8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. 2 Timothy 2:8-9

For those of you old enough to remember, in the 1980s there was a big push to send Bibles and New Testaments to Soviet bloc countries. People were smuggling Bibles into those countries because they couldn’t read the Word of God any other way. High power radio stations were broadcasting into Russia to get the word out through the spoken word. In fact, it’s a roundabout way I met my wife.

Today, people still smuggle Bibles into forbidden lands. You’ll never know about them but they exist in the hundreds or thousands. If a country has excessive restrictions on the Word of God, then you can be assured that many are seeking to get the Bible into the country by any means possible.

We don’t know their names but they do their work without fanfare or fame. They realize the risks upfront and what might happen if they get caught. You and I would be amazed by the stories of God’s provisions, how a guard looked the other way at just the right time or how they completely overlooked bundles of Bibles. These Bible smugglers think differently than you and me. They are obsessed in the most positive sense of the word. They are obsessed with getting the Word of God into the hands of those who are crying out for it. In fact, they take Paul’s words seriously: “God’s word is not chained.”

Pray for them as they risk much to get the Bible into other lands. Pray that they will find favor in the eyes of border guards. Pray even that the eyes of these guards will be blinded temporarily to get Bibles past their station. God continues to work throughout the world. His Word is powerful, and it’s why people still risk their lives to spread the Good News.