Why we can have hope living in Malaysia

This Chinese New Year like many others before, there are ample discussions about politics and the state of Malaysia. Only this time, there is little anger vented just a sigh of tiredness and resignation to a seemingly hopeless situation in Malaysia. After 2 General Elections with change seemingly within our grasp, now all that is left is a sense despair and hopelessness. Many have left the country in desperation, unable to see any hope for a better Malaysia…even Christians.

While it is never our place to question each person’s calling to another country as God can also turn this into a blessing there is a clear reason why some should stay.  I can think of 3 reasons :

1) There is always hope for the believer.

It really depends what we put at the center of our lives.  If its comfort and a better life for ourselves and our family then when we look at the Malaysian horizon, it is clear that it ain’t going to happen anytime soon.  Is that what we have been called to though? 

What has been promised for the believer is the hope of eternal life with Christ in heaven. We have received all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places, we have been adopted as His sons and daughters because of Christ, we are the beneficiary of lavish grace even when we deserve death. Is this not sufficient a hope of the things to come?  For some your theology informs you that God promises a life without sickness and diseases. Someone told me (a well meaning friend) during my recent fight with cancer to claim healing for it is my right as a Christian.  A quick view of the New Testament saints reveals a people not unfamiliar with persecution and suffering, yet their prayers are not about alleviating the present suffering but always about the advancement of the Gospel. 

When our hope lie in Christ and the eternal life which He procured for us on the cross, it frees us to bring goodness, justice, peace and righteousness upon this broken, corrupted, sinful and disease laden world.  Indeed there are Christians in places of authority who are currently bringing reform and change to institutions of government because of their belief in the Gospel of Christ. This leads me to the next point.

2) God is mission minded.

In Jeremiah 29, a letter was sent to the exiles in Babylon from the prophet Jeremiah.  He told the exiles, go into the city, built your houses, plant your gardens, raise your family and then seek and pray for the shalom of the city.  Imagine that, to seek the shalom (wholesome peace) and to pray for the good of your captors.  Why? Because God had sent them there.  This was not some random occurrence. Yes, they were under discipline but God had also ordained that the people of Israel were to settle in Babylon for 70 years to influence and to bring goodness, wholesomeness, peace, justice and righteousness as they live out their lives in a hostile city.  Somehow the citizens of Babylon mattered to God and the people of Israel were to bring shalom into their lives.

We are to do the same in our Babylon. It is not by chance that our ancestors settled on the shores of Malaysia some 100 years ago. We are to settle down, find our vocation, do business, work and seek the welfare of Malaysia.  Heck! We are to pray for Malaysia!  Pray for the very people who receive the promotion which we were hoping to get but because they were of the right race?  Pray for the people who asks you to return to China when we born in this beautiful land?  Pray for the very people who use Christians as scapegoats of bad things that befall the city?   Yes, Yes and yes!  We pray for the shalom of Malaysia, we pray for righteousness and justice to prevail so the country can begin to prosper.  We can do this because our hope and reward is in heaven.

3) We must see with spiritual eyes

In Numbers 13, Moses had sent out 12 spies to the Promised Land to recce the place. They came back with grapes and reported that the place was flowing with milk and honey. It was fertile and productive, but the people there are strong. Very strong and intimidating. Out of the 12, 10 returned fearful and opposed moving in. Only Caleb and Joshua believed that God would deliver them.  They said; “Don’t rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. We will devour them like bread. They have no protection, and the Lord is with us. So don’t be afraid of them.”

When our eyes are fixed on the giants and seemingly hopeless situation we tremble in fear. Where got hope? The opposition is in disarray. The corrupt leaders will still be in power. The economy and education is in shambles. Islamization is inevitable as the Hudud is implemented step by step. Tell your children don’t come back. No more hope in Malaysia.  However if we like Caleb and Joshua set our eyes on Jesus and place our hope in God, we shall see God’s will be done here in this country.

I have to admit many times I too think what am I doing here?   It does look bleak, perhaps this is the best time to make our exit for the next generation. We must encourage one another; that our hope is not on the temporal things of the earth but on the future glory of heaven. We must belief that God has called us in the meantime to be here in Malaysia, to bring Kingdom values and shalom to Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Penang, Kuching and every corner of Malaysia. We must see with spiritual eyes that God is doing something significant and we have the privilege of being a part of his mission in Malaysia.  We must remind one another to keep our eyes on Jesus and not on the seemingly fragile situation we are in.

God bless you and lets pray for the shalom of Malaysia.