Like most people, I was somewhat surprised to find that the referendum vote actually went in favor of leaving the European Union. The vote has brought us into chaotic and unpredictable times.
Let me make three points.
1) We have now started on a long and difficult path that will continue for years. As Christians we have a commitment to those who are needy and oppressed, and we need to be very careful that no EU legislation is thrown away without ensuring that it is replaced with something that is just as good, if not better. Too much of the “Leave or Remain” debate has focused on whether we, as individuals, would be richer or poorer. In the days ahead, we must make sure that this is not the only guideline.
2) We need to be very careful that the “Brexit mindset” doesn’t lead to some sort of narrow, inward-looking “Little England” mentality where what happens beyond our shores becomes totally irrelevant. Walls can be built in the mind as much as in reality. This is not just a matter of economic sense but a moral duty. As a nation we have contributed much to the world, not least in the spread of the Christian faith. In difficult and dangerous times, our nation still has a global role to play. We need to look outward to the world.
3) Above all, as Christians we need to pray. We have been taught that politicians control events. Nothing has demonstrated the foolishness of this idea more than this referendum. Like it or not, we have found ourselves flowing down a fast-moving stream whose course is uncharted. Whether perilous rapids or calm waters lie ahead is completely unknown to any of us. The duty of praying for our rulers and our nation is something that every Christian should take seriously—and never more so than now.
“Therefore I exhort first of all that you make supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for everyone, for kings and for all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:1-4).
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