No responsible Christian can read the Bible, watch the news, and ignore the ever-approaching reality of persecution. We in the west cannot know with certainty when the violence that we hear of toward Christians in far away places will arrive at our doorsteps, but nevertheless we do well not only to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ around the world but to prepare ourselves spiritually so that when the fire of persecution comes upon us the glorious grace of God in Christ might be magnified as our faith in Him is purified.

Centuries before Jesus exhorted His disciples to love their enemies and pray for those who would persecute them, the writer of psalm 119 offered an amazingly stabilizing statement in the face of approaching persecution in verses 150 & 151: “They (his enemies) draw near… but You ARE near O LORD…”

Violent persecution may not be a present reality for most of you, but the psalmist’s words are a powerful reminder in these last days!  Click the image above to download or listen to the entire sermon.

(The photo above is one of a series by humanitarian photographer Gary S. Chapman documenting persecuted Christians in Pakistan. His story and other photos may be accessed here.)