Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven –Matthew 5:10
Well here we are at the end of this eight day series. I’m not sure how many of you have followed along, or worked through the beatitudes the past eight days too. I know that studying and researching these key verses has challenged me to look at several areas of my journey. There is still much work to do. I guess if it was up to me, I would close on a higher note than that of persecution.
Persecution brings such negative images to mind. The thought of being persecuted for our faith almost doesn’t seem fair. A loving God that allows persecution just doesn’t seem to make sense to our finite minds. To be honest, I am not sure I understand it, let alone can explain it. After studying it, I don’t know that there is any real way to present it that makes it something to look forward to. If we can accept that persecution (in whatever form that means) can and will happen, then maybe, just maybe, we can understand how to approach it.
To close this series, I bring in a guy that is much more qualified than I. Mark Driscoll is one of my favorite Pastors. I have lost count of the amount of times I have watched this video clip. So often I don’t understand how to pray when the requests are difficult. I don’t know how I would begin to pray under persecution. May this clip help each of us as we understand and anticipate persecution.
Don’t get me out of it, get me through it. – Mark Driscoll
AARON CONRAD 