I have been reading some books from Voice of the Martyrs. One of them is Extreme Devotion, which has daily devotionals with Scripture verses and stories about the persecuted Church.

One member of the underground Church, a Chinese pastor, had his bag all packed and ready to go when his meeting was interupted by anti-Christian forces. He had already been arrested numorous times and was prepared ... not only physically, but in his heart as well. He knew God's provision and care for him extended even into prison.

Stories like his really encourage, challenge and strengthen my faith. It's hard to even begin to imagine the suffering so many Christians in other countries endure daily ... yet the Lord has given them supernatural courage, joy, and trust in His provision in the midst of it. It's humbling, yet amazing at the same time ... what a cloud of witnesses, of whom the writer of Hebrews tells us, "the world was not worthy" (Hebrews 11).