Praying for Refreshing
"...take the helmet of salvation and the sword
of the Spirit, which is the Word of God...."
Ephesians 6:17 ESV
My father, Klaas Brobbel, travelled to northern Ghana several years ago to connect with a ministry partner. One of the people he met during this trip was a young woman who had been experiencing persecution because of her conversion to Christianity. After introductions, she began to tell her story. As my father listened, he noticed that this soft-spoken young woman appeared quite timid. When she finished sharing her testimony, Klaas felt impressed to ask her a couple of questions.
“You have suffered a lot because you decided to follow Jesus,” he began. “It sounded like you had a good life before you became a Christian. So why not return to your old life and religion? Why not give up on Christianity and avoid all this trouble?”
To my father’s surprise, the eyes of this timid, soft-spoken woman grew wide as she emphatically exclaimed: “No way! I can never go back – I can never turn my back on Jesus!” The transformation of her countenance impacted my Dad so greatly that he never forgot the encounter. We can mistakenly assume that timidity is weak but, when a heart belongs to Christ, there exists within a fiercely passionate love for the Lord of truth and life.
For this young woman, the salvation experience cannot be discarded like something that becomes broken or useless. On the contrary, she found a genuine and sincere faith that gave her hope beyond the difficulties of life in this present world. Her confidence came from the eternal promises of God that she discovered in His Word. Her hope rested in the Risen Saviour, who would turn her mourning into dancing. She knew the Lord’s love because the Bible told her so.
The late Pastor Samuel Lamb, a well-known house church leader who served the Lord for many years in China, had spoken of the time he was arrested by governmental authorities. As he was handcuffed and led out of his apartment, he heard his mother call out, “Our prayers are with you.” Then while being transported to prison, Pastor Lamb remembered his mother’s previously spoken words of wisdom:
“Evil never triumphs when it comes on the children of God. The Lord always provides mercy in our suffering, strength for our weakness, and grace to accept what we can’t understand. The night of adversity must ever yield its darkness to the morning of blessing. I may not live to see it, my son, but however deeply Christians suffer in these times, a glorious morning is sure to dawn.” 1
The truth of God’s Word restores and refreshes troubled souls. Additionally, the Bible provides the assurance that even in the darkest storms, God can be trusted. There is rest and peace in His abiding presence.
Teacher and author Dr. Ron Smith writes: “God’s Word does not just consist of letters printed on a page in black ink. Rather, each word, each sentence, each paragraph, and each verse in the Bible is filled with the breath of God Himself.” 2
There remains today a deep hunger and desperate need for Bibles in countries where Christians are severely oppressed and persecuted. The Bibles that are distributed not only bring comfort and relief but also provide refreshment for those who hunger and thirst to learn more about the Lord through the Scriptures. As persecuted Christians encounter the direct ministry of the Holy Spirit through the Living Word of God, they are able to draw many who are stumbling in spiritual darkness to salvation in Him by shining His light.
In my March CEO blog message, I wrote: “The current spiritual hunger has virtually depleted the Ukrainian church's inventory of Bibles and, therefore, God's Word is in high demand. The Voice of the Martyrs Canada is committed to assisting the church in Ukraine with resources to minister to the spiritual needs of their people. As a result, we are providing 50,000 Bibles for distribution among the churches in Ukraine so they can share the powerful message of the Gospel during this critical time.”
The ministry partner facilitating VOMC’s distribution of New Testament Bibles in Ukraine recently reported the following wonderful news: “God is great and often uses difficulties to draw people to Him, and we are already seeing a spiritual awakening among the Ukrainian people. That's why our leaders on the ground are steadfastly committed to serving as the hands and feet of Jesus to help more suffering Ukrainian families within Ukraine receive basic supplies, needed care and a copy of God's Word – and His Gospel is making a difference!”
The Bible Fund allows VOMC to work with ministries that supply Bibles (in whole or in part; print, digital or audio) to persecuted Christians in their local languages. This fund also delivers Bibles to in-country ministry partners, pastors and evangelists for evangelism and distribution among those who desire to learn more about the Lord and His infallible Word. 3
So, please join us in praying that the “helmet of salvation” and the “sword of the Spirit” will equip our persecuted family to effectively serve their communities as God’s “salt” and “light.”
Endnotes:
1 Lamb, Samuel, Bold as a Lamb, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, MI, 1991, pg. 65
2 Smith, Ron, Hooked on the Word, YWAM Publishing, Seattle, WA, 1994, pg. 19
3 Store.vomcanada.org/category/donations/bible-fund
