08302019 Afraid of What?

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the omnipresent God! He is with every one of us, in every corner of the world, all at the same time. We are never without His presence. One of the Bible's strongest applications of God's presence is that we should not fear.

I recently came across this poem by E. H. Hamilton. He wrote it after co-missionary J. W. Vinson was killed by rebel soldiers in China. As Vinson faced imminent death, he verbalized that he was not afraid. If the soldiers killed him, he would just go to heaven. I was touched by the confidence and victory of the poem.

Afraid? Of what?
To feel the spirit's glad release?
To pass from pain to perfect peace?
The strife and strain of life to cease?
Afraid - of that?

Afraid? Of what?
Afraid to see the Savior's face,
To hear His welcome, and to trace
The glory gleam from wounds of grace?
Afraid - of that?

Afraid? Of what?
A flash, a crash, a pierced heart;
Darkness, light, O Heaven's art!
A wound of His a counterpart!
Afraid - of that?

Afraid? Of what?
To do by death what life could not -
Baptize with blood a stony plot,
Till souls shall blossom from the spot?
Afraid - of that?

"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul" (Matthew 10:28).

"We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and present with the Lord" (II Corinthians 5:8).

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:20).

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness" (Isaiah 41:10).

"Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident" (Psalm 27:3).

I don't mean to be morbid nor to imply that we should expect martyrdom. The likelihood of that happening to any of us is probably pretty remote, although that has not always been the case in missions. Just as one example, the China Inland Mission deliberately called for hundreds of new volunteers to go into dangerous areas before the doors were closed. Pioneer works in many countries have been especially dangerous and deadly. Areas of military and civil unrest have been problematic also. I was unable to find the statistics I was looking for about number of missionaries killed in China, but there was more than one period of danger. In 1900 alone, 189 missionaries were killed in China.

In more modern missions history, I think it is somewhat typical for mission fields to be closed or for embassies to recall their citizens before things reach a boiling point. Nevertheless, there are still dangers, and sometimes missionaries are in danger not specifically because they are missionaries, but simply because they are foreigners in the wrong place at the wrong time. When these "tragic" events happen, they are often quite unexpected.

My desire is not to overemphasize the danger that some of you may face, but to assure all of you of the wonderful truth that even death - even a martyr's death, if it comes to that - is not a terrible thing for a Christian. It is not to be feared. No matter how our days end, whether in sudden violence or in peaceful old age, we will step from this life straight into the presence of our Savior in Heaven.

"When all my labors and trials are o'er,
And I am safe on that beautiful shore,
Just to be near the dear Lord I adore
Will through the ages be glory for me.

O that will be glory for me,
Glory for me, glory for me!
When by His grace I shall look on His face.
That will be glory, be glory for me!"

That glorious day is coming for each of us! Until it does, remember that what you do today matters for eternity. Continue in that eternally valuable work for as long as God allows you to do so. It will be worth it!

Love in Christ,
Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
www.pressingontohigherground.blogspot.com