Daily Courage

[Judy Harder]

By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remember Zion. (Psalm 137:1)

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. (Acts 16:25)

Horacio Herrera

Liberty is a gift of great value to humanity, which you realize best when it is lost. For the followers of Christ there is always liberty, joy and victory whatever the circumstances may be. 

Jeremiah gives an example of a situation when liberty is lost. There is mourning, crying, desolation and bondage (Jeremiah 33).  The captured in Babylon echo this feeling of mourning when they remember Zion and the destruction of their homeland.  "How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?" (Psalm 137:4). "We sat and wept" (Psalm 137:1).

But what a different picture of glory, joy and hope is presented by Isaiah when he announces the end of captivity (Isaiah 12).  Sing with joy, and feast, for captivity has ended. There will be no more slavery. What Isaiah is saying is that we need to leave our bondage behind and live in optimism, even if all the circumstances are against us.  That is what Paul and Silas did. They changed night into day from the prison in Philippi. They turned their prison into a church and their crying into a song of joy.

Let us acknowledge our painful conditions, yes, but let us not stop there. The more we concentrate on our sorrows, the more we will cry. Let us lift up our eyes to the Lord. He will change our wailing into dancing. He will remove our sackcloth and clothe us with joy (Psalm 30:11).

Lord, open our eyes that we may see.

Horacio Herrera from Cuba. Because of his leading role in the Cuban Church, he writes using a pseudonym.

[Judy Harder]

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. (Galatians 2:20)

Horacio Herrera

During the time that rebels in Colombia attacked Christians and churches, the following happened, a group of Christians were meeting in their church in the hills, when all of a sudden a man came running to the church, shouting, "A group of killers are on their way to this church."  For a moment fear filled the church. Should they all run away and hide? At this moment of despair a brother stood up and said, "Fear not, you are not in Colombia, you are in Christ." It had such an impact on the believers that instant calm returned to the group. Or, as another Christian leader in Latin America stated, "In order to be a Christian here, you have to recognize the truth, that any extra day you live will be considered a bonus."

Yes, we have died already. Death is not awaiting us. We have experienced it already, in Christ, and have been raised to life eternal. The coming death of the body is therefore just a passage, a pass-through. Let us use the bonus time we have to live for Him. "He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him..." (2 Corinthians 5:15).

Climatic circumstances (a tropical rain storm) did not allow the group of rebel killers to reach the church in the hills."...He sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45). Hallelujah.

[Judy Harder]

These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name. (John 20:31)

Horacio Herrera

The Gospel of John offers great encouragement to us, not only in times of prosperity but also in times of hardship and trial.

To the disoriented, thirsty Samaritan woman He offers water that will quench her thirst (John 4).

To the spiritually hungry He gives the bread of life (John 6).

To the ones that walk in darkness without any sense of destination He provides the light of the world (John .

To the defenseless who suffer from the wolf and the lion He assures that He is the good shepherd (John 10).

To the ones that see no way out He says that He is the door to freedom (John 10).

To the ones that have lost the meaning of life He says, "I am the way, the truth and the life" (John 14).

To the ones that are afraid of death He says, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes on me will live, even though he dies" (John 11).

The "I AM" comes to us today, to do just that for us.

[Judy Harder]

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow ... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
(Philippians 2:10-11)

Horacio Herrera

When Paul wrote to the churches in Rome, he knew about their situation. They had no reason to comfortably celebrate their new life in Christ Jesus. On the contrary, they experienced painful separation from family members when they were discovered in their religious practices. They knew how real the lion's den was in their own city. But he had a message of hope for them (Romans 8:28-39). Death would not be able to separate them from Christ. Fallen angels or demons had no power over them. Worldly powers are under God's control.

The present is passing by.

The future is in Christ's hands.

The heights are still under the King.

The depths cannot keep those who die in Christ.

Anything else in all creation can do no harm to those who belong to the family of believers.

We, and they, will one day bow down before the King of Kings and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. They will have to confess, we will do so with all of our hearts, you are the Christ, our Savior and our Lord.

Horacio Herrera from Cuba. Because of his leading role in the Cuban Church, he writes using a pseudonym.

Copyright [C] 1995 Open Doors International. Used by permission.

[Judy Harder]

People are seeking David to take his life. He has gone through this many times before. Three times David professes to be innocent. Three times he asks God to listen to his prayer. He does that, knowing that God knows what he needs and is willing to hear his prayer.  I call on you, O God, for you will answer me.

David

Hear, O Lord, my righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer, it does not rise from deceitful lips.
May my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right.
I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.
Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.
Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings
from the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me.
(Psalm 17:1-2, 6-9)

[Judy Harder]

Monday, December 21, 2009   
 
from Day by Day with the Persecuted Church,


Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. (Psalm 20:7-8)

Andrés Noriega

We live in a time where materialism is defended, where being an atheist is normal, and being a Christian abnormal. Many people criticize our faith saying it is a remnant of the past, of colonialism and exploitation. They conclude that the church is for the weak, a shelter for the defeated.  According to their philosophy our faith is a failure and the Christian race will soon become extinct, to make place for a new, perfect society.

