Joy in the midst of persecution

Yesterday I was reading a comment from a friend of mine oversees, E. He was talking about persecution of believers with a local pastor. This is part of what E. shared about this pastor's experience on persecution:

"We then talked about what it was like to be beaten. We did not talk about the physical pain, but rather the experience of joy that God provides in the midst of persecution. He did feel honored to experience pain for the Lord. I did not see or hear any regret on his part. His experience reminded me of Peter and John's joyful reaction in the Book of Acts after they were beaten. At a personal level, I found it exhilarating to meet someone who had experienced this because it is so foreign to life in the USA. My friend is not hoping for more persecution, but I believe he is ready to face it if it happens. His trust is in the Lord, whose grace is sufficient (II Corinthians chapter 12)."

What a testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was such an encouragement that I wanted to share it with y'all. Keep on praying for believers all over the world who are being persecuted.