Nightmare in Nineveh

When Jonah walked the streets of Nineveh proclaiming the God of the Bible, the people's hearts were moved. Sackcloth and ashes were worn, lives turned round in repentance and God poured out his mercy.

Since then? Sometimes the church has thrived. Sometimes it has struggled. Today it is being systematically wiped out.

Few people can have been unmoved by the news in recent times. Terrified children, weeping mothers, men slaughtered and tied to crosses ... families fleeing, starving, dying for no other reason than they are followers of Christ (or are members of another minority group considered worthy of extermination by IS - it is right to remember them too).

Feelings of shock, disbelief and frustration at our inability to help can flood our minds. It seems impossible to grasp the enormity of the situation unfolding so far from our homes. We might change our photo on Facebook to show solidarity (and why not, it helps to start conversations) but surely there has to be more we can do ...

There is. This weekend, as churches across the globe, let's not be shy about moving beyond stunned silence. Let's:

• Pray: Pray for God to restrain the hand of IS and for atrocities to cease. For Christians in Iraq to know the presence of God as they flee far from home and for their faith to grow as they suffer terribly. For wisdom for governments around the world to respond in ways that are wise. For the provision of medical help and food for all those who have nothing left. And so much more ... Why not use Psalm 57 as a spur?
• Give: Some aid agencies have begun formulating ways in which to support those who have been displaced. Others will doubtless be following suit. Let's sit down with our bank statements and see how generous we can be.
• Lobby: Some countries have opened their borders to allow Iraqi refugees in. Some have not. Why not lobby your government representative and ask them to give our brothers and sisters a safe place to go?
• Prepare: If an Iraqi family were housed in a home near your church would you have a poster in an appropriate language encouraging them to pop in? Would you know how to source a Bible for them? Would you know how to help them improve their English? Are you ready to galvanise the congregation into action helping to replace that which they have lost?
• Remember: Despite the chaos and the unspeakable terror, God has not fallen off his throne. He knows the plight of every Iraqi believer (Psalm 139); he is still their rock and refuge even when all human security has gone (Psalm 18); powers, evil, even death cannot separate our brothers and sisters from the love of Christ - their eternal future is secure (Romans 8) and one day peace will come - a peace that will never end (Revelation 21).

I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.

I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.

Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.’

Lamentations 3:19-24