Do Not Be Afraid

“...do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say.” Matthew 10:19

God has supplied what I need to say, to answer, or to write, many times in my life. But I’ve never been put in a situation like Shony Alex Braun, where what he needed to do could result in his life being taken away from him. 

At age 13, this Romanian-born Hungarian Jewish boy was forcibly taken to Auschwitz with his parents and brother Zoltan in 1944. After he was moved to Dachau, the Commandant of the camp wanted to hear classical music played and he instructed the Kapo to look for volunteers who played the violin. They would be given bread in exchange. It so happened that Shony was a proficient violinist. He volunteered along with an old classical violinist and another younger man. 

First the old man played but the commandant was not pleased and at a signal, the Kapo split the old man’s head with a lead pipe and brain matter and blood scattered all over. It was the young man’s turn next but he shook so badly, he could not play at all. The lead pipe came out again. When the Commandant turned to Shony, the young boy prayed desperately, and asked God, “How does anything start?” Shony recounted that when the Kapo was two steps from him, suddenly his left and right hand started to move in perfect harmony.  He played Strauss’ Blue Danube even if he had never played the piece before. The commandant started to beat with the rhythm of the music. “God’s hands were on my violin. It’s the only way,” Shony testified later. “God gave me the song. I tell you, it was God!” We can read this story in his autobiography, “My Heart is a Violin”. 

We too can trust God that He will not only give us the words when we need it, but He will provide what we need when we need it. 

Let us stand on God’s promises: 

Philippians 4:19: "And my God will meet all our needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." 

Matthew 6:33: 

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." 

2 Corinthians 9:8: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work."