Gospel Reflections #222: Persecuted but not Rejected of God

Hebrews 11:37,38 "They were stoned to death, drawn with saws, cut to death with swords, wandering about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, afflicted, abused, wandering in the wilderness, in the mountains, in rocky holes, and in the crevices of the earth. The world was not worthy of them."

The Bible does not hide the persecution of those who defend the faith.

Reading such a word may raise the question of why God did not help them.

This world under the influence of sin is a world of weakness and absurdity.

Our God protects us living in such a world, but He is not a God who would erase persecution and turn it into a comfortable world. God is not focused on this world.

God is remaking the world into a new world.

No matter how we die in this world, God says it is a sleep.

Even though death is a sleep, we don't want to suffer and fall asleep.

I am sure that the martyrs did not fall asleep in agony.

Our God is with us to the end, and He will protect our hearts and minds. We may not experience this unless we have the experience of being with God on a daily basis.

That said, there is nothing we can do to try harder. We have to ask God for help, whine, complain, and complain weakly, cursing and resisting God badly, and then ask Him to hide us from Him. Then we ask God to fill our hearts with His love, His promises, and turn our anxiety into faith.

It is not we who face persecution, but God.

We are allowed to live and die in the peace of being with God.

Let us hang on to God's promises, not our feelings. Our peace is only there!

---

This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, a devoted student of the Bible who passionately embraces the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on the Gospels as a way to reach out to others and spread the message of Jesus. We're sharing her message here so that you too can experience the joy that comes from the Gospel that has filled her heart.