She was 22 years old, a noble woman by birth, a nursing mother. Her name was Perpetua, her identity; a bond servant of the Lord Jesus Christ willing to pay any price necessary to follow His way.
On March 7, 203 A.D., at the Roman Arena in Carthage, Perpetua and her servant Felicity were led out with three others to be flogged, beset upon by hungry animals and finally beheaded.
The crime?… not acknowledging the gods of Rome.
Often as I have pondered this young woman’s life the Lord has revealed many verses of scripture on the cost to follow Christ…
Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. “Matthew 24:9-14
Today He led me elsewhere… He led me to the Old Testament. Consider the words of King David from the 34th Psalm
I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together!
I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?
Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
To cut off the memory of them from the earth
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
Affliction will slay the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
We can read the scripture above, we can sing “I will Praise You in This Storm” by Casting Crowns … but when push comes to shove… will we calmly sing praises to our Lord as we meet a fate similar to the two brave women above?
For more on Perpetua and other Christian Women throughout history I highly recommend:
Sacred Friendships, by Robert Kelleman and Susan Ellis
http://www.rpmministries.org/writing/sacredfriendships/
http://word4women.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/sacred-friendships/
All scripture is from the ESV by Crossway
