Opioid Deaths: A Crisis in England and Wales 

I have very little knowledge when it comes to drug addiction, by grace this awful enemy has never touched my immediate family. I do know of one young lady, a professing believer, the beloved daughter of a couple in Assembly fellowship, and the terrible consequences of this enslavement. It is beyond unbearable to see.

I believe we are still seeing the aftermath of the pandemic, its continual "fall-out" as it has been described. And this only enforces my view that obeying the Government in surrendering our divine right to gather to the Lord's Name, during so protracted a time was the most disobedient act of the responsible Assembly here in this scene, the Church universal. Since when has the Government of any nation had the authority to denounce the will of God for the obedience of His believing people? A prohibition to gather to Christ, as I would speak of it, was deemed unlawful. To excuse our failure in this by reference to Romans 13:1-4 is invalidated by the verdict of the High Court, the very "body" to which we are directed to comply. But far infinitely above that political  "argument," we read in the Word of God, "God must be obeyed rather than man;" Acts 5:29. One such Scripture should suffice; but notice how Peter and John addressed the Council at Jerusalem "If it be righteous before God to listen to you rather than God, judge ye." Acts 4:11. The most compelling of all pertinent scriptures in regard to my interpretation of this contentious issue was spoken by the Lord Jesus Himself and is a wonderful example of His divine wisdom: "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." Matthew 22:21.

You may well ask what connection the period of the pandemic has to do with the heading of this article. A very relevant question. My simple answer is that we, that is the vast majority of Assembly-based believers, closed our doors, literally, to tens of thousands who were in desperate need. Never during my lifetime, nigh 79 years, has there been such a need and such an opportunity to dispense the love of Christ to the poor, needy, afflicted, and those "ready to perish." Where could the ones who were hungry, cold, sick, sorrowing or enslaved by addiction, an instrument of the evil on, possibly go for compassionate ministry for their bodies, and their never-dying souls?

The answer is practically nowhere, because we had shut up "bowels of mercies," when we shut them out from our halls and rooms, and hid away cowardly from possible contagion. We should be ashamed in the light of the love, grace and mercy that the Saviour has lavished upon us. How we thank our good and great God that His only-begotten Son never concealed Himself from all who sought His blessings, and that He never will.

I close with the quotation that brought about this unburdening of my heart . 

More than 13,000 heroin and opioid deaths have been missed off official statistics in England and Wales, raising concerns about the impact on the government's approach to tackling addiction.

Research from King's College London, shared exclusively with BBC News, found that there were 39,232 opioid-related deaths between 2011 and 2022, more than 50% higher than previously known.

T.W.

As ever I would state that these are my own thoughts alone.