Key Bible Verse: They say to themselves, "Nothing bad will ever happen to us! We will be free of trouble forever!" (Psalm 10:6). Bonus Reading: 2 Chronicles 18:3-22

In early 1968, the Commandant of the Marine Corps came to Danang for a visit, and I was assigned to the briefing team.

A colonel called me aside and suggested, "Tell him about the MiGs you encountered over Hanoi." I answered "Well, you know, I never really encountered any myself." He quickly replied with a note of consternation in his voice, "Well, somebody encountered them, so you're the person who needs to talk about them."

He added another subject: "Make sure you tell the Commandant about evasive maneuvers when multiple surface-to-air missiles were sent your way." Again I felt obliged to reply, "I never had more than a single surface-to-air missile come my way at one time." He was having a hard time making his point. "Yes, but there were other people who must have had SAMs shot at them in multiple configurations. Tell them about that."

That briefing, and the not-so-subtle shift from what was factually correct, became a microcosm of the entire war. As the war went on, sometimes supported by little lies and sometimes by a total absence of truth, we lost faith in reality. We lost that faith because no one had the courage to tell the truth.

—Robert Seiple in Ambassadors of Hope

My Response: In what settings do I find truth elusive?

Thought to Apply: So long as we are able to distinguish any space whatever between the truth and us, we remain outside it.—HENRI AMIEL (Swiss philosopher)

Adapted from Ambassadors of Hope (InterVarsity, 2004) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Because You are absolute truth, Lord, give me the courage to adhere to Your standard.

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