Mk 13:11   Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

                 

For those of us with faith, one of the ongoing worries must be, especially in the light of what we considered of Job yesterday, how will I cope under pressure, and especially how will I cope in the face of persecution? There are periods in Christian history when all is peace and quiet, but there have equally been times when there has been horrendous opposition. Deep down we are aware of that, and perhaps the enemy challenges us, “You won't cope when the going gets tough. Give up now!”

 

It is in the face of such thoughts and such temptations that Jesus brings the reassurance that comes with this verse. What will I say, how will I cope, we wonder, and the Lord replies, it's all right, when it happens and they challenge you, my Holy Spirit will give you the words and, by implication, the grace to cope. You WILL have the means to overcome, the means to cope, but it won't come until you need it. That's how grace works.

 

The history of persecution against the church is also full of accounts of how the grace of God gave men the boldness to speak out and testify for their Lord in the face of the worst of intimidation, in the face of death itself. This side of such things, we cannot possibly imagine how we will cope, but all we do know is that there have been many in the past who, when they had faced the fires of persecution, found a inner resource they had never known before. It IS there for us. Thank the Lord for the truth here, and in the meanwhile, rest in peace in the knowledge that He is for you and will be there for you - always!