"Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body." (Heb 13:3 ESV)
I once heard a mother comment on what it is like to have children. She explained that before she had her children, she never knew she could love so much. But at the same time, she also discovered that she never knew that her heart could hurt so much. The invisible bonds that bind family members together are more solid and more real than the strongest steel cables that hold up the world’s greatest suspension bridges.
When our family members are suffering, it is impossible not to feel their pain. A violent tug on any part of a cord is felt by the entire strand, and so it is with the family of God. In the kingdom of Christ, there are no strangers, nor are there any orphans. For we are all blood-bought family members who share in our precious Saviour’s blood. Therefore, when a hand or foot is struck with a mighty blow in the body, we cannot help but recoil in agony.
Brothers and sisters, let us remember, especially this Sunday, as the Scriptures command us to, our persecuted family members all around the globe. Though they are struck down, they are not destroyed for the Spirit of the immortal God lives in them. Though they are persecuted, they will never be abandoned by their God nor their church family who intercedes for them before the Father’s throne of grace. Although they are afflicted in every way, they are not driven to despair for the Good Shepherd’s hand guides them through the darkest valleys that lie in the shadow of death. Their only crime is that they are worshippers of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ—and for their stalwart boldness, they are given over to the sword. How precious in the sight of God is the death of His saints! And though no human ears might be capable of detecting the cries of their hearts as they languish deep below the ground in solitary confinement in squalid prisons, the Father’s ears are attuned to their cries. Our Father hears, our Father sees, and our Father calls on us to pray and hurt with them.
Church, let us remember that it is a privilege to not only believe in our Christ, but also to suffer for his sake. Let us weep with those who weep and grieve for those of our family members who suffer on account of their unwavering faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we have but one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Article by: Samuel Chua
