Seismic shifts and God's eternal narrative

This blog will rarely comment on political issues but it is hard to ignore the events in Britain over the past few days – as commentators have pointed out, this is history in the making.

In the aftermath of the EU Referendum, many in the UK and the continent are left wondering what the future may hold. The opposing campaigns provided little accurate information about the real repercussions of this democratic process, and relied instead on divisive and damaging fear tactics.

As the country nurses its bruises, The Church of England has called for prayer for reconciliation and understanding that ‘may put an end to all discord and bitterness’. This will certainly require the work of the Holy Spirit as emotions are running very high – as evidenced by the vociferous dialogue in various forms of social media.

At this time we need to remember that whatever the situation, God is on the throne. To heed the call of Psalm 66 to:

Come and see what God has done,
his awesome deeds for mankind!
He turned the sea into dry land,
they passed through the waters on foot—
come, let us rejoice in him.
He rules forever by his power,
his eyes watch the nations—
let not the rebellious rise up against him.
Praise our God, all peoples,
let the sound of his praise be heard;
he has preserved our lives
and kept our feet from slipping (v5-9).

From our human perspective, the events set in train on June 23rd have seismic significance – and we must at all costs ensure that an independent UK retains the values of inclusiveness and tolerance that have earned us any right to append the term ‘Great’ to the name ‘Britain’ - but they do need to be understood as part of God’s plan; for ‘He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.’ (Acts 17:26)

This does not mean that we can be complacent, our creator has given us free will and the intellect to grapple with the ramifications of our decisions. But we now need to urgently put aside our differences – no matter which side we came down on at the ballot box - and move forward together earnestly discerning God’s will for this nation as part of his eternal narrative.