Tag: persecution

Where Was God?

Posted on by Dorci

That’s the question on a lot of minds on a day like today.

And I understand that question. There are many events in my own life I’ve wondered where God was.

It was a day none of us will forget for so many reasons. The day quickly became dark and tragic, but there were also more acts of heroism that day, of light in the darkness, than we will ever fully know.

Like 24-year-old Welles Crowther who called his mother from the South Tower to let her know he was okay, and then began to lead others to safety, carrying an injured woman on his back down 15 floors and then returning to help more.

And Rick Rescorla who, as a head of security in the South Tower, ignored orders to keep employees at their desks, saving 2700 people.  

And Army Specialist Beau Doboszenski who was working as a tour guide on the other side of the Pentagon. Upon hearing the chaos, he ran to the crash site and spent the next several hours helping co-workers and running into the flames to help bring people out.

These acts of heroism are amazing enough, but looking at their backstories, we can see just a little bit of the hand of God orchestrating the saving of so many lives.

Like the fact that Welles Crowther had been a volunteer firefighter in his teens and was well prepared to confidently lead. Even the fact that somehow that day he had been wearing a red bandana that was able to keep him from breathing in too much smoke as he saved at least 12 people.  His body was found in a stairwell headed back up with the jaws of life.

And like the fact that Rick Rescorla had served in Vietnam, with distinction, and had the wisdom to lead his people to safety. And for years he had the forethought to have the employees practice fire drills. Because of that, more than 2700 people made it down the tower to safety in 16 minutes. Rick Rescorla’s body was never found.

And like the fact that Beau Doboszenski was a former firefighter and a trained EMT.

Too many lives were lost that day. The enemy of all that is good and right and holy was there to cause death and destruction and what he’d love to leave in his evil wake is a doubt and mistrust that God was there or that He even exists.

But God is the one who prepared people years in advance with special training and placed them where they needed to be when they needed to be there.

God is the Giver of strength, courage, wisdom, and perseverance.

God is the one who instills in people His love, the greater love that lays down his life for others.

We’ll never fully understand the whys this side of heaven, about that fateful day, or about tragic days in our own personal lives.

But God knows.

Years later we can catch a small glimpse into the behind-the-scenes stories of that day, shining a light on some of the good, among countless other similar sacrificial stories that took place among the evil and about how God was there in their midst. 

God sees the full picture. And we can trust He was there that day giving strength to heroes just as He’s with us every day, including our worst days, filling us with His strength, courage, and hope.

And someday maybe God will show us all the behind-the-scenes stories of those awful days in our own lives and how He was right there with us in the midst of it all. 

 

“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” 1 Cor. 13:12b


Heavenly Father, thank you for never leaving us or forsaking us. Thank you for preparing a home for us and giving us the hope of being with you someday, when you will have struck down evil for the last time, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.  Thank you for the incredible bravery of so many men and women on that day, for giving what we know was even beyond their own strength . We pray for those who lost loved ones that day. We ask that you would be especially near to them today, and that you would comfort them with your peace that passes all understanding. We know that you will prevail, that you’ve already conquered evil at the cross, and we pray for many more souls to come to know Christ as their own Lord and Savior, even today. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen. 

The Saturday Song – Move (Keep Walkin’)

Posted on by Dorci

There are days, months, years, when I feel like I’ve been on a 1000-mile march, uphill, carrying 500 pounds on my back.  Maybe the apostle Paul knew that feeling, too, and guessed Timothy might also, and why Paul wrote to him: 

“You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please Him who enlisted him as a soldier.” 2 Timothy 2:3-4

That word “good” means beautiful, honest, worthy, valuable, virtuous (for appearance or use.)

Be sure we’re in a war, and maybe now more than ever. But we don’t walk alone. God is with us, strengthening us, empowering us, enabling us to finish in victory.  

So keep walking.  And look up. Cause things may seem bleak right now, but it ain’t over yet. (Spoiler Alert – God wins, and if we’re with Him, so do we.)

 

 

Heavenly Father, help us keep moving and to endure the hardship we encounter in this life, not as those who is endure alone or needlessly, but as a people who, in Christ Jesus, oppose your enemy who prowls around looking for someone to devour, and to be witnesses of your great grace and mercy and proclaimers of the power of the gospel to save.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen. 

 

Tongues of Fire

Posted on by Dorci

“I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” 
Luke 24:49

Luke records these as some of the last words spoken by Christ before He ascended into heaven.

Other apostles recorded some of the acts Jesus said they would do in their ministries, but they could go nowhere and do nothing until they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

And once the Holy Spirit filled them – watch out.

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
Acts 2:1-4

This ragtag group of people who had hid in the upper room, afraid that the soldiers who came after Christ might also come after them, suddenly changed into a group who immediately began speaking “great things of God” in languages from all over the region. 

The sound was so loud that people came to see, and hear, what was happening, and hearing the Lord being glorified each in their own language, they were amazed.

