A Voice In the Wind

Tonight I finished a book entitled "A Voice in the Wind" by Francine Rivers. Sarah Snyder had told me about this book (which is the first in the Mark of the Lion series) several years ago and I had gone out bought all three books. I had tried reading this first book two other times and just could not get into it. This time I started it in Ruidoso and have anxiously awaited each moment to continue to read it. So I immediately picked up the 2nd book "An Echo in the Darkness" and began it hoping to find out what happened to Haddassah. I know some of you have already read this series, and for those of you that haven't you will want to. I found it convicting of my own faith and how much do I really trust in the Lord even when I do not understand the whys? Haddassah was a Christian slave when they were persecuting Chrisitians simply for Roman entertainment. I think all of us have contemplated if we would be bold in the midst of persecution. I would like to think so, but what if you were a mother watching your children die? I remember years ago hearing a story from the Book of Maccabees of a mother with seven sons who appeared before King Antiochus of Syria. He wanted each to deny God and began with the oldest. As each refused the torture became worse and worse (including scalping, cutting out tongues, etc) until he came to the youngest and he told the mother to convince him to deny God or he would die the worst of all. She said to her son "look at the sky and earth my son and remember who made them from nothing. Do not fear. Be worthy of your martyred brothers." After killing the last son, then the mother was killed as well. I cannot fathom the strength that it would take to endure such, but I am thankful for those that have laid down their lives in a way that allows the rest of us to take hope that we would be able to be strong for the Lord as well if He ever asked that of us.