13 Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor Will also cry himself and not be heard.
14 A gift in secret pacifies anger, And a bribe behind the back, strong wrath.
15 It is a joy for the just to do justice, But destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.
Christians have historically been people who speak up on behalf of those who are facing hardship. We have a rescuer in Jesus, who teaches us that we should be compassionate upon those who are in travail. Proverbs 31 states:
8 Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die.
9 Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy.
The thirst for freedom that people demonstrate against authority they perceive to be misguided can be refreshing, as long as it remains peaceful and focused. And, waves of freedom throughout history have had a spiritual dynamic. This was certainly true for the American Civil Rights movement. I think about the people of Hong Kong, who took to the streets in order to try to prevent the implementation of the Communist ideals of China. The fall of the Iron Curtain showed how people who are united together can make a tremendous impact; and in the case of Romania, the protest against the Communist government took on a spiritual dimension. Even the seeds of the American Revolution were planted and harvested from spiritual soil.
So, when you have a mass call for freedom in Canada, it is not surprising that there are spiritual elements. I have covered instances in which churches have been shut down and pastors arrested due to draconian measures to try to deal with the coronavirus. And, now Canadian truckers, in response to the government's mandate for people to receive the COVID vaccine and restrictions for those crossing the border, have traveled the country en masse in a convoy, arriving a few days ago in the national capital of Ottawa.
One such instance took place near the border between the province of Alberta and the United States, according to a CBN/Faithwire article, which stated:
Vowing to remain stationed at the U.S.-Canada border, truckers with the so-called “Freedom Convoy” were captured on video Monday reciting the Lord’s Prayer as they gathered inside a nearby restaurant.
The prayer came amid tension between Canadian law enforcement officers and truck drivers protesting stringent government mandates requiring unvaccinated truckers commit to two weeks of isolation as well as produce negative COVID-19 tests before being allowed to re-enter Canada.
The story relates that:
Truckers agreed to open up one lane of traffic, allowing residents, school bus drivers, and emergency personnel to pass through, according to Rebel News, whose reporters are on the ground in Coutts, Alberta, at the border.
The wave, aptly named the "Freedom Convoy," was condemned by the premier of Alberta and by the Prime Minister of Canada.
Franklin Graham has a different point of view, writing on Facebook last week:
I love these guys—Canadian truckers standing for freedom! Mat who has been in Ottawa all week made it clear when he told the media, “We’re not anti-vax, we’re not anti-anything other than anti-mandate…The message is freedom for every Canadian." Another trucker said, “Give people their freedom back. Give people their lives back. Give people their choices back. We want freedom, we want our Canada back.” God bless them! If we don’t defend the liberties that are so important to us, they can be so quickly lost.
Just yesterday, he wrote:
You might be arrested, put in handcuffs, and taken to jail for bringing fuel or food to truckers who are a part of the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa.
Canada is fast becoming a police state. Pastors have already been arrested for having church services during these COVID lockdowns. Pray for our neighbors to the north. Freedom is precious. The issue isn’t primarily masks or vaccines—the issue is FREEDOM, the freedom to make our own choices.
And, as Faithwire reported on Monday:
Canadian Pastor Henry Hildebrandt, who made headlines last year for holding in-person worship services despite government edicts restricting such gatherings, spoke out in support of the Freedom Convoy Sunday, calling the demonstration – led by truckers — “God-ordained” and comparing it to the biblical story of Jericho.
Hildebrandt was preaching for the second time on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. The article reports:
Hildebrandt went on to tell the protesters of “two answers to prayer,” presumably referring to pandemic-related restrictions that had been rolled back in the wake of the start of the convoy.
“If the pastors can’t do it, and if they don’t want to do it, the truckers will show us how to do it,” the preacher said to much fanfare from the crowd. “That’s why I’m in Ottawa and it seems like I can’t leave because I thank God for the truckers that God used.”
And, there are certainly efforts to quell these efforts in Canada and the U.S. FoxNews.com reported
that the Facebook page of a group of truckers organizing "Convoy to D.C. 2022" "...was removed early Wednesday in a move that the organizer called 'censorship at its finest.'" And, as Business Insider related on Monday:
Canadian truckers in Ottawa who are protesting COVID-19 vaccine mandates turned to a Christian fundraising platform after GoFundMe blocked donations to their campaign.
The group, known as Freedom Convoy, has since raised more than $4 million on the Christian fundraising site GiveSendGo.
"To our Fellow Canadians, the time for political over reach is over," the group said on GiveSendGo. "Our current government is implementing rules and mandates that are destroying the foundation of our businesses, industries and livelihoods."
Pastor Tim Stephens of Canada's Fairview Baptist Church, who has been arrested because of his church's stance against public health orders, offers this at the church's website:
Some Christians have too much hope in the result of this protest and others think it sinful. Here are a few points to consider.1) “Protestant” Christians shouldn’t be immediately repulsed by protest.
2) Supporting freedom, whether for informed consent or the livelihoods (i.e., lives), is loving your neighbor.
3) Standing for truth is always right.
4) Defending the oppressed and needy is righteous. The toll of mandates has far surpassed the effect of the virus.
5) We desire God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. We want abortion to end, slavery to cease, and governments to operate within their biblical bounds.
6) This is an opportunity for the gospel of Christ. The longing for freedom is only satisfied in Christ.
And, there is the crux of the matter - people are hard-wired to be free. And, the satisfaction of that thirst for freedom comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ, who frees us from our sin, who has defeated the power of death, and offers us a life that is full of joy and peace.
But, we have to recognize that our appeals for freedom should not be at the expense of other people nor at the expense of our own reputations. And, a reaction to tyranny should not produce more tyranny. But, we should always be willing to stand for what we believe in and trust the Lord to show us the right way to go about it.
One further note: have the protests been effective. Well, this morning, I saw a report on The Washington Times website that said:
Jason Kenney, the premier of Alberta, announced Tuesday evening that the passport requirement to enter businesses in the province will end at 11:59 p.m. local time and most other restrictions will be gone in three steps over the next three weeks.
“Now is the time to begin learning to live with COVID,” Mr. Kenney said in a televised address. “These restrictions have led to terrible division.”
Earlier Tuesday, the Alberta premier also vowed to fight Canada’s federal government over its demand that all trucker drivers be vaccinated against COVID-19.
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