Today we have another devotion from the wonderful book Extreme Devotion.
People came many miles, seeking help and medicine from Eve Barendsen and her husband, Erick. Their meager home in Kabul, Afghanistan, became a place of hope for thousands of Afghans—Muslims and Christians alike. They told any who asked that they were there serving Jesus Christ. However, their mission made them a target for the opposition.
Erick and Eve took a brief furlough in 1980 but quickly returned to the war-torn nation that had become their home. “How can you go back?” some asked. “Don’t you worry? Won’t it be dangerous?”
Erick and Eve didn’t see danger; they saw opportunity. They didn’t
see potential killers; they saw potential Christians. “I know only one
great danger,” said Eve. “The only danger is not to be found in the
center of God’s will.”
They returned to Afghanistan,
along with their children,
ages five and three. Soon after their return,
they were attacked in their home,
which also served as the meeting place for their Christian converts. They were killed with switchblades,
leaving their children orphaned. Yet,
they had peace even in those final moments.
Days before the murders, Eve’s mother had a vision of Erick and Eve in heaven, with angels putting golden crowns on their head. The vision gave her strength, even in her grief when she later learned of their murders.
In a Muslim nation, being an active Christian is one of the most
dangerous propositions possible. However, Eve and Erick put a new spin
on the idea of danger. While their friends said they could not afford
to be in Kabul, Erick and Eve felt they could not afford to be anywhere
else. They saw it as their calling. They saw it as God’s will. It has
been said that if we step outside of God’s provision, we risk losing
God’s protection. If the only danger is being out of the center of
God’s will, it is the only danger you cannot afford. How often do you
actually put yourself in more danger by side-stepping God in the name
of self-preservation? Extreme obedience puts danger in perspective.
