Grace and peace, Saints.

Many of you are familiar with my testimony of persecution, which includes gang stalking and other forms of harassment. As I relate in God is in Control and other posts, sleep deprivation has been a major part of this harassment. This diabolical form of harassment has come in many different forms, and it is almost always perpetrated by my neighbors.

Now, imagine my reaction when I saw the above headline about a month or so ago on a newspaper vending machine near my apartment in Munich. The headline reads: “New Nightmare Study: Five Million Bavarians Have Insomnia.” The article goes on to share these alarming statistics:

• In 2017, only 22 percent of Bavarians say they sleep well, compared to 50 percent in 2010.
• Since 2005, the number of workdays missed because of insomnia has risen to 77 percent!
• Those who say they take sleep medication has risen from 13.5 to 17.3 percent.

The article goes on to say that insomnia is a major cause of many ailments such as depression and heart complications. It just so happens that depression is a major problem in Munich, evidenced by the fact that the number of psychologists, psychiatrists, and therapists has increased dramatically over the last decade.

Now, if you are a Christian who is being persecuted like me, then you should be encouraged by this bit of news, because it proves you are doing something right. It also proves that God really does look out for His people. In his second epistle to the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul encourages this persecuted church by telling them that their suffering is proof that they are doing well in the sight of God:

“We ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure:

“Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

Paul then goes on to assure the Thessalonians that God will exact vengeance of those who persecute them with the exact same persecution:

“Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you.” (2 Thessalonians 1:4-6)

Recompense means “to pay in kind”: in other words, to do to someone exactly what they have done to you, whether it be good or bad. So, God will do to our enemies exactly what they do to us, exactly how they do it to us, and exactly as often as they do it to us. This is important, because God has commanded us not to recompense evil for evil. We are never to do to our enemies what they do to us, because God says that that is His job. He will avenge us. God wants us to keep our hands clean and our consciences spotless that we will be “harmless, blameless, the sons of God, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.”

You may be interested to know that the population of Bavaria, according to the 2011 census, is around 12.4 million. Since 1.6 million of those 12.4 million Bavarians live in Munich, then almost half of Bavaria suffers from insomnia and almost all of Munich suffers from insomnia. And note that this problem has been noted since 2005. Is it merely a coincidence that I got saved and starting evangelizing in Munich in 2005?

Now, you may be inclined to believe that this huge problem of insomnia in Munich and Bavaria and the sleep deprivation campaign waged against me are merely coincidental. But I’m here to tell you that God is not a God of coincidence. God is a God of purpose. And we know that “all things work together for good to those that love God; to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

“Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Romans 12:19).

Be encouraged and look up; for your redemption draweth nigh.

TSM