November 11 is Veterans Day. It is a special time set aside to remember all US veterans. We honor all those who serve or have served in the military, especially those who are placed in harm’s way, as protectors of the freedoms we enjoy as a nation. We value our freedom. And it is only proper that we honor those who make it possible to enjoy it.
This year, November 11 is also International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Followers of Jesus in the free world are called upon to pray with and pray for their spiritual brothers and sisters who do not enjoy the same freedoms that we have. The persecution of the church of Jesus Christ is a reality that continues to exist in many parts of this 21st century world.
But what is it that we should pray about? It is so easy for us to pray for their protection, or even that the persecution would stop. All that is good. And the Lord just might do what we ask. And if God so chooses, we surely will celebrate. Yet, surprisingly, many of our persecuted brothers and sisters may have a different perspective … a perspective that very much reflects that of the early Christians who also faced the threat of persecution. The Book of Acts records that instead of asking for protection or relief, they prayed: “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness” (Acts 4.29 NIV). Their greater concern is that they will remain steadfast and faithful to Christ and to the gospel in the face of persecution. Such faithfulness is not just that they will “keep their religion,” but that they will act (and respond) in a manner consistent with their faith, no matter what.
What this reveals is another kind of freedom; a freedom that goes much deeper and transcends one’s outward circumstances. It is a freedom that cannot be taken away by others. Christ himself declared: “If the Son sets you free, you are free through and through” (John 8.36 The Message). This is a freedom that is founded on the trustworthiness of God and his promises, not on human power or abilities. This is a freedom that asserts: “Do not trust in princes, or in human beings, who cannot deliver! Their life’s breath departs, they return to the ground; on that day their plans die. How blessed is the one whose helper is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God” (Psalms 146.3–5 NET).
It is great to experience freedom in our external circumstances. But let it also be that we have that deeper freedom that keeps us faithful in every circumstance that we face.
—Keith Jainga