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“persecuted but not abandoned;” (2 Corinthians 4:9a)

We who live in the United States live in a relatively free place where we can practice our faith with no fear of punishment for our actions. This is not true in other parts of the world.

People who practice Christianity in these certain other nations risk their very lives. When they accept Christ as their Lord and choose to follow Him they lose their homes, their families, and, if they are men, their source of income, or even their very lives. At the very least, they become dead to their families and their former way of living.

When missionaries go to these areas, they have to go in another capacity- agricultural medical or educational. In our former church, the missions magazine referred to those in nations closed to the Gospel but protected the identity of those serving the Lord by not giving their names or locations.

I am presently reading a book entitled; Follow Me written by David Platt. In it, he says that in order for our Christianity to be real, we have to die to self. When people in other parts of the world choose to follow Jesus, they know they lose their previous life.

One of my closest friends has taught children in Sunday school. Several years ago, two sisters and a brother lived less than a block away from the church. They started attending Sunday school and kid’s klub.

My friend led them to the Lord. They lived with their mother and maternal grandfather. Their father was Muslim. We were told that anyone who led a Muslim into another faith would lose their life. The father came to town and our then pastor dialogued with him. Several of the people at the church prayed for my friend’s safety. When I began teaching the sisters in the teen class, I found them to be delightful.

And, as I look back, I was not afraid; I don’t believe my friend was either.

“struck down but not destroyed;” (2 Corinthians 4:9b)

When we choose to follow Jesus Christ, we learn to stand against the things that seek to harm us. I am reminded of what Joseph said to his brothers when he reassured them that he held no grudge against them after Jacob had died, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish . . . the saving of many lives.” (Genesis )

In the book of Acts, we read of hostilities done to people who chose to follow the Lord. But we also see that the church grew exponentially.

I recall that after the Columbine tragedy, the school called in grief counselors to help those teens who witnessed that event. However, those teens went to their churches for spiritual help.

In the immediate days after 9/11/2001, people used a small chapel located right near ground zero as a place for respite. A Christian author included that chapel in her novel built around that day. Throughout our nation, people predicted a rise in church attendance because of the disaster.

Last December, our nation grieved the loss of the children and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Massachusetts. The news media focused on the gravity of the circumstances and also showed the faith of the citizens.

In the above examples, we see where the people most gravely impacted relied on their faith in the Lord to help them through.

"God's Words For US" from Cecelia Lester

Yahweh Shammah,