This coming Sunday is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Online and televised images remind us, this year in particular, of the dangers associated with the persecuted church in the world. Thousands are martyred for their faith each month, all of them holding fast to Jesus, unwilling to renounce their faith in Him. They persevere to the very end.
Maybe you wonder, “Would I hold up so well?” Perhaps your faith is are already feeling challenged, as you go through the stress and tribulations of “normal” life. You may even afraid of losing your faith, as you’re just barely hanging on.
Well, I hope you find encouragement, for the persecuted church and for your own walk, in this week’s passage from Genesis 26. It is another behind the scenes look at where God is and at what He is doing. It shows you, specifically, two ways in which God preserves the faith of Christians. It shows you where to find strength and support, and how God can use you to provide it to others. This passage demonstrates, once again, just how essential the book of Genesis is to understanding the Christian faith, and how it informs our life as aliens and ambassadors in the world in which we live.
holdfirmly 