Flags ordered at half-staff for Artesia officer killed in crash
From Dr. Jim Denison:
Such service is a prominent theme in Scripture. We think of:
- those who served with and protected King David (1 Samuel 23:8–39)
- those who guarded Jerusalem under Nehemiah’s rebuilding project (Nehemiah 4:13)
- centurions who came to faith in Christ (Matthew 8:5–13, Acts 10)
- the conversion of the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:25–34)
- and the officers who saved and protected the Apostle Paul (Acts 21:31–32; 23:17–33; 27:43–44).
Police officers are doing a biblical work: “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked” (Psalm 82:3–4). They serve us as “God’s servant for your good” (Romans 13:4).
Three vital responses
Psalm 101 has been called “A Police Officer’s Prayer.”
In it, the psalmist testifies, “I will walk with integrity of heart . . . I will know nothing of evil” (vv. 2, 4) and commits himself to the security of others: “Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord” (v. 8).
If all Americans made the commitments in verses 2 and 4, police officers would not need to risk their lives fulfilling verse 8.
To this end, Christians should make three commitments today.
One: Pray and work for spiritual and moral awakening.
During the Welsh Revival (1904–05), police formed quartets to sing in churches since there was no one to arrest. Imagine a nation in which everyone loved God passionately and their neighbor as themselves (Matthew 22:37, 39). Then pray earnestly for such a movement in our time.
Two: Intercede daily for police officers and their families.
We are told to pray “for kings and all who are in high positions” (1 Timothy 2:2). Ask God to protect those who protect us and to give their families peace and encouragement.
Three: Find a practical way to express your gratitude to the police officers you encounter.
Tell them you are praying for them and standing with them. Thank them for their service and promise your support.
I don’t know that the next life they save will be yours, but I don’t know that it won’t.