I received a letter from my son Andy this past Tuesday. It was disturbing. He, and his fellow soldiers in the Fort Lewis-McChord stockade are being mistreated. I can imagine nothing more frustrating than to be innocent, imprisoned, and helpless to change that situation. This would be a faith challenging situation, or a faith strengthening situation depending on how you were to look at it.
I wish that Andy could have access to this blog. I will not use it as a forum for commenting on or belittling anyone in particular. I will use it as a vehicle to help reinforce faith and witness to wrong doers. And so how would you feel if your son or daughter told you they were being mistreated by those who were appointed over you to assure your safety? Personally, I am at my more mild moments deeply saddened and at other times outraged. It also is a time of intense prayer for me. Andy is truly in the hands of God. I can not reach him. I can not hold him, comfort and reassure him. And so I ask God to cradle my son in His loving arms. I ask God to send his Holy Spirit to fill Andy with the faith he needs to survive this ordeal. And I pray for the hearts and souls of those who chose to mistreat him and his fellow soldiers. That is what I do, but what should Andy and all those being mistreated do?
We look at Romans 5:3-5 and gain tremendous insight into how we can deal with adversity in any form. We as Christians are constantly being shaped, refined, molded by our creator to carry out His will. There is a purpose to this. "Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." is what we read. How we handle adversity is important to us, and important to those who witness our situation. We are billboards for Christ. We are in the face of our fellow believers and nonbelievers and how we respond plays heavily into how others view our life in Christ. Do we project a persona of strength and belief? Or do we project a facade, a thin veneer that shows through to a rotten core below? Praying for those who would seek to mistreat us is how Jesus would respond. Praying for their forgiveness is exactly what Jesus did on the cross. In Luke 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” It can be the most difficult thing for anyone to do, to pray for the forgiveness of those who wrong them. But that is what separates Christians from others. We have hope that others do not. The Apostle Paul reminds us, "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. That my friends in Christ makes all the difference. To God be all the glory.
PRAYER: Father, Abba, we pray to you today, and everyday for those who seek to harm us. We pray for those who would seek to bring difficulty to our lives. We pray for those who discriminate against us, assail our faith, or cause us physical harm or death. We pray that your forgiveness would be upon them. We pray that Your Holy Spirit would crack their hearts wide open so that the love of Christ would fill their hearts. We pray that just as we who were lost and then found by Jesus, so to would they be found and gathered as part of Your flock. We ask this in the name our Your Son, our Savior and Shepherd, Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit. One God, now and forever. Amen
Forest, I finally took a look at your blog and have read many of your devotionals. I'm impressed at your diligence to do so much. The blog is inspirational and well written.
ReplyDeleteOur thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family as you deal with the Andy situation. We pray for resolution, truth and wisdom for all involved.