Afghanistan — W. Clay Smith Blog

The news coming out of Afghanistan is not good. The pictures of people hanging on to American transport planes are heartbreaking. The enemy the United States has fought for twenty years has taken over the country.

The politicians, of course, are blaming each other for the collapse of the Afghanistan government. Media outlets are flooded with “We told you so…” and “If you had only asked us, we could have told you a better way.” Most of us are not sure what to think. Being a preacher, however, I could not help but wonder what God thinks.

The church I serve is in a military town. I know people who have gone to Afghanistan and pounded the ground, been under fire, and had to return fire in the heat of battle. Friends have strafed Afghan positions and dropped bombs on the Taliban. Just this week, I heard a story about someone who was in an area thought to be safe. A surprise missile attack one day crippled her friend for life.

I think if I had served in Afghanistan, I would be asking, “What was it all about? Why were we there? What did we really accomplish?” There really are no answers to those questions. Sometimes you go and do your duty, but you never know the long-term results of what you did. To everyone who served, I think God would say, “I know you do not understand the ‘why.’ I know right now it seems pointless. But I am the God of the past, present, and future. I know how this will turn out. Tell me your pain.” The biblical word for telling God your pain is ‘lament.’ Your pain and your questions do not have to make sense. You simply need to tell God your pain. Ask your questions. He cares, even when you do not understand your own pain. For all those who served in Afghanistan and feel the pain of events there, lament. Tell God your pain.

God, I think, must also sigh because what is happening in Afghanistan is one more example that all belief systems are not the same. I imagine God gets tired of people generalizing about him. The truth is all belief systems are not the same. What the Taliban believe about God is not the same as what Jesus followers believe about God. Just to cite a common example, in the West, women are valued. Most Westerners do not stop and ask, “Where did that belief come from?” It comes from Jesus followers, who boldly declared that in Christ, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are one in Christ Jesus.” While the Taliban say they will not persecute women, their past performance indicates women will be relegated to second or third-class status. This will be done in the name of God. When Joshua challenged the people of God to choose who they would serve, he understood not all gods were the same. We’ve forgotten that. I think God wishes we would remember.

In the same vein, God must be frustrated by the abandonment of absolute truth. From what I understand, in Afghan culture, there is no shame in changing sides, lying, going back on agreements, saying one thing, and then doing another. The scary thing in Western culture is these same ideas are taking hold. This is not because people are influenced by Muslim theology but because people no longer believe in absolute truth. Instead, truth is whatever you want it to be. God must want to scream every time he hears someone say, “This is my truth.” If Jesus is correct (and I believe he is), he is the truth. Since he is the truth, he decides what is true and has the right to hold people (and nations!) accountable for the truth. It is hard to have a nation if people do not hold to the idea of truth and honesty. I think the Taliban will discover you cannot govern until people agree on the truth.

I know God is concerned about his people. There are Jesus followers in Afghanistan, but not many. I cannot imagine the courage it must take to follow Jesus in a place where your family will reject you and threaten to kill you. Not every believer can get on an airplane and flee the country. To be left in Afghanistan and still follow Jesus requires great faith and devotion to Jesus. As an American, I am humbled by those who will suffer severe persecution because they believe and follow. God will move to protect his work, but some will still suffer. One of the overlooked meanings of eternal life is God will give special honor to those who were persecuted for their faith.

I am certain of this: God has not panicked. He is not surprised. He knew this was coming. And he is at work. He loves all the people in Afghanistan, including the Taliban. He wants good for them. He is at work to bring all the good, all the love, all the grace they are willing to receive. Just like us, the question is, “How much of God’s goodness, love, and grace do I – we – they - want?”

My answer: “All He will send.” What is your answer?