A Prize of War

Pastor Duck's Weekly Column

Taiwan Church News 2665, March 30, 2003

Translated by David Alexander

For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword;

but you shall have your life as a prize of war,

because you have put your trust in me, says the Lord. (Jeremiah 39:18)

   In recent decades because of political instability, poverty and the wealth that comes from the trade in narcotics, Colombia in South America has become an unsafe country. A-tat's uncle Bun-hiong , who left Taiwan in the 1960's, caring not to where he went, had settled in Colombia.  He did business there.  Though he did not earn great amounts of money, nonetheless he was well off by the general standards of Colombians. In fact, he was regarded as being rich.

   Because of a civil war there and influenced by the illegality of the drug trade, one day Bun-hiong was kidnapped.  That night, this man who had not uttered a prayer in years turned to the Lord he knew in his youth with more than a few words.  His family gathered together their resources and bought gold. After ransoming him, they all returned to Taiwan.

   When Bun-hiong left Taiwan, he had nothing. Upon return, he was in the same condition. His extended family thought of him as a loser, and he was pitied.  But for his own part, he was very happy.  Because his experience of being kidnapped and ransomed (avoiding death), he felt his life to be a prize of war.  He said, "It is enough."

   His faith has recovered. Having lost the material things that formed a barrier between him and God, he now finds his faith reborn and strengthened.  Nobody will ever again regard him as rich, but no matter what, Bun-hiong has his own life as a prize of war, and a renewed dependence on God.

Prayer: Rescue us from our things, that we may have our lives.Amen