Communism nevertheless, has lost its grip. They are the ones that have failed. The new, perfect society turned out to be a utopia. The church, on the other side, has grown. The weak Christians turned out to be so strong that all atheistic teaching could not destroy them. The so-called faint-hearted, turned out to be people full of hope, joy and power.

Today's society is in a bad shape, while the Church of Jesus Christ awaits the return of the King of kings, Jesus our Lord. "They are brought down and fall, but we rise and stand firm."

Trust in the name of the Lord our God and stand firm with us.

Andrés Noriega from Cuba. This pastor and Bible distributor has greatly spread the Gospel in Cuba. He writes using a pseudonym.

[Judy Harder]

It is not good for the man to be alone. (Genesis 2:18)

Gustavo Figueroa

Many novels have been published about the ordeal of people who managed to survive in lonely places. Think of The Count of Monte Cristo which describes the ordeals of a man who was confined to a cell in a fortress, where he spent many years in complete isolation. Or think of Robinson Crusoe, surviving on an island, or Treasure Island which tells the story of a man who was abandoned on an island.

We enjoy these books and admire the people who survived, despite extreme problems and circumstances, often feeling forgotten and very, very lonely. To feel lonely, however, does not mean that you are without company. One can live among crowds of people and still feel very, very lonely.

Our Scripture for today says, "It is not good for the man to be alone." The Lord wants us to pay attention to those who are lonely, forgotten, and alone.  Let us pray for them today, especially for those who are in prison for their faith in Jesus Christ. Let us pray for a believer who stands alone in a Muslim village. Let us do something for a person in our own neighborhood who has no friends, or for one who experiences great sorrow or pain, for whom we can become a blessing in a time of need.

Gustavo Figueroa from Cuba. An itinerant evangelist, he writes using a pseudonym.

[Judy Harder]

I will be with you. (Exodus 3:12)

Gustavo Figueroa

Many great men of God experienced loneliness. In the coming days we will take a closer look at some of them. Moses was such a man. Though we remember him as a man who spoke to God face to face (Exodus 33:11), we also know from the Scriptures that he was a very lonely man. From the time he was a baby, lying in a basket, until the time he climbed Mount Nebo to see the Promised Land, he walked alone. Though he was living in a palace, he felt alone, because his heart was with his people, Israel. While tending the sheep in the desert, he was lonely, living in exile for forty years.

It was on one of those days, while tending the flock on the far side of the desert, that the Angel of the Lord appeared to him. Moses must have thought many times that he was alone, that God must have forgotten him, but he was never alone. The Lord accompanied him wherever he went. The experience at the burning bush was imprinted in such a way that he realized: I never walk alone.

Whether we experience God's presence, or walk in the desert alone, His word says, "I will be with you, now and always."

Gustavo Figueroa from Cuba. An itinerant evangelist, he writes using a pseudonym.

[Judy Harder]

At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me ... But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength. (2 Timothy 4:16-17)

Gustavo Figueroa

Do you hear Paul's disappointment in these words? And rightly so. He had led hundreds, if not thousands of people to the Lord. Churches were planted, the lordship of Jesus Christ was proclaimed and the Gospel was preached in many towns and countries. That led to his imprisonment and trial.   

When he entered the courtroom he must have looked around to see where his friends, the Christians, were sitting. He saw no one. What a disappointment that must have been. The moment he needed them most, they were absent. In fact, it was even worse. Not only were they absent, they had deserted him.

One can find excuses for not being in the courtroom. Too dangerous, to busy with other things, maybe even praying for Paul at home. But "everyone deserted me" is done voluntarily. They wanted nothing to do with Paul. 

We, who live in countries where we also have to appear in court, often feel like Paul. Forgotten, even deserted. "But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength." This wonderful experience does not relieve us of our responsibility. We have a part to play, willingly and lovingly. And so encourage a lonely brother in need.

Gustavo Figueroa from Cuba. An itinerant evangelist, he writes using a pseudonym.

[Judy Harder]

Friday, December 25, 2009  Email    Facebook Twitter    Print 

from Day by Day with the Persecuted Church,

I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. (Genesis 32:10)

Gustavo Figueroa

I have a tendency to dislike Jacob. I always think of him as the liar, deceiver and crook. Indeed a man who was unworthy of God's kindness and faithfulness. And yet that is exactly what the Lord did show to Jacob. Instead of looking at Jacob's failures, let us look at God's goodness and realize that we, who are no better than Jacob, may experience the same goodness of our loving Father.

When Jacob was running away from home, after lying to his old, blind father, and after deceiving his brother, he stopped "because the sun had set" (Genesis 28:11). "Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and He said, 'I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac ... I am with you, and will watch over you wherever you go.'"

What an experience. Jacob felt alone (and we would add, rightly so!) but he was still accompanied by angels and in the presence of God himself. That's why he testified, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it" (Genesis 28:12).

It strikes me when I read, "The angels of the Lord were ascending and descending" (Genesis 28:12). We would have figured that they were descending (from God to Jacob) first. But no, they were already with Jacob, the deceiver, the liar, the crook. Not to approve his actions, but because the Lord said, "I will not leave you..."

Great is His faithfulness.

Gustavo Figueroa from Cuba. An itinerant evangelist, he writes using a pseudonym.