Linda Buishas
In a tiny, devotional 5 Minutes with Jesus: Quiet Time for Your Soul, by Sheila Walsh, there’s a story of a missionary woman who was imprisoned in a Japanese concentration camp. Her name was not mentioned, but her story is inspirational.
When this woman was finally set free, her demeanor was totally different from all the others as they walked away from their captors. All had suffered brutality, and her fellow prisoners were broken in spirit, mind, and body. Yet this woman’s face was beaming with life, and her body, though weakened, portrayed an inner strength that no earthly torture could diminish. She had endured those countless days and long, lonely nights with a hopefulness the others lacked. How? Because she possessed a secret weapon. It was a contraband copy of the Gospel of John.
Hiding under her blanket at night with only a dim flashlight to read by, she would memorize a passage from her precious possession. Afterward, she would run water over the page until it disappeared down the drain. She risked torture and even death to preserve God’s Word in her heart. She eventually memorized the entire Book of John, and as a result, God’s Holy Word sustained her.
Thankfully, we aren’t risking our lives each time we hold God’s Word in our hands. However, the world is under attack, and our spiritual lives are being threatened. Paul warned us in Ephesians 6: “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Only those who understand and honor God’s Word are equipped to stand against Satan as he seeks to steal, kill, and destroy.
The lady missionary placed her hope in the Book of John. That one Gospel alone sustained her against those who wished to destroy her. We have the truth of the entire Bible to sustain us. We are in a spiritual war, and Paul tells us that we are to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” We are to put on the full armor of God “to stand against the wiles of the devil.” “Stand therefore, having your loins girded with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God …” Then Paul tells us how to pray.
How very tragic that anyone would disregard God’s life-giving words, which we literally have at our fingertips and for which so many have been willing to die. We must know the Word, believe the Word, and allow the entire Word of God to take root in our hearts. It is God speaking to us. Why would we ignore Him?