Late one evening in 1956, Martin Luther King, Jr. sat alone at his kitchen table. His wife and daughter lay asleep in the next room. King had spent the last few weeks organizing and promoting a boycott of the buses in Montgomery to make a statement for equal rights between white and black citizens.
The phone rang. It was midnight. King answered. An angry man told him to leave Montgomery before the morning or die. It was another one of the many death threats upon his life and his family that he had received as the spokesperson for the boycott.
This responsibility was unbearable. Could he risk his life and the safety of his family for this cause? He began to think of ways he could step down from his leadership role.
With his head buried in his hands, he whispered a prayer: “I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right. But now I am afraid . . . I am at the end of my powers. I have nothing left. I can’t face it alone.”
In that moment the young pastor felt the presence of God like he had never felt before. He could hear in his heart the Lord’s voice say: “Stand up for justice, stand up for truth; and God will be at your side forever.”
At once, his fears began to fade. He let go of those thoughts of quitting. He was ready to face anything and indeed he did.
Three days later a bomb exploded in his home. He and his family only narrowly escaped unharmed. Was he afraid? No, he would later write, “My religious experience a few nights before had given me the strength to face it.”
Martin Luther King, Jr. Story Reflection Questions
- If you were in Martin Luther King, Jr.’s role, would you step down to protect your family? Why or why not?
- What challenges make you feel alone or afraid? Offer these fears up to God in prayer like Martin Luther King, Jr.
- How can you stand up for justice and truth in your community and the world?
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