILENT

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." (Matthew 5:9 KJV)

Peacemakers are not the people who are quiet over wars, war crimes, human right abuses, power abuses, discriminations, inequalities, injustices, marginalisation of the minority groups or sufferings of the oppressed people.  

Peacemakers are a kind of balanced people who ensure that there is balance in the system where employers do not rob employees of their wages, and employees do not rob employers of their working hours. 

Peacemakers are people who respectfully speak for the voiceless and passionately advocate conditions of well-being for the poor. 

In the world, especially in Africa, people who do not speak over injustices, but rather, are silent over power abuses, are often considered to be peace-loving people. 

In Ghana particularly, it is said that the good ones are always silent, implying that good people should not rise for social justice; good people should not address authoritarian abuses; good people should not be involved in politics and governance because they are evil. In Africa as a whole and in Ghana particularly, the good ones are always silent, and the evils ones are always ruling, speaking and acting on behalf of the good ones. Is this the peace that you have known all your life?

Peace work requires much learning and much influence. A person who is able to make peace, especially nationwide peace, must be an expert, must be highly esteemed by all the people, and must have a voice and influence in the nation. 

The Bible empowers us to stand up for justice, that is, to defend the poor and the minority, and to ensure balance in the system. 

"Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked." (Psa 82:3-4 KJV)

Power, naturally, does not belong to evil people. When an evil person is in power, the people fume, wail and curse. 

"If you show to me a good ruler, I will show to you happy people. If you show to me a bad ruler, I will show to you sad people." (Pro 29:2 Easy English)

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn." (KJV)

"When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan." (NIV)

When it comes to power and authority, bad people must not be given any chance at all. Power belongs to the righteous. They are the ones who will rule for the pleasure of God as well as the happiness of the people. Righteous people understand equality and justice. Like the Sovereign God, they are moved by the plight of the people to plan conditions of well-being for them.

For this reason, the good ones must not be silent in a chaotic world of power abuses and injustices. While we must not use violence to get our needs and concerns met by our rulers, we must use nonviolent means to address them, and these include speaking up and publishing. 

To be able to speak up and be heard, you need to be a person of value and influence. You must be competent and confident. No influential person is ignorant or timid. 

People who speak up for others must do so with the aim of making peace but not worsening the tension. Your voice must not agitate the people to take to violent actions, but rather, must calm the agitated spirit, giving them hope for change and better life in future. 

Martin Luther King Jr. said, "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends." 

Friends stand in defence of each other. Friends rise for justice for each other. In an oppressive situation, the silence of a friend is worse than the brutality of an enemy.  

Inasmuch as we need intercessors to stand in the gap between God and wrongdoers, we also need mediators, peacemakers, to bridge the gap between rulers and subjects; between the wealthy and the oppressed. There is too much oppression in the system, unfortunately, even in the church. Those who will be able to do this job must be very learned and courageous, not ignorant or timid, always preferring to keep quiet and suffer. 

Martin Luther King Jr. again said, "The greatest tragedy is not the brutality of the evil people, but rather, the silence of the good people."

In this wise, the good ones are not always silent, but rather, are the voice of the voiceless, the light in the tunnel, and the hope of a dying world. 


#Truth Haven

Comments

  1. Sage WordApril 10, 2023 at 1:56 AM

    Sage Broadcast empowers you to study, reason and question (srq) Scripture in order to find evidence of the truth. Remember, this is achievable only through the Holy Spirit!

    ReplyDelete

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