Christ Is Enough
Dear friends, when the fiery ordeal arises among you to test you, don’t be surprised by it, as if something unusual were happening to you. Instead, as you share in the sufferings of the Messiah rejoice, so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His glory. 1 Peter 4:12-13 (hcsb)
The South Asian couple had come to our hotel to share a little of their journey of faith with us. Former Muslims, they were now believers in Christ—the first believers in their family and in their village.
After introductions, the Bengali believer who was serving as our translator asked the young couple to share some of the trials they had faced as a result of their decision to follow Jesus Christ. They began to tell about the reaction of their family, who had constantly harassed and pressured them to recant. When they repeatedly refused, they were shunned, counted as dead. This was a very difficult thing in their family-based culture.
The neighbors began to boycott the store they operated in the front room of their small house. Then one day their house/store was burned to the ground and they were forced to leave the village.
A couple of months before we met them, the couple had returned to their village. They were hoping to be able to stay there and to eventually be able to share their faith with their family and in their community.
The story was not unusual for new South Asian believers. Even so, there were tears in the eyes of the Baptist leader who was translating for us. I, also, was near tears and was asking the Lord to give me words of encouragement and strength for this family. Then the wife and mother looked directly into my eyes and said, “But what are these things, compared to the joy and peace of knowing the Lord?”
Lord Jesus, thank You for suffering in ways I can’t even imagine in order to save me. I praise You for the many people around the world who are the first person in their family or their community to make You the Lord of their lives. Please encourage and strengthen them when they face persecution. Protect them from the Evil One. Assure them of Your presence, Your love, and Your provision of an eternal future filled with joy, peace, and love. Amen.
