August 7, 2026
— Thomas Barclay · Source: Letters from Barclay to the Mission Committee of his Mother Church
2 Corinthians 4:8-10 We are attacked on every side but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed. Rather, we carry in our body the death of Jesus, that his life may also be shown in us.
On the path of missionary work and daily life, setbacks and difficulties are often the truest touchstones of faith. Barclay reminds us that when a door seems blocked, it is not a dead end, but an invitation to kneel; as 2 Corinthians says, being attacked on all sides but not crushed is because we bear the mark of the cross of Jesus. The hardships of our circumstances cannot extinguish the light of life; rather, they strip us of our reliance on ourselves. Every seemingly stagnant moment is God sculpting our lives so that the power of Christ's resurrection and the peace from above may be fully revealed in our fragile vessels.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for being our steadfast refuge in the storms of life. When we are surrounded by enemies and the road ahead seems blocked, forgive our anxiety and fear, and grant us the faith to wait quietly. Lord, teach us to kneel in prayer, not to act on our own in adversity, but to willingly take up our cross and cast all our difficulties and worries upon You. We ask that Your Holy Spirit guard our hearts and minds, and in days when we seem defeated, still manifest the life and peace of the resurrected Jesus, and personally open for us the way that no one can shut. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.