In Support of Our Law Enforcement Officers

Years ago I took a trip to Hungary to visit with and preach for one of our missionaries. One of our deacons made the trip with me. Tim has spent an entire career as a City of Phoenix police officer. On the way from the airport to the missionary home on a dark windy road in the middle of the night, we had a flat tire. While the missionary and I were changing the tire, I looked up and there was Tim, flashlight in hand, halfway around the world from home, directing traffic and keeping us safe.

“To protect and to serve” has been the motto of the Los Angeles Police Department since 1963 and has been adopted by many other law enforcement agencies around the country. The motto reflects a clear biblical principle.

For he is the minister of God to you for good . . . (Romans 13:4).

That’s what police officers do. They keep the rest of us safe. They are the representatives of human government that enforce the law and protect citizens. Saved or not, believers or not, they put their lives on the line on a daily basis in order to provide for us a peaceful society in which we can live, work, worship, and pray.

We stand with them without apology or hesitation. Average citizens have no idea what these men and women face on a daily basis. They are the first of the first responders. They secure the scenes so other emergency personnel can serve in safety. They save lives. It would be a rare thing to find a veteran police officer who has not saved a life and more than once.

Just as in every other stripe of life, there are a few bad eggs among the many good, but that is no reason to paint them all with the broad brush of criticism or to deny any of them the gratitude and honor that they genuinely deserve.

So thank you.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to the sincere and self-sacrificing members of the law enforcement community. We thank God for you, especially in these times when others seem to despise the very people that protect them. You deserve to know that we stand with you and we pray for you.

We understand that you often find yourselves in volatile situations that demand the Wisdom of Solomon in a split second. You walk a fine line where your own personal safety is a stake on one side, and potentially life-changing legal consequences loom on the other. We pray God will keep you safe and give you His wisdom. We pray that God will enable you to see your circumstances clearly, carry out your duties justly, and come home safely.

We pray for you as people. We know that you also weep after the child drowning calls. You are frustrated and angry when you see women and children abused and neglected and your hearts break as you see the destruction that our modern opioid and drug epidemic does to individuals and families. Just as soldiers in war, law enforcement officers too can face the debilitating effects of PTSD and moral injury. We pray for your wives and families that share with you the emotional stresses of the noble profession you have chosen.

We pray for your souls. We pray that as you work for peace in our communities you will also know the peace in your souls that only Jesus Christ can bring. Only Jesus can mend that heart broken by the sins of this world, the families damaged by the stresses of a job like yours. As FBFI pastors, missionaries, chaplains, and church members, we are here to help you, talk to you, and pray with you. Our doors are always open.

Thank you. May God give you wisdom and protection and most of all, may God give you His peace.