Daily Devotional for October 22

 

October 22                                                          Luke 10:1-20

The bullet, no larger than a fingertip, cut a sinister path through
my church.

Fired from a distance from a high-powered weapon, it pierced,
but didn't shatter, an office window. It continued through a
thin wall and traveled the length of the sanctuary, gliding over
the backs of the pews, skimming the top of the pulpit and slam-
ming into the concrete behind the piano.

The marks left by the bullet will soon be erased by a remodel-
ing project. My spouse looks at me with surprise when I say
I'll miss them.

But I have often stared at the crisp holes left in the window
and wall and marveled at how destructive the bullet could have
been. Often, I have shuddered at the sight of the cracked con-
crete near where my spouse plays music for our services.

The marks are a stark reminder of how God has blessed our
congregation. The bullet sped through the sanctuary on a Sun-
day afternoon between services. A few hours either way would
have meant disaster.

The bullet marks also remind me of the persecution that all
Christians face as "lambs in the midst of wolves." Our lives
aren't easy, especially as Christians who are part of a hated
minority.

No one knows who fired the bullet, nor why. But we can be
certain that our lives wouldn't have been endangered in this
way if we had not chosen to gather as the body of Christ. Our
church wouldn't have stood as a target for a person with a
gun if our people hadn't stepped out in faith years ago.

Perhaps the marks give to me their sweetest reminder when
I recall they were left there three years ago, and that our church
continues to prosper. Jesus has given us power "to tread upon
serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy."
And bullets can't harm our spirits.

​

From The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle

Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.C.1989