When three or four bad things happen in a row, Americans trot out the old cliché, “When it rains, it pours.” This rich line was not created in any of the usual organic ways—as a famous line in a novel, song, play, or film, or perhaps spoken by a politician or celebrity. This pithy proverb was created by advertisers. To sell salt!
Table salt clumps in damp weather. But in 1912, Morton Salt added an anti-caking agent to its product and with an eye-catching painting of a junior baker and a great slogan, the company quickly conquered every kitchen in the country. The company has used the slogan for over 100 years! When it rains, it (the salt) still pours. Clever![1]
When was the last time you spoke these words? I think I spoke them today, recognizing that for me, next week promises to be quite a challenge. The cliché is an easy way to acknowledge that sometimes things are hard and seem to hit all at once. But the other side of the coin is also true: we know the rain will stop.
Although clichés have their place, I pray I take the time to offer Godly wisdom to those in need. God has given us so many incredible passages in His word. Today, as my wife faced a crisis of her own, I sent her several, which I will place in a footnote.[2]
Throughout history, the rain has fallen hard on God’s people. The children of Abraham have been a special object of the devil’s wrath for millennia. And 2000 years later, the Body of Christ continues to endure some of the same abuse that Jesus, the Head of that Body endured on earth.
Psalm 129 addresses the endless persecution of the people of Israel:
“‘Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth,’ let Israel now say. ‘Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth. Yet they have not prevailed against me. The plowers plowed upon my back. They made long their furrows. But the Lord is righteous, He hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked’” Psalm 129:1-4.
The Apostle Paul describes persecution he and other Christians endured:
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you” 2 Corinthians 4:7-12.[3]
Did you know Christians continue to suffer what the U.S. government and human rights groups describe as “extreme persecution”?
Although we hear little of it in the United States, our Christian brothers and sisters are regularly tortured and killed for their faith in such places as North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Eritrea, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan, among others.
Sadly, the global persecution of followers of Christ is often met with a cliché that amounts to a collective shrug of the Body of Christ’s shoulders: “Well, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
While it is true that God will build His church and pour out His grace even during times of persecution, there is no Biblical evidence of a cause-and-effect relationship! Our duty is to do all that we can to stop the persecution of fellow Christians.
How? Read Voice of the Martyrs magazine to stay informed. Donate to VOM or similar ministries. Call or write your congressmen and senators, because US law requires our executive branch to raise these issues in discussions with persecuting nations—but that law is only followed under public pressure. Volunteer or donate money to help the cause of asylum for those who can demonstrate legitimate claims of persecution. (I was honored to discover a paper I wrote on this topic was cited to the US Supreme Court in just such a case.)
And in the meantime, yes, “when it rains, it pours.” Life is hard. But God is merciful. The Psalmist is right: “‘Many a time have they afflicted me … Yet they have not prevailed against me … The Lord is righteous. He has cut the cords of the wicked” Psalm 129:2-4.
Dear God, thank you for your mercy! We need the Balm of Gilead. Thank you for healing, counseling, comforting. May we run to you in the hardest times and the times that are not so hard. Help those of us living in the fat, easy American life to have compassion for our hurting brothers and sisters around the world. Show us how to help and where to donate. Use our abundance to bless the persecuted as they endure struggles most of us cannot comprehend. We love you.
AΩ.
[1] Other great slogans: DeBeers: a diamond is forever. Timex: it takes a licking and keeps on ticking. U.S. Army: be all that you can be. KFC: finger licking good. AT&T: reach out and touch someone. The slogans are endless. But I found only one that has shed its advertising roots as completely as Morton Salt, the 2003 public relations campaign to enhance the image of Las Vegas: What happens here, stays here. The campaign was an instant success and received a raft of awards and positive reviews.
[2] My wife asked me to send her something practical to help with worry. The worry concerned her search for her next position as a secondary school Bible teacher. Now, I am well aware that sometimes it might be insensitive to simply send a person a list of Bible verses. But because she asked, I had the green light to offer the four that came to mind:
“It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” Philippians 2:3.
“He knows the way I take and when He has tried me I shall come forth as gold” Job 23:10.
“He will accomplish what concerns me” Psalm 138:8.
“Faithful is He who calls you and He will also bring it to pass” 1 Thessalonians 5:24.
[3] Paul, the persecutor who became the persecuted, records a staggering list of his personal sufferings: “I have been in prison … been flogged … been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked” 2 Corinthians 11:23-27. I love this passage so much; I post it every chance I get.
Household Words: 