This morning I read that the Taliban had taken Kabul and I read Psalm 24.
"The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;"
Yes, on the level of earthly political powers and military forces, Afghanistan is under Taliban control. But really, Afghanistan is the Lord's and everything in it, the whole country, and all who live in it.
There's reassurance in that verse. Afghanistan and every other country has always been the Lord's, and always will be. God is king of the world and the speed of the Taliban offensive did not take him by surprise.
It's also an unsettling verse. The believers in Afghanistan are in even greater physical danger now. From the comfort of the West, we long to see our brothers and sisters in Christ free from persecution. And yet at the back of our minds is the nagging thought that if the sovereign Lord's plan includes his Afghan children living under Taliban rule, after all the hardships that Afghans have already been facing, what might his plan for us involve?
It's a deeply sad verse. Afghanistan belongs to the Lord and he is rightfully due the worship of the people of Afghanistan. It has a population of over 39 million people and an estimated evangelical Christian population of 0.02% (source). There are millions of people living in Afghanistan who do not know Christ, who think Jesus was just a human prophet.
It's a hopeful verse. The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. Every country of the world, including Afghanistan, and every person. And one day people from every tribe, tongue and nation will worship at the throne of the Lamb, and that includes the Afghan, Pashtun, Hazara and other peoples of Afghanistan. The earth is the Lord's so there is hope for Afghanistan.
Let's pray for Afghanistan.
