Martyrdom
Spontaneous Ponderings
After writing the study on the Characteristic of God as Warrior, I started to ponder the idea of when I might need to call on those characteristics the most. And that got me thinking about martyrdom—being killed for your faith. I thought about people in the Bible who were tortured or killed for their faith. First, I thought about people like Daniel or Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then I started thinking about the apostles—and even Jesus himself. Then I thought about all the missionaries and other Christians through the years who have given their lives for Christ. And I thought, if I’m called upon to deny my faith or be tortured and killed, would I be strong enough to make the right choice? With the way our world is headed right now, this may not be far off from reality soon.
In that moment of persecution, would I experience the “peace that transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7)? Would I be able to use that peace of mind to remember the characteristics of God? Would I call on him to be my refuge? My protector? My rescuer? Would I be able to say with confidence, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, “We do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18)
God delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that day, and later he delivered Daniel from the mouths of the lions (Daniel 6). But when we turn to the New Testament and look at the lives of the apostles, they were not always delivered from their persecutors. Most of the apostles were tortured and killed for their faith, and their only rescue was in death. Some people, like Paul, were tortured over and over again for their faith (2 Corinthians 11:22-30). Yet they never denied Christ. They knew the consequences of this, for Jesus had told them “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33). Would I call on God to be my strength, to help me endure? Would I be confident that he would hear me?
One of the promises that God gave over and over was that he would never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8). Yet, when Jesus was on the cross, he cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). In that terrible moment, if I were faced with torture or martyrdom, would I feel forsaken? And if I did, would I still be able to cling to the promise that God is with me? Would I be able to rely on the surety of God’s promises rather than my fickle feelings? Would I be able to hold on to God’s promise in Revelation 2:10?
Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
The promise of a victor’s crown and eternal life is a more than satisfactory reward for a few moments of persecution. Oh God, I pray in that moment that you would be my strength and my deliverer—even if that means being delivered unto death.