Comment By Torchlight

Beloved Queen

Last month marked the twentieth anniversary' of the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. These have been twenty momentous years; years of rapid change. Yet in Britain the monarchy has survived, and still holds its place in the affections of the common people. The Queen herself carries heavy responsibilities, and she has performed the onerous duties of her office with quiet dignity and dedicated efficiency. Her human touch and winsome smile are proverbial. In these respects she has been a shining example to her people.

The Royal family are heavily exposed to the glare of modern publicity and this adds to the strain of their manifold official engagements. It is the duty and privilege of God's people to honour such and to pray for divine blessing on their endeavours. That her Majesty's health will be preserved, and that she may be sustained with the spiritual wisdom bestowed on those who trust in God and acknowledge His beloved Son, will be our earnest prayer.

The shadow of the Holocaust

"Herr Willy Brandt, making the first visit to Israel by a West German Chancellor, stood in silent prayer today in front of a grave holding the ashes of some six million Jews who died in the Nazi holocaust. The Chancellor, who had laid a wreath on behalf of the German people, stayed for two minutes in front of the grave, head bowed and hands clasped in front of him.

"During the 20-minute memorial service at Yad Vashem, the martyrs' remembrance garden in Jerusalem, he stood in silence before the Eternal Flame in a bare stone hall studded with the names of Auschwitz, Belsen and other death camps. Then he moved to the microphone and closed the ceremony by reading in German from Psalm 103."

Above is a journalist's word-sketch of an episode during the historic visit to Israel last month of the West German Chancellor. Those who have visited Yad Vashem and stood in the bare stone hall of the Jewish memorial there will capture the pathos of this impressive ceremony in its austere setting.

Earlier Herr Brandt had used the traditional Hebrew greeting, "Shalom". But there was no evasion of the stark realities which overshadowed his mission. "The shadow cannot be brushed away", he continued, "the sum of suffering and the horror cannot be removed from the consciousness of our people. Cooperation between our people remains characterized by the moral background of our experiences". How true! The misdeeds of tyrants cannot be erased after their decease. This is a lesson of history and there are forceful and tragic instances of it in the modern world.

For nearly two thousand years the prayer of Christians has been, "Thy kingdom come". Not till then will tyranny and oppression cease,

"For He shall deliver the needy when he crieth;

And the poor that hath no helper.

He shall have pity on the poor and needy,

And the souls of the needy He shall save.

He shall redeem their soul from oppression and violence;

And precious shall be their blood in His sight"

(Psa. 72:12-14).

"Thy kingdom come"!

A parable

The other day a Hebridean crofter was in his boat off the Isle of Skye when he saw the black face of a frightened lamb bobbing in the water. He dragged the scared creature aboard, and saw a deep gash on one side of its body and the scars of a golden eagle's talons on its back. The eagle had been carrying the lamb to its nest in the cliff face when a bird watcher waved his arms, and the bird dropped it. The crofter took the lamb to his cottage and with a warm bed by his peat fire and a pint and a half of milk a day it was soon rollicking fit again.

Two men, the bird watcher and the crofter, each unknown to the other, played their part - in this rescue. Good for the lamb that each was at hand at the crucial moment! Apply the parable in the spiritual realm. When the enemy attacks the lambs of the flock let me act with equal presence of mind, whether I play the part of the bird watcher or the crofter in the parable.

"Be watchful: your adversary the devil ... walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom withstand stedfast in your faith" (1 Pet. 5:8,9).

unknown | Jul 1973
Comment By Torchlight