“If you are insulted [reviled] for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God, rests upon you.” 1 Peter 4:14
Over the years, we’ve had the opportunity to read countless stories to our children of ordinary men and women doing extraordinary things for God. These examples have been a treasure trove of courage, heartache, strength, and hope. With the recent culture shift in our country, little did I know how much these stories had resonated with us.
As a wife and mother, I get it. It’s easy to get wrapped up in that never-ending to-do list, meal on the table, latest social media post, TV show, or whatever is beckoning for our attention. However, if we find ourselves more distracted or consumed with the temporal day-to-day with our kids instead of the eternal, then ladies, something is off. Whether we want to admit it or not, Christian persecution will continue to rise in our land. Are you ready? More importantly, are your kids ready? If not, we must wake up out of our stupor!
God Will Deliver
Recently my husband preached on Daniel 3. You may already be familiar with the story. Nebuchadnezzar, the king, sets up an enormous gold statue (90 ft high, 9 ft wide!) of himself in the ancient province of Babylon. He commands all his people to fall and worship this image. Amazingly, there are three young men named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who disobey the king. Because they love and worship and serve the one true God, they do not fall and worship the image. When the king asks, starting in verse 15, “who will deliver you from my hands?” they respond, “our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand…But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up (vs. 17-18).”
Let’s take a moment to ponder that last section. These are young men who were most likely between 17-20 years of age. As we look back on Daniel 1, we see that they each had a fear of God and were skilled in wisdom and knowledge. With confident courage, they declared that whether or not they were physically delivered from the fiery furnace, God would preserve and deliver their souls to glory. Wow, such faith they exude. And as we learn towards the end of the chapter, the king decides to throw them in the fiery furnace, and miraculously God saves them from being burned to death. Nebuchadnezzar then praises God.
Prepare Our Children
As women who love God, how can this not shake us to the very core? We see His unmistakable power. We see His glory displayed. Moreover, we see the promise of persecution. We have no need to fear. Consider our Lord Jesus Christ who faced such hostility by being beaten, scorned, insulted, and who ultimately died for our sins. When we face persecution (of course, nothing by comparison), we share in His sufferings. He is not shocked, so why should we be? He who has victory over death will surely carry us no matter what persecution our children or we may face. I’m convinced that we must prepare them and the subsequent generations. Instead of living in fear or ignoring what is to come, let us rise emboldened with greater fervor to teach and guide our little ones!
So how can we do this? Here are some helpful suggestions:
- Read stories from the Scriptures or Children’s Bible together at the table or before bedtime. Pick out specific stories or books, like Daniel, and ask open-ended questions to spur conversation.
- Read biographies of saints who have gone before us, such as God’s Smuggler: Brother Andrew, Missionary Stories with the Millers, Trial & Triumph, Ten Girls Who Didn’t Give In: Inspiring Stories of Martyrs, Christian Biographies for Young Readers or anything from the Christian Heroes: Then & Now series. Some of our favorites over the years have been Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Sundar Singh, Corrie ten Boom, and Eric Liddell. You could even read a biography and do a simple children’s bookclub with other families for discussion!
- Read recent stories of the persecuted church today. We recently read, I Am N, which Voice of the Martyrs publishes. These real-life stories of the persecuted church have had a profound impact on our children.
- Visit websites, such as Voice of the Martyrs and Open Doors USA to find out about ways to donate, global prayer needs, and e-mail updates for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
- There are publications that both organizations (above) put out. As a family, you could pick one area a week to pray for together. Keep nearby on your table to remember to pray.
- Watch documentaries together, such as the Torchlighters series. There is also a great Activity Book.
Lastly, let’s keep in mind what persecution produces. As we see from Daniel 3, people who are lost get saved! When persecution arises, the gospel spreads, and we get to share in that privilege of reaching souls for Christ. Persecution also produces, if we are receptive to His Spirit, a burning away of what is temporal in our lives and a holding fast to what is lasting and eternal.
“…with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient…not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:8-9
Jesus is gathering His fold (believers) before His second coming. Are we willing to pour forth our time and efforts in preparing our children before He comes? Our children need to hear from us. And we only have been given so much time (Eph. 5:16). May this be one of our greatest joys!
