I have lived most of my Christian life in moderate ease. No persecution, no death threats, no lack of Bibles. It’s something I appreciate, but sometimes I fail to see the whole picture that way.
From 6pm Friday to 7pm Saturday, Gather 25 was happening. I went there on Friday evening, not sure how much was going to happen or how long I was going to stay. Then the stream gained some momentum and I decided to stay through the whole night. The decision may have been slightly affected by the fact that I didn’t have a car and my ride was leaving at 10:30pm, but in the end, I was so, so, so glad I stayed.
I was anticipating a rough night. And it wasn’t exactly a breeze, but it also wasn’t spiritually or even emotionally draining. My body got tired and I drank enough hot chocolate to ensure my constant need of the washroom, but inside, it wasn’t tense and exhausted.
I sometimes struggle with mild insomnia, where I wake up at 3 in the morning and can’t fall back asleep, and that is always painful and caused by stress and me thinking over what I need to do the next day. However, my experience here was a sigh of relief. It was so…peaceful. That might not have been everyone’s experience, but I was so relaxed and got to just dwell in the presence of the Lord.
At about 2am there was an hourlong segment on the persecuted church. And it hits home at 2 in the morning when you haven’t slept all night. It makes you more receptive to the message they are giving. And as I watched and listened to stories of people who are giving their lives for Jesus, I figured the least I could do was lose some sleep at a prayer gathering. I did sleep for a couple hours over the course of the night, but I was there, laying on a bench, just soaking up what was happening.
I was there with seven or eight others for the night, and we discussed at one point how us not sleeping was sort of a fast from sleep. I wouldn’t recommend fasting from sleep as a regular thing, necessarily, but in this context, it weakened our bodies and somehow made us more receptive to what was happening.
All this to say, sometimes it can feel like we can never relate or wrap our minds around the Christians giving up their lives and liberty, but sometimes something small can help you realize how much they are giving up. For me, losing a little sleep helped illuminate some of those things. For you it might be something else. But however it happens, appreciate it. We have it so good right now. It might not be this way forever, and I want to prepare for that without fearmongering or living in anxiety. I want to live receptive to Christ.
