Recently we had an incident in the town where I work in which a doctor in one of the practices was taken hostage at knifepoint. During the incident my role was to provide support for the staff involved and who had been evacuated to a nearby church. I was available for supportive counselling for most of the day as the drama unfolded in the surgery across the road. Not long after the incident was resolved without harm to the doctor, I spoke to him about the event.
The consistent feelings that everybody expressed was that of the unexpected nature of the event, its unpredictability, feelings of helplessness, being out of control and fear. For days after, many people experienced poor sleep, lack of appetite and other associated symptoms. Had the incident not been resolved without harm to the doctor, then I have doubt that the trauma experienced by people would have been worse.
Any of us no doubt would have shared similar feelings under those circumstances. Just imagine that you are being held hostage at knifepoint or have just escaped from such a situation, but one of your brethren or sisters had been taken. You would experience guilt, feel you had no control etc just as they did.
But we do know that God overrules all things for our ultimate good. Thus despite what may or may not happen to us, we do have an anchor in whatever situation or trial that arises. The problem is that if we do not make a daily conscious effort to remember God’s overruling hand in the mundane things of life, we will tend to forget in times of extreme difficulties, making the mistake of trusting in other sources of help and the help of man is fickle and weak even at the best of times!
However this incident struck me, as having some lessons for me to learn and maybe you also will find these thoughts of use.
Now the man holding the doctor hostage wanted to kill himself and take somebody with him. The doctor was in grave danger. We are all hostages! We are in the same position. We are held hostage by sin and the threat to our life is very real. More than this, it is a threat that is eternal in its scope. Without intervention sin will kill us!
The police negotiator spent many hours helping to free the doctor. During this time the doctor could have either helped or hindered efforts by his own actions. He needed to be sensitive to guidance from what the negotiator was doing and saying. That doctor was very grateful to the negotiator for what he had done and has spent time since talking through things with him.
What of us? Jesus has paid the ultimate price on our behalf to secure our freedom, how do we show our gratitude to him? Like the doctor we must be patient, release from being hostage to sin and death is not instant and the wait will be very difficult at times. These difficult times will be full of danger, such that through our own mistakes sin may yet sting us! We must follow our mediator’s guidance and obey his commands. We must stay as far away from sin as possible. You see when we were helpless God provided what was needed:
“Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men) — remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.” Eph 2:11-13
Now what of the Health Centre Staff? They had been evacuated, they were shocked, worried about what could happen, uncertain, feeling out of control, powerless and helpless. There was no instant ‘cure’ for how they felt. My role was one of being sensitive to how they were feeling and helping them as a group and individually to express their fears and concerns. By doing so they were helped to be honest about how they felt and come to realize that they were not alone in what they were feeling, but rather that everybody experienced similar feelings.
Is that not a role we should be fulfilling for each other? If only we could get the same level of support from each other without fear of censure or ridicule, when we experience doubts, when faith wavers, when we feel guilty over what we may or may not have done. In those times of fear about what is coming upon the earth, in those times when we feel unworthy and alone. In those times when we lose loved ones, feel depressed, anxious and fearful or lost.
Never felt any of those things? I am surprised you must be super human! We ALL share the same human nature, the same feelings and emotions in one way or another.
So the lesson to take from these thoughts? Maybe these quotes will help:
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Gal 6:2
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:16
“If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life….” 1John 5:16
“Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.” James 5:14
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ "Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ "The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:35-40
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1John 1:9
What a great, wonderful, immeasurably great hope we have! Let us therefore keep our eyes firmly fixed upon the coming Kingdom, when according to the mercy of God we shall finally be free from being a hostage to sin and death and be permitted to “see the King in all his beauty and view that land that stretches afar.”
Andy P.