The fuel crisis which struck Britain suddenly towards the end of 1973 has continued into 1974. This, together with roaring inflation, has exposed the country to its greatest danger since the dark days of 1940 when the country faced the most critical period of the Second World War. Our statesmen, no doubt, can give many reasons for the present serious situation. The reasons they give, however, are mere secondary causes of our present distress. We would be foolish to blind ourselves to the fact that the main cause of our serious plight is our lamentable departure from the Lord and our open violation of His laws. It is only too clear that the judgments of the God of heaven are upon us as a backsliding nation. Accordingly, the remedy at this serious juncture in our history, is not merely man-made efforts to resolve the present crises, but rather our wholehearted and penitent return to the Lord whom we have forsaken.
We have every encouragement in God’s Word to do so—”Return unto me, saith the Lord, and I will return unto you.”
No National Day of Prayer
One sad feature of the present situation is the refusal of our national leaders to recognise the hand of God in our troubles and their consequent refusal to appoint a National Day of Prayer to plead with the Lord on behalf of our land. The fearful blindness of our leaders in refusing to give the Lord any place in their counsels bodes ill for our nation. May the Lord in mercy open their eyes, or speedily remove them and raise up in their place rulers who would fear and honour God.
How different is the situation in America with regard to a National Day of Prayer. There the Senate adopted a resolution for the observance on April 30th of a “national day of humiliation, fasting and prayer.”
According to the Daily Express of 21/12/73, Senator Mark Hatfield, said: “Because of the nation’s failings it behoves us to humble ourselves before Almighty God, to confess our national sins and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.” This is an example which our leaders would do well to follow.
Day of Prayer
As no response was obtained from the Prime Minister to a telegram sent to him in December asking him to advise the Queen to call a National Day of Prayer, it was thought expedient to have a Day of Prayer throughout the congregations of the Church to plead with the Lord on behalf of our beloved land. This day of prayer took place on Wednesday, 30th January. We would ask our people to continue in prayer for our nation, asking especially that the Lord in His mercy would give us not merely temporal deliverance from our present difficulties but spiritual deliverance from our backsliding course.
Football on the Lord’s Day
Up till now Senior Football Clubs in this country have not arranged football matches on Sabbath — at least while playing in this country though they may have acted differently when playing abroad. As Saturday, under the present regulations, has become an ordinary working day, an excuse has been made of this to bring in Sabbath football in this country. Having made inroads on the Sabbath in this way every effort will be made, no doubt, to continue this practice when the present emergency is over. It is encouraging to notice that one footballer, at least, (and there may be many more), Jimmy Allan of Swindon Town Football Club, who comes from Balintore, Ross-shire, and belongs to the U.F. Church, has refused to play on Sabbath. Some Football Clubs too, have refused to take part e.g. Ross County Football Club in Dingwall.
One can hardly think that a more inopportune moment could have been chosen for the introduction of Sabbath football, involving as it does increased desecration of the Lord’s day, than the very time when the Lord’s hand is upon us as a nation in judgment. This new defiance of God’s law can only wring increased judgments from God’s hand. How solemn that this is the course we are treading when God’s Word gives ample warning against the sin of Sabbath breaking. May the people of our land give heed to the counsel of God in His own Word: “if thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my Holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight . . . then shall thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth . . .” Isa. 59: 13, 14.