GAZA, LEBANON and SYRIA: the darkness of the tomb or the darkness of the womb?
What if this darkness …?
We recently received a message from one of our partners in Syria writing the following:
“As Christians We are going through an incredibly hard time! Everything changed overnight in Syria and we were not prepared for the sudden turn of events and it has left us in shock. The president’s departure and Israel attacking us have left the air we breathe thick with pollution, and we are terrified. We’re forced to stay inside for our safety and even opening a window feels dangerous…
Radical leaders are taking control, and it’s heartbreaking. I am filled with sorrow over what’s happening in our country. It feels like a darkness is closing in on us and we don’t know what the future holds. It’s like we are trapped in a dark tunnel, unsure of what lies ahead. What will tomorrow bring? Will we be safe? We don’t know and that uncertainty is weighing heavily on our hearts.”
Darkness is always accompanied with a feeling of uncertainty and a sense of fear. But what if the darkness is not the darkness of the tomb but the darkness of the womb.
What if …?
On 31 December 2016, Valerie Kaur, a Sikh activist and lawyer, shared the following profound message at the Metropolitan AME Church in Washington State, USA. Valerie was referring to the racial unrest in the USA and the darkness surrounding the violence, the hatred and the suspicion that dominated many American communities:
“This is our darkest hour. So, the mother in me asks what if? What if this darkness is not the darkness of the tomb, but the darkness of the womb? What if our America is not dead but a country that is waiting to be born? What if the story of America is one long labour? What if all of our grandfathers and grandmothers are standing behind now, those who survived occupation and genocide, slavery, detentions and political assault? What if they are whispering in our ears “You are brave”? What if this is our nation’s greatest transition?”
These words were more than just emotional expressions, they carried with them profound prophesies. If we find the ability to look beyond the seen, into the unseen, we too can look at Gaza, Lebanon and Syria with a sense of expectation. After all, we are Good Friday people. We understand that the darkness of the tomb that held a crucified Christ was about to give birth to a risen Saviour. The darkness that surrounded the tomb, was the darkness of a womb.
What if the darkness in Syria is the darkness of the womb and not the darkness of the tomb? What if the darkness in Gaza is the birth pains of something so beautiful that only God can comprehend it. No, it doesn’t make the darkness less frightening and less painful, but it provides the promise of life. What if God, in His sovereign goodness and His desire to seek and save the lost, can use this darkness to birth a nation, to raise a people, and to establish His presence through the beauty of His church? What if this is the darkness of the womb, preparing the nations for its greatest transformation
What if …?
But, as Valerie explored, giving birth requires of us to BREATHE. And then? PUSH. Because if we don’t push, we will die. If we don’t push, Gaza, Lebanon and Syria will die. It will be a labour of love, but the urgency is now.
BREATHE
As a global Christian community, we have the joy to serve the nations in the Middle East as spiritual midwives. The role of a midwife is to provide care throughout pregnancy, labour, birth, and postpartum. We have the joy of safely assisting those who find themselves in the darkness of the womb by offering knowledgeable, respectful, and compassionate care.
We have to breathe, like Christ breathed on His disciples.
John 20:19-21 (GNB) It was late that Sunday evening, and the disciples were gathered together behind locked doors, because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities. Then Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. After saying this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you as the Father sent me, so I send you.”
And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
With these few words, Jesus consecrated, commissioned, and despatched His disciples—and the church was born. This is where it all started—behind locked doors. Not on Pentecost Sunday in the upper room with a feeling of elation (Acts 2), but on Easter Sunday in a locked room at a time of despair (John 20).
This consecration, more than 2,000 years ago, remains the foundation of everything we proclaim, practice, and preach. As Christ followers, we are consecrated like Christ. We are commissioned like Christ. We are dispatched in the same way the Father sent His only begotten Son. And it all started with Christ BREATHING on his disciples
Yes, the public outpouring of the Holy Spirit (when the disciples met in the upper room in Acts 2) was still to come. But this was not it. Equipping for public ministry would follow. But this was not it. When Jesus breathed on them in their moment of despair, they experienced a private moment of revival. They were transformed. The darkness of their tomb turned into a womb. The private outpouring of the Holy Spirit always precedes the public outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Consecration comes before commissioning.
Jesus breathes on them, and they are transformed from fearful disciples into brave witnesses. Consecrated, commissioned, and dispatched—the way of the cross for every follower of Christ.
PUSH
If we don’t push, we will die. If we neglect this season of birth, the darkness of the womb can indeed turn into a darkness of a tomb.
In Judges 7:1 we read how Gideon and all his men rose early in the morning and camped at the spring of Harod. Midian’s camp was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.
They rose early. Their hearts were fixed on the task ahead of them and there was no time to lose. This is key in our service to the Lord. To maintain a sense of urgency and to understand the times and the seasons we live in. Too often we find Christians living a spiritual life as if we are on a playing field while few really understand that we too are on a battlefield. Gideon and his men rose early with fixed hearts and a fixed purpose.
We live in critical times. The darkness we see in the Middle East is the darkness of the womb. Birth is about to happen. We need to PUSH. There is no time for passivity. On the spiritual time clock, we are minutes before midnight.
Our God is a God on a mission and He is inviting us into that mission, presenting us with awe-inspiring opportunities to partner with Him in what He is doing and where He is moving. Will we sense the urgency or simply continue a spiritual life of peace, prosperity, and passivity? Will the Church be marked by her combative readiness or by her passive unwillingness?
HOW DO WE DISCERN?
How do we discern whether the darkness is a darkness of the tomb or a darkness of the womb? Simple, we don’t discern, we choose.
The Apostle Paul admonishes us in Ephesians 5:15-17: “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly but understand what the Lord wants you to do.”
Yes, we decide. Our challenges are either problems or opportunities, tombs or wombs. We choose.
On Christmas day, 6 weeks after the HTS rebels took over Aleppo in Syria, I received a note from one of the church leaders with the following message:
“Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year… We would like to inform you that we are now in a church building and are now painting, making arrangements and building the pulpit. Our prayer is that the Lord will bless this house and make it for the glory of His Holy Name. We are fine and we miss seeing you. We are longing for the hope of meeting you in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
The darkness of the tomb has turned into a different darkness; a darkness that carries with it the expectation of birth, the hope of new life, and the prospects of future joy.
So, choose life! For 2025, choose wisely!
Deuteronomy 30:19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live