Bold As Lions – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“My life has been deeply impacted through the courageous faith of this man (Dietrich Bonhoeffer). I like to think that he and I would have been great friends in life. When I think of Bonhoeffer, I can’t help but think of unstoppable courage—he was truly bold as a lion.
“Dietrich was one of the first Germans to oppose Adolph Hitler during his rise to power, and to openly support the Jewish people. Instead of cowering down and bowing to the Nazis, he stood virtually alone in calling for the church’s resistance to the persecution of Jews.
“Bonhoeffer, along with Martin Niemoller and Karl Barth, did all they could to rally support in the Confessing Church movement against the Nazis. As you can imagine, it made them a sure target for the Gestapo. The intensity of Nazi suppression grew stronger against the Confessing Church and also led to Dietrich’s authroization to teach being revoked in 1936. Ultimately, it led to his death. Even as the intimidation and threats of the Gestapo grew worse, it did not stop him from taking necessary risks to voice his convictions. He would often quote Proverbs 31:8, ‘Who will speak up for those who are voiceless?’ It was his burning passion that had to voice defending the Jews in Nazi Germany.” (Brian Gibbs)
“Who will rise up against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?” (Psalm 94:16; NIV)
Give Him 15 minutes in prayer:
- Literally, stand up you are willing to take a stand against evil in America as Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his friends did.
- Ask God to give you a heart like He gave Dietrich Bonhoeffer—a heart as bold as a lion’s.
- Anti-semitism, other racism, abortion, homosexuality and gender confusion, and the promotion of other sinful practices, are enemies of the cross of Christ in this nation today. Don’t confuse the sin (promotion of sinful activities and thought processes) with the sinner. We must love the lost to Christ, but we must lovingly separate the sin from the penitent one. Stand in the gap and intercede between what is and ought to be in America.
- Let God give you His heart and passion for at least one of these issues tearing apart our nation and holding the lost in bondage.
- Open your mouth and decree His decrees against wickedness in America.
- Declare that the promoters of wickedness will become silent before the righteous.
A prayer you can pray:
Father, as I stand before You today, give me a heart filled with the boldness and courage you gave Dietrich Boenhoffer and his friends. They stood against a terrifying enemy in their day in the form of the Nazi Gestapo. They had the power to remove him from his job, his livelihood, as well as to ultimately take his life. He didn’t care. He knew what he had to do as a Christian. He was compelled by his love for You to stand up for the Jewish people, even though it meant earthly losses. He knew he had to speak up for the voiceless. Forgive me my fear of loss. Forgive me for desiring comfort above all else. Make me unafraid. If God is for me, who can be against me? If I don’t stand up for those oppressed and attacked for their faith today, what will become of this country? If I don’t take a verbal and active stand for the voiceless, the unborn, will our nation ever turn toward righteousness? I take a stand against the wickedness seeping quickly through the cracks in our nation’s foundations. Sinful things that once were hidden in darkness are now shouted as acceptable, but their way leads to spiritual death. I can’t keep silent and watch my nation embrace the road to hell. I decree that America will find its way back to You in massive outpourings of awakening. The lost will turn from their wickedness and publicly repent of the error of their ways. Turn us, Lord, turn us. Shut the mouths of the accuser of the brethren and let righteousness reign in America. We honor and exalt You, Jesus. Amen.
Today’s decree:
We, the Confessing Church in America, will speak up for the voiceless before God and before man!
1 Excerpted with permission from “Bold As Lions”, by Brian Gibbs.