It was fitting that God . . . should make . . . their salvation perfect through what he suffered. (Heb. 2:10)
Expanded Passage: Hebrews 2:10-15
Church leaders in the States sent a letter to church leaders in Sierra Leone. They asked, “How can we pray for you? Do you want us to pray that God will take away the persecution you are facing?” It made sense to American Christians that one would want to pray away persecution.
The Americans were surprised when they read the response of the church leaders in Sierra Leone. “Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we do not ask that you pray that the persecution we are facing will be taken away. Instead, we ask for you to pray that through the persecution we are facing we will become all that God wants us to be. In a country where diamonds are mined, we understand the benefits of pressure. Under immense pressure, coal becomes diamonds. Persecution is like pressure. God can use it to make us sparkling witnesses for him. We do not ask that the pressure be removed from us. Instead, we ask that you pray that we understand the privilege we have been given to be pressed so that we can become more Christlike . . . to become Christian diamonds.”
The way we react to persecution and hard times determines their effect on us. We can either let God use them to make us more like him, or we can allow them to make us bitter.
Allow God to use hard times to produce his character in you.
Jim “Umfundisi” Lo is an ordained elder in The Wesleyan Church, serving in prayer ministries, as well as Global Partners. He previously served as a pastor, missionary, and campus intercessor for Indiana Wesleyan University. He and his wife, Roxene, have two sons and two granddaughters.
© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
