“‘This is the covenant I will make …’ declares the LORD. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.’”
Jeremiah 31:33
As told in his book, In the Presence of My Enemies (1973), Howard Rutledge was on a Vietnam War fighter jet when it was hit by a missile and spun wildly out of control. He was ejected from the plane and amazingly deployed his parachute to a safe landing on the ground. After landing, he tried to hide but was surrounded by hostile villagers who attacked him, beat him, stripped him, and carried him off to prison.
Rutledge spent seven years in various Vietnamese prisons where he experienced physical and psychological torture, including five years in solitary confinement. In the infamous Hoa Lò Prison (referred to by captives as the “Hanoi Hilton”), the men worked together to make a Bible of verses they had each written on their hearts many years earlier, even verses learned in Sunday School and Vacation Bible School as young children. This pieced-together Bible served to encourage them through their years of imprisonment and brutal treatment.
Praise God for the abundant provision of His Word in times of trouble for those who know Him!
Rutledge spent seven years in various Vietnamese prisons where he experienced physical and psychological torture, including five years in solitary confinement. In the infamous Hoa Lò Prison (referred to by captives as the “Hanoi Hilton”), the men worked together to make a Bible of verses they had each written on their hearts many years earlier, even verses learned in Sunday School and Vacation Bible School as young children. This pieced-together Bible served to encourage them through their years of imprisonment and brutal treatment.
Praise God for the abundant provision of His Word in times of trouble for those who know Him!
Scripture Focus
Jeremiah 31:31-40
Insight
“My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.” (Psalm 119:28)
Bible In A Year
- Jeremiah 9-10
- Psalm 108
- Romans 7-8