September 3, 2026
— Peter Torjesen · Source: Written after returning to Hequ, Shanxi, through the war zones in 1938 (quoted in the Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity, "Peter & Valborg Torjesen")
Romans 8:35, 39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or hunger or nakedness or danger or sword? ... Neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Suffering is never proof of God's absence, but rather a sign of His profound presence. When persecution, hardship, or unpredictable storms strike, we often mistakenly believe we have been abandoned by God; however, Paul declares in Romans that no affliction can sever our connection to the love of Christ. Missionaries experience unshakeable peace even in the deepest darkness and the flames of war, precisely because this love does not depend on external circumstances, but on the Savior who holds us firmly. Today's challenges may be heavy, but if we turn our gaze from the environment to the cross, we will find that the light of Christ is most real in the valley.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for drawing me tightly with Your unchanging love. When I feel isolated and helpless in the difficulties, anxieties, and darkness of life, I ask You to open my eyes so that I may see that Your love has never been separated from me. Lord Jesus, I ask Your light to illuminate the fear in my heart, to be a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Grant me the faith to face today's challenges, so that I may not only praise in good times, but also experience Your overwhelming power in affliction, and become a vessel for conveying Your love and warmth to those in need. I pray in the holy name of Jesus Christ, Amen!