Page 22 - Voice of the Persecuted Christians - Jul-Sep 2023 - 123

THE WORD
How can persecuted Christians display such godly peace? The answer lies in the context of a familiar verse, says Release International’s Kenneth Harrod
IFinding contentment in the hardest places
t is a well-known Bible verse Paul’s familiar maxim is all about was beaten unconscious for her that you will often find adorning contentment. faith and woke up to hear that her Christian coffee mugs, attractive sister – also a Christian – had been
plaques for your living room wall, It is, perhaps, easier to be content beaten to death. Prolonged ill-health or on inspirational posters ... and when you have more than you need. had provided the only key out of a yet it is a Bible verse that is often Christians who have lost everything barbaric Eritrean prison. She had misunderstood, or misused. (and sometimes everyone) and fled to Sudan and then on to Paris,
who continue to display a godly and to an unfamiliar culture. But her Towards the end of his letter to the contentment show us the real power faith – and her contentment – were
Philippians the Apostle Paul declares, Paul is expressing. apparent.
I have met Christians in Nigeria who ‘I can do all things through him who have been forced to flee their homes
strengthens me.’ (Philippians 4:13). Removed from its context and taken
and villages, in the face of attack
by militant Islamists. They are now living in camps for the internally displaced in their own country, often dependent on people like Release International’s partners to provide them with basic necessities – and yet they continue to display a godly contentment.
When we hear of Christians who have been forced to flee it is right
to want to help meet their practical needs, such as through the work Release International supports. It is also right to pray for the provision of those needs.
in isolation (as it often is) this verse can easily be read as inspiration for personal achievement: I can fulfil all my dreams and achieve all my goals through the strength that God gives me! With God on my side, nothing can stop me!
However, let’s not forget to pray that the God who sustains His people will also grant them true and godly peace and contentment. And, yes, let’s pray that for ourselves, too.
A moment’s examination of the context of this familiar verse, however, yields a somewhat different understanding of what Paul is saying. Towards the end of his letter, written while in prison, Paul expresses thankfulness that his readers have been concerned for him. Then he goes on to say:
Recently I had the privilege of meeting Aster, from Eritrea. She
INSPIRING FAITH
‘Whoever has known the spiritual beauty of the Underground Church cannot be satisfied anymore with the emptiness of some Western churches.’
Pastor Richard Wurmbrand was imprisoned for 14 years in communist Romania in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1968 he inspired the founding of Release International, which today continues his ministry to serve persecuted Christians around the world in the name of Jesus.
‘...I have learned in whatever situation
I am to be content. I know how to
be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.’ (Philippians 4:11-13)
Far from being about God helping us achieve our goals and ambitions,
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