Safely Home (4)

In this last post about our first summer novel, Safely Home, I thought I'd share a few sections that really stuck out to me.

In this first passage, the martyrs in heaven are speaking to each other about the suffering of the church:

"Day and night the watchers cry out to our King, but still he has not moved his hand."

"He has moved his hand every moment of every day and in the darkest passes of night," Li Manchu said. "But not as we always wish, nor in ways clearly visible to us--and certainly not visible to them."

"But his is a throne of justice. How can justice be so long postponed?"

"His is also a throne of grace. The grace is not only to the persecuted, but to the persecutors. If the postponement of justice for one more day brings more image-bearers--whether persecuted or persecutors--to grace, so be it."

"You are right, of course. Even here, the waiting is not easy. But it is far harder for those still trapped in the Shadowlands."

"Yes. But with the King a thousand years is as a day. Ask the earth-dwellers a million years from now if their momentary suffering was an acceptable exchange for eternal glory." (248)

In this section, the King is having a conversation with the archangel Michael about the continued suffering of the church and withholding of judgment:

"The moment I bring justice and relieve all suffering is the moment earth's inhabitants' eternal destiny is sealed. Not one more shall be joined to me then. To 'end it all,' as you say, will also mean to end the offer of grace--a grace I delight to offer, a violent grace that cost me dearly."

"We do not want the wicked to go unpunished."

"They will not."

"We do not want the righteous to go unrewarded."

"They will not." ....

"We want your servants to be comforted."

"I comfort them every hour. And the day of eternal comfort will surely come, enfolding them like a warm blanket."

"Your servants wish also to take away the cause of your grief. for we see how you suffer the pains inflicted on your bride."

The King nodded. "Their passions are right and pure. I have borne my heartache as a choice. It too shall be relieved when the last of my suffering children is delivered." ....

"They cry out to you, day and night. They plead for your intervention, for your return. I hear many ask, 'Where is he? Does he not care? Why does he allow us to suffer?'"

The King sighed. "Too quickly do they summon providence to the court of reason. The night will last only so long before it is swallowed whole by the morning. The longer their night lasts, the more they dream of the dawn.... They don't understand that I am not only at work here, preparing a place for them, but I am at work there, preparing them for that place." (314-315)

And finally, just one quote from a conversation between Li Quan and his friend Ben Fielding:

"Temporary suffering is a small price to pay for eternal happiness." (318)

It may be a novel, but I will say that I learned a lot about the realities of the persecuted church, grace, forgiveness, and even God himself. We'd love to hear about what you've taken away from the book.

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We'll start our next summer novel, The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom, on Monday, July 26. Ask Bruce if he can get it, check it out at your local library, or pick it up from Amazon.