"Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his
face." - Job 13:15
In May 1998, the Voice of the Martyrs staff carried relief aid to the Sudanese
Christians in the village of Ayien. Abraham Yac Deng, a deacon at the Episcopal
Church, was overjoyed by the missionaries' gift of 600 Bibles. As the pastor for
some 400 people, he owned the only Bible in the congregation. With extreme care,
he took it out of his shirt pocket and showed it to the staff. It was a
well-worn Bible, with one page in particular that was especially worn away. It
was chapter 8 of Romans. The words from verses 35-39 brought Abraham comfort:
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or
persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For
your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be
slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him
who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor
demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor
depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the
love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." On June 3, 1998, National Islamic
Front troops entered the town of Ayien. They assassinated Abraham Yac Deng and
then burned the 600 Bibles that had just been delivered. But they could not
extinguish the hope of Abraham Yac Deng.
We are more than conquerors through Christ who has loved us. Even death will not
separate us from our hope and His love. Today in prayer, pray for Christians in
Sudan and other areas of the world that face persecution. Pray they may remain
steadfast in their hope in Christ.
"I have committed my cause to the great judge of all mankind, so I am not moved
by threats, nor are your swords more ready to strike than is my soul for
martyrdom." - Thomas `a Beckett
God's Word: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I
will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort
me." - Psalm 23:4
By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2002, Devotional E-Mail DEVOTIONS IN JOB
pkennedy@devotional.com
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