Peter, who had just weeks before claimed he didn’t know Christ as He hung on the cross, now stood as he was filled with the Holy Spirit, “raised his voice and addressed the crowd,” proclaiming the prophecies of Joel, confronting them with putting the Messiah to death, witnessing to His resurrection, speaking the prophecy of David, and declaring that this Man – the Lord – was now at the right hand of God. And because of the power of the Holy Spirit, the people were convicted, and the Church grew by 3000 that day.

That first Pentecost was a small seed of what God would do through the disciples and the early church as they were empowered by the Holy Spirit.

In the Spirit the disciples were one in heart and mind, witnessed boldly, spoke with authority, prayed in faith, saw visions, prophesied, healed the sick, cast out demons, time-warped, performed signs and wonders, gave glory to God, and remained steadfast in their obedience to Him even when faced with jail, flogging, and death.

And when they were punished they entrusted themselves to their Lord.

On at least one occasion while in jail they prayed and sang hymns to God (Acts 16:25), and on another “left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.” (Acts 5:41)

And all these years later, nothing has changed. We still need the empowering and leading of the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s will.

So why don’t we see the magnitude of the miraculous works the early church experienced?

Have we run ahead of the Lord, instead of praying for and relying on the empowering of the Holy Spirit to do His work, His way, and in His time? 

Are we trying to do spiritual things in our own strength, using only talents and human knowledge instead of our Spirit-given gifts and godly wisdom? 

Have we been grieving the Holy Spirit by some ongoing sinful attitude or behavior?

If there’s ever a time we need the Holy Spirit to move in us and among us to do a mighty work, it is now.

On this Pentecost, I pray again for revival of my own heart and for the hearts of all God’s people. That as fellow citizens of the household of God we will recognize the gift we’ve been given in the Holy Spirit and wholeheartedly recommit ourselves to the Lord, praying our way through each day and night, yielding our wills to our Lord and Savior, putting aside the flesh and walking in the power of the Holy Spirit.

That as one we will burn with a Spirit-driven holy passion of faith, trust, and boldness in our witness of Jesus Christ and the hope we have because of Him.

* * *

Heavenly Father, for the sake of the lost and for your glory, we put aside confidence in anything of ourselves, and we give our lives to be walking, breathing manifestations of the Holy Spirit, that we might move, serve, and worship as one body.

* * *

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13

Sunday Praise and a Prayer for the Persecuted Church

Posted on by Dorci

Dear Heavenly Father, we praise You. We praise you for your goodness and faithfulness, for your love and grace and mercy, and for the joy you give even in the midst of adversity.  

Father, we lift up to you today the persecuted church. We pray for whole churches who must meet in secret. Help them to not give in to fear, but gain strength from You and each other as they encourage one another. We pray these congregations will only grow as your Spirit draws more believers.

We pray for those all over the world who are being persecuted – imprisoned, tortured, rejected by family members, because they have put their faith in you, the one true God.  We pray for your mercy toward them, that you would do amazing works through the your light that now lives inside them.

We pray your Holy Spirit would comfort them and fill them your peace that surpasses all understanding. May they know your love for them and may they live in confidence of it always, with all hope and joy. May they know that with you they will be strong and courageous.

Help them to know they are not alone, and they are not forgotten. We pray your will would be done, that they will be unharmed, released from prison, accepted by their families. And when they aren’t, we pray you would empower them to endure.

We pray for the salvation of those around them – whole families, guards, other prisoners, those who live near them, that they will see your love and peace in them and also come to know you as their Lord and Savior.

Help them to remain in prayer, and never let go of their trust in You. May you use these situations, and what the enemy means for evil, for your good and your glory.

Help them keep their eyes on You, and hold onto the words you gave to John “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.”

These are the heroes of our faith, Lord. Please remind us to keep praying for them.  In Jesus’ holy and precious name we pray, amen.

Sunday Praise and a Prayer for the Persecuted

Posted on by Dorci

Dear Heavenly Father, we praise you, and we thank you for all you’ve blessed us with.  Forgive us for the times we take those blessings for granted, and we ask that you would remind us often to be grateful to you for pouring out onto us more blessing, more freedom, more love and grace than we can imagine.  I pray our gratitude will lead us to be a fountain of that love, grace, and mercy that you’ve so generously given to us.

Lord, we lift up our brothers and sisters around the world who are being persecuted for their faith, those who are in prison, who are being tortured, who are separated from their families.  Father, in Jesus’ name I pray you would fill them with your Holy Spirit and your might so that all you desire to accomplish in and through them will be done. May you do miraculous things, things that only you can do.

Lord, please fill them with your peace that passes all understanding; fill them with your strength to go on from one hour to the next; fill them with your love and forgiveness so that their hearts don’t become hardened or bitter; fill them with your joy so they are a light to those around them; fill them with boldness to continue proclaiming the gospel and the name of Christ; fill them with hope as they remember their great reward is with you. 

May they feel your presence with them, and may you, in the mighty name of Jesus, bind the hand of the enemy. May our brothers and sisters continue to trust you, put their faith in you, and may they see, even if only a little bit, the fruit of their labor.  And may we always remember them in our prayers, and honor them with our lives, boldly and freely proclaiming the gospel and the name of Jesus Christ.  It’s in His precious and matchless name I pray, amen.