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The recent disturbing violence in Melbourne at first made me angry and then very sad.

Is this what Australia has become?

The deliberate inciting of police, who responded as they must to the protesters’ unconscionable behaviour. The targeting of horses with marbles, missiles and acid. The burning of bins. The total disruption of people going about their normal lives. This is anarchy.

It didn’t just happen. It was planned meticulously. Missiles, acid and marbles aren’t waiting on the street corner for them to collect. They knew what they were doing.

It is not just the incredible cost borne by the taxpayer; it is the feeling that now we have to be careful where we go. Many, especially Jews, no longer feel safe. The hatred is palpable.

All of this following months of pro-Palestinian protests causing thousands of dollars of damage, not to mention the waste of police time in trying to combat it.

Migrants Embraced

I came to this country as a teenager. It was the land of opportunity, freedom, kindness, hospitality and wonderful wide-open spaces. These spaces were not just in nature, but in freedom of thought, expression and opportunity.

I arrived in Melbourne in the early ’60s, as a Brit, together with Greeks, Italians, Yugoslavs, Indians, Chinese, Vietnamese, South Africans and Lebanese – the list is endless. But each of us so thankful for the opportunity to start afresh. Many came with nothing, but worked hard and were delighted to contribute to the society which had embraced them.

Now ready for retirement, these migrants have children who accepted their values, and worked equally hard. They slipped easily into the Australian way of life and were fully integrated.

Together with the earlier generations of Aussies, they became the backbone of our great country. They run small businesses, head up the public service and large companies, serve in the forces. They are nurses, teachers, farmers – they are everywhere.  They toiled endlessly to give their children a university education and had great expectations they would continue to build on the foundations laid by the founders of this nation.

Is It Too Late to Fix This?

The impact of this small number of protestors, relative to our population, is out of all proportion. We are all affected and the silent majority must remain silent no more.

The time has come for each and every fair-minded citizen to make their voice heard. Contact your member of parliament, your pastor or priest; those organisations working for truth, goodness and justice, and support them. Let your voice be heard.

We all have busy lives, but now we must decide our priorities. Do we continue to pursue our own selfish pleasure, or can we recalibrate? Now is the time to be informed and work out what is really important to us, the shape we want our nation to be, and how best we can add our small contribution to achieve it. Everyone has a part to play.

If everyone does a little, by way of protecting the truth, spreading kindness, goodness, empathy and compassion, the impact on our nation will be profound. If each of us could overcome our hesitancy, fear and reluctance to speak out, and take small steps to make our views known, it could change the course of our history.

It is not too late if we all agree that the projectory we are on is not where we want to land.

The Writing is on the Wall

Scripture is very clear. We each have a choice. Yes, each of us makes choices every day. And each choice is important. Each choice is like a brush stroke in the picture of our lives. Each choice is a part of the story that will be our legacy.

As the book of Daniel tells us, if we continue to make the wrong choices, we will reap the consequences. King Belshazzar, Nebuchadnezzar’s son, became arrogant. Though he knew about his father’s many encounters with God, he wanted to go his own way.

The King held a great banquet. He wanted to show off. He ordered the sacred vessels his father had ransacked from the Temple in Jerusalem, to be brought for his family and friends to drink out of. This was the final straw.

A human hand was seen writing on the wall. [Daniel 5:25-28]

Mene – God has numbered your days and brought them to an end.

Tekel – You have been weighed in the balance and found wanting.

Peres – Your kingdom is divided and given to others.

The day of reckoning came. The judgement was swift. That very night, he died.

Are You Ready for the Fiery Furnace?

Earlier, in Daniel 3 we meet three of his friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. King Nebuchadnezzar passed a law that everyone must bow to the golden statue he had made. These brave young men refused. They said to the King:

“King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” ~ Daniel 3:16-18

Note how respectful these young men were, even though they disagreed with the King. This is vitally important. We can speak respectfully but stridently.

We are seeing citizens of Australia being ‘thrown in the fiery furnace’. David Pellowe and Dr Jereth Kok are cases in point. Their patience in the face of persecution is a model for us all.

To be ready to face the fiery furnace, you need to be very sure of what you believe. This is no time to be wishy-washy. Either you believe God is for you, and you are for God, and take your stand, or what you most fear will wipe you out. And don’t think it can’t happen to you. We are all in the firing line.

Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ~ Ephesians 6:11-12

The good news is, if we are sure of who we are in Christ, and if we follow Him, we only need to stand. He will fight our battles for us.

Gird your loins: the battle is just beginning.

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Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.