The Lord has often used Jill Haak Adel’s wonderful anthology of quotes ‘The Wisdom of the Saints’ (OUP) to kindle my thinking and heartfelt prayer. The other day, it fell open at the section ‘Persecution and Martyrdom.’ What incredible heroism so many have shown in the face of intense persecution through the ages, and how great the help and grace they have received!

In God’s economy, suffering is not purposeless. We may not understand it, we may never (in this life) see reason in it, but for those who will endure it, it is love for Christ and the prospect of the glory that lies ahead that enables them to endure as they wait for ‘the eternal glory in Christ that the God of all grace has called us to, after we have suffered for a little while on Earth.’ (1 Pet. 5:10)

I am reminded of the words of the 2nd century church father, Tertullian, who was living in Carthage in North Africa at a time when believers’ blood was being shed in terrible ways on a grand scale. Tertullian maintained that the more Christians were persecuted and ‘mown down,’ the more they would multiply because ‘the blood of Christians is seed.’

You may perhaps have come across Robin Daniel’s masterly volume This Holy Seed (Tamarisk). With thirty years’ experience of pioneer mission in northern Africa, Robin, has taught cross-cultural communication across the African continent, and has written a PhD researching the history of mission methods. He tells some really powerful stories of the most beautiful faithfulness to Christ despite tremendous suffering by the early church along the Mediterranean coast of North Africa.

Another, perhaps more well-known testament to the courage of the saints under persecution, is Foxe’s influential Book of Martyrs, which Wikipedia describes as an influential ‘account of the sufferings of Protestants under the Catholic Church, with particular emphasis on England and Scotland.’ Many of us will have heard of this book, but you may not be aware of its Anabaptist equivalent, The Martyr’s Mirror,  a volume of which was commonly given to young Amish and Mennonite couples at their wedding! At well over 1500 pages, it does not make for light reading, but my goodness, what testimonies of God’s faithfulness to his people under extreme pressure . . .

There are stories like these stories from all the different ‘tribes’ of the Church. Their faithfulness under pressure has surely produced much good fruit.

A friend from Pakistan sent me details of a new short film honouring the 21 Coptic martyrs who were executed by ISIS in Libya in 2015. The film was the creation of Mark Rodgers, who once served as a chief of staff for a US Senator, and then turned his skills to media production. Following a visit to Egypt, he was struck by the story of these me, and wanted not only to remember them and their families, but also to ‘inspire Christians around the world to live for Christ no matter what the cost.’  This thirteen-minute film has been shortlisted for an Academy Award. Let’s pray for its wide circulation, reception and impact. You can watch it yourself here.

News headlines rarely focus on martyrdoms for Christ, but persecution remains an ongoing reality in the lives of 380 million Christians around the world. Occasionally, it is strangers who persecute believers, but as Henerietta Blyth, the CEO of Open Doors comments, ‘it is often the people who know converts best who take the most offence to their faith . . . converts’ persecutors are often members of their own household.’

Praise God today for the ongoing work of organisations like these. What incredible good has come to so many right across the world as the result of one brave Dutchman setting out in his small VW to take the Bible into eastern Europe! Their Preparing for Persecution courses have been greatly used by God to strengthen believers in many countries. Do see their World Watch list 2025 https://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/world-watch-list/ describing conditions in the fifty countries designated the most difficult to be a Christian in today.

In every danger, urges Bernard of Clairvaux, we should make our refrain, ‘Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s . . . If those who die in the Lord are blessed, are they not accounted more blessed far who die for the Lord?’
As John Vianney, better known as the Cure d’Ars,  reminds us,

God does not require the martyrdom of the body [of most of us]; He requires only the martyrdom of the heart and the will.

In this, he was speaking of what the Celtic church used to call ‘green martyrdom.’ It is perhaps something we should all take to heart, for we are to follow Christ with all our heart and mind and soul and strength.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, we pray for all who are suffering because of their faith today. May they know Your very close presence, and the great ability to live by and in the Spirit rather than being overwhelmed in the flesh by fear, or by being ground down by their physical circumstances.

Father, wherever Your people are being persecuted, let Your grace be strong, so that they may discover afresh that ‘love is as strong as death’ and continue to sow seeds of life and witness even in captivity and sorrow. (Song 8:6)
 We pray especially for those who are in prison for their faith in the Muslim and Hindu worlds today. Many are coming to know You in that country, Jesus, and so many of them know that it is not a question of if they will suffer for openly confessing their faith but rather, when.

Jesus, grant special gifts of endurance and perseverance for each suffering person and family we pray – and especially for the great grace to forgive those who have deprived them of their freedom or of loved ones. Thank You, Jesus, that You have steered and guided such multitudes through such dark times, and who are destined to reign with You in the Kingdom of Light.

Thank You for Corrie Ten Boom’s reminder that, there is no pit so deep that You, Jesus, are not deeper yet.

Resources
This song from Spirit of Prayer feels particularly relevant in the light of our theme. The powerful music is by Francis Cummings: With God in the darkness.

Photo by Josie Weiss on Unsplash