There were times I almost did not survive the persecution. It was then that God sent agents to rescue me. Rarely did they know it.

I knew they rescued me; I just didn’t realize Jesus was at work in a very real and literal sense. Nor did I realize the lesson to trust God unfolded carefully.

These thoughts came to me as I continued from where I left off in my last article:

1. In one case I lost out on half a million dollars. But we neither starve nor live on the street.

2. In one case I lost my career. Now I work where I can bless non-religious people, semi-religious people, or spiritual people in a way not possible from a pulpit.

3. In one case I was beaten down to the lowest place on earth a disciple of Jesus can go, suffering unbearable pain. A mild sickness from Jesus on my daughter gave me a single last chance to escape. Jesus rescued me through her.

18369905-hand-supporting-a-woman“Brothers and sisters, we don’t want you to be ignorant about the suffering we experienced in the province of Asia. It was so extreme that it was beyond our ability to endure. We even wondered if we could go on living. In fact, we still feel as if we’re under a death sentence. But we suffered so that we would stop trusting ourselves and learn to trust God, who brings the dead back to life. He has rescued us from a terrible death, and he will rescue us in the future. We are confident that he will continue to rescue us, since you are also joining to help us when you pray for us. Then many people will thank God for the favor he will show us because many people prayed for us” (2 Corinthians 1:8-11 God’s Word ©).

We can never do the enormous work of God without trusting in God.

PS
Are you one of the “many people” who pray for those targeted by evil?

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This Lent I am being led on a pilgrimage. I do not yet know if it is from persecution or to suffering or through both. Nevertheless the journey has begun.

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