"In the Presence of a Giant"

“In the Presence of a Giant”

One of the most familiar incidents in the Bible is David’s encounter with Goliath (all 9’9” of him) recorded in 1 Samuel 17. Despite the Philistine’s boasts David faced him “…in the name of the Lord Almighty….” (Verse 45) and killed him with a sling and stone. The shepherd boy was in the presence of a giant but with God at work the giant became a midget.

Without realizing it I was in the presence of a giant in 1969. The church in which I was serving as youth pastor hosted an event in which Rev. Richard Wurmbrand spoke. I’d never heard of him--he had only recently come to the U.S.—but the lead pastor had me pick him and his wife up at the Syracuse airport and take them to lunch. I later learned his story of 14 years’ imprisonment and torture in communist Rumania for refusing to renounce his faith, told in his book Tortured for Christ. Shortly after his release from custody he founded a ministry to promote awareness of persecution of believers called Jesus to the Communist World, now known as The Voice of the Martyrs. He traveled the world (often with his wife who’d been in a labor camp) telling of his experiences and raising prayer and financial support for suffering believers. Pastor Wurmbrand not only towered over me spiritually as a man of faith and courage—he also did physically (6’3” to my 5’9”). I’ll never forget being in the presence of this giant of a man!

The Scripture tells of the first martyr for Christ (Stephen) in Acts 7. Since then (according to Researcher Todd Johnson of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity) 70,000,000 Christians have died for their faith (current estimates are 100,000 per year even now). We as believers living in the relative safety of the U.S. need to take the plight of our brothers and sisters seriously (“If one part {of the body of Christ} suffers, every part suffers with it….”—1 Corinthians 12:26).

What can you and I do? First and most importantly, pray for Christians being persecuted (“Remember…those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”—Hebrews 13:3, emphasis added). Second, become knowledgeable (information is available from VOM, Open Doors and similar organizations). Finally, financially support ministries giving assistance to those whose resources are limited due to their Christian testimony (“If anyone has material possessions and sees {brothers or sisters} in need but has no pity on {them}, how can the love of God be in {him or her}?”—1 John 3:17).

Those who stand for Jesus in the face of challenges are true giants. How tall am I?

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan