In a week that has seen terrible and tragic loss of life in many parts of the world, including Nigeria and New Zealand, we weep with those who weep, and we mourn with those who mourn.
We report today on the ongoing violent persecution of Nigerian Christians who are being slain in their thousands at the hands of Boko Haram Islamist terrorists and armed Fulani herdsmen. British Labour MP Kate Hoey has criticised the mainstream media for “ignoring the slaughter” of hundreds of Nigerian Christians by not reporting the spate of attacks by militant Fulani herdsmen over the past three weeks.
Two stories that emerged from Nigeria within the same few days could not be more contrasting – not in the familiar context of violence and terror in Nigeria’s Middle Belt they both share – but in their outcomes.
The Lord's intervention to save the lives of young Christian children moments from certain death at point blank range of terrorist guns, powerfully reminds us that our God is sovereign and can perform wonders that we cannot fathom.
Yet, we can only stand aghast and mute in the face of the vast massacre that is unfolding elsewhere in Nigeria, including the attacks claiming over 300 lives in recent months.
We share in the incomprehension and horror of Christian and Muslim communities alike, after the senseless attack on a mosque that took the lives of 50 Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Together we all wonder “why?” But, as Christians, we know that His ways are not our Ways and can take comfort that He is working all things together for the eternal good of those that love Him.
