Lament and Praise

https://odb.org/MY/2023/01/15/from-lament-to-praise

In some depressing situations like societal injustices, especially in the multiracial society in Malaysia, where government support and funding are racially driven, we lament to God. For example, our home born Malaysian world famous actress, Michelle Yeoh, who just won a Golden Globe for best actress. It was a culmination of 40 years of hard work, but when some Malaysian authorities tried to claim Michelle as our own, those in the local film and arts industry lambasted such people for their hypocrital attitude having done nothing for Michelle over the past 40 years. There were many others who had to take their art abroad in Taiwan and Hong Kong due to a lack of local institutional support.

It’s an injustice prevalent in Malaysian society that cuts across public institutions from education to government service to probably all layers of where there’s government support and funding. The non-Malays need to find their own, although they pay the most taxes with those in the government, only thinking along the lines that national interests mean Malay interests and not Malaysian interests. Like any other non-Malay, I have lived with these injustices since I was young and over the years have accepted and am resigned to the fact that we are very much on our own to make it in this land with many having migrated abroad to find more level playing fields to pursue their dreams and passions.

As believers, we may lament God on such societal injustices. It affects us directly and yet not just us but nearly everyone who is like us. It’s not really a personal predicament and yet personal all the same. Will the LORD hear us out? The consolation is that this is never a question of life or death or personal liberties. This is not severe persecution experienced by other believers in other places. Institutional discrimination places us a few steps back to allow the favoured ones a head start and easier passage in life because, in the end, most of us eventually make it. Just takes a longer time and via a more complicated route.

In lamenting God, it is a good practice like in Habakuk 3:17-19 to lament and praise, knowing to our Lord is God and is able to turn adverse situations around. Just a question of time. We may not see it in our generation, but God is God. So long as Christ has not returned, we have hope that things will be better in time to come, in 50 years or 100 years. God will make this land a better place for our children and our children’s children. So don’t just lament but praise too, even in seemingly hopeless situations. Justice will prevail one day, even in the face of the most powerful. Because God is God, He loves and cares for His people.