Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Honor (05/30/24)
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TITLE: I am at Peace | Previous Challenge Entry
By Lois Eaton
06/01/24 -
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The beating of drums woke me. Thump, thump, thump. Forcing my heartbeat into an unnatural rhythm. But it wasn’t as bad as I feared. All my life, the drums had controlled us. We had no choice but to dance to their rhythm. Now they were telling me I was going to die today. I was the chosen sacrifice, and supposed to be petrified. The more scared I was, the more happy the gods would be.
Why would anyone worship such gods?
But I had. For most of my life.
Then I found Yeshua and His Father – the One True God.
This God was LOVE!
Can you imagine that? A God Who is LOVE? The gods of my childhood had not loved us. We had to work very hard to placate them and keep on their good side. That was why I was being sacrificed. I had angered the gods.
I tried so often to tell my people about the God Who is LOVE. But they just got angry, and beat me. I knew I would never lose the scars. But I will show them off with pride before the throne of the God Who is LOVE.
Yesterday I was heart-broken, feeling that I was a failure because I had not convinced my people of the God Who is LOVE. When I told them sacrifices were not necessary because Yeshua had offered Himself as the ultimate sacrifice they lost control and I thought I would die then and there.
But the witch doctor had stepped in and insisted that there were processes to be followed, so I was locked up for the night. No food, water, bed. I was in too much pain to eat, but I would have loved to be able to wash my wounds, and sleep in a soft bed. But it was not to be.
I could have saved myself. All I had to do was to promise to follow the gods for the rest of my life. But I could not go back to serving gods that I no longer had any respect for. Honour was important in my tribe. Those most loyal to the gods (as defined by the witch doctor) were the most honourable. Once I had been among them. But not anymore.
I didn’t think I would get any sleep but I did. That was when I had the dream. An angel – a messenger from the God Who is LOVE - came to me and touched me, and the pain disappeared. He said, “You die with honour; precious, faithful one. You will be welcomed into the throne room of God. You are loved.”
Then he waved one arm, and the walls of my hut disappeared. Instead, I was in a green field where plants were shooting up everywhere, with fruit growing and ripening before my eyes.
The angel spoke again. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. When your people see how peacefully you die, they will know that you spoke Truth, and will start praying to the One True God and his Son Yeshua. Don’t be afraid. God’s Spirit will be with you, helping you to forgive and pray for your people.”
The angel left, and the walls of the hut returned. I was so excited that I jumped to my feet and began dancing and singing praises to God.
Why did that make the guards outside my hut tremble with fear?
When they came for me in the morning I smiled at them, wondering who of them would be the first to give their lives to God?
Outside there was the expected celebration atmosphere. The people were confident the gods would be happy with me being sacrificed, so the future would be good. They vied with one another to get positions where they could see my terror.
But a strange silence fell over them.
I was not terrified.
I was totally at peace.
In complete silence, I walked to the sacrifice place, and faced the people, praying out loud for them. Then THEY started to tremble. I felt so sorry for them, but comforted myself with the certainty that soon they too would get to know the real God.
I faced the witch doctor, waiting for the first blow. Killing me would take a while. I don’t know if I’ll feel the pain or not, but it doesn’t matter.
The One, True, Almighty God loves me. I am at peace.
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