Daily Devotion

“On Sunday, the 24th, the day proclaimed for the burning, we went to church as usual, arranging that horses should await us in the compound for escape in case of need. ... Over four hundred Christians gathered, and earnest were the prayers that went up for strength, guidance, and protection. The last hymn sung was "Soldiers of the Lord, arise!" ... Then the congregation quietly dispersed, to meet again no more for months, and then but a broken fragment.”

Dugald Christie · Thirty Years in Moukden, 1883–1913 (1914), ch. "The Boxer Madness, 1900," p. 138

Scripture

Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Reflection

As healers or those facing suffering, we often think of "peace" as the disappearance of illness. However, Dugald Christie recorded the Sunday in June 1900 when the Boxer storm reached Moukden: over four hundred Christians gathered as usual and prayed earnestly for strength, guidance, and protection. True faith is the ability to perceive a steadfast presence even when mired in the valley of the shadow of death. In the tug-of-war between busyness and life and death, God's "rod" and "staff" are not magic wands to remove storms, but rather tools to set the course and support the weak. Reflecting on today, have I neglected the Lord who is with me because I'm focused on solving "difficulties"? Only in the depths of that unwavering heart can the rigor of science intertwine with the compassion of faith, transforming into the power to heal others.