Nestled between the bordering mountains of Thailand and Burma lies a small Karen tribal village. My teammates and I spent a weekend living with these people, and engaging in their everyday traditions.
Immediately upon arrival into the village, I sensed a deep spirit of oppression; it felt as if the atmosphere harbored prisoners. Our ministry contact later explained that the Karen people have had a dark history with oppression under the Burmese government. For centuries, they have been denied their basic rights as humans, and regarded as a lesser people in society. At one time, the Karen’s took a stand and requested liberty as their own individual state, separate from Burma. No mercy was shown, and violence heavily fell upon them. To this day, the Karen’s live under no protection from any law, and are forced to find a way for survival within their own communities.
There’s certain experiences in life that cannot be put into words. I walked down the streets of this village, and breathed in a foreign world that I could hardly believe existed. I sat in a traditional Karen church service, and listened to the freedom cry of an oppressed people rise up. I met a young girl, whose eyes begged for love, and whose hands continuously reached out to receive it.
Yet, in each of these seemingly small moments, there was a mysterious and new revelation of the Lord. He was revealing himself once again.
I’ve never had to look oppression in the face, and identify it for what it was in such a magnanimous way, until I walked into that village. These people no longer belonged to a statistic. Their lives were intricate stories, written by the same Father that liberated me from my chains.
I left the village extremely burdened and overwhelmed.
I wrestled with God. The raw oppression was too much. I wanted my brothers and sisters to be released from their imprisonment immediately. How could the world continue moving day by day, when so many people were oblivious to real social injustice? When my soul screaming ceased, the Lord expressed his even greater heart for justice…
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
He is victorious! He has won this battle for the Karen people. There is peace, freedom, and hope in his love.
Now, I cannot look back and see a people who wear shackles. The heart of the Karen tribe is stepping into liberation. While the atmosphere may be overcast, I see a fire burning, and swelling up. This fire isn’t simply a flame, or a spark, but a steady light that is guiding the Karen people into their freedom.
“With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.” Psalm 108:13
