This past Sunday, I was given the opportunity to speak at a church in my area about the needs of orphan children in our world. Getting to the point where I displayed the first slide on the screen was not as easy as I had thought it would be. The week prior, I felt a flu bug coming on. My computer even had to make a stop to the Geek Squad on the Friday before. As I stood in front of the church and saw the children’s faces up on the big screen, I realized the battle against the enemy had been won. The attempts to keep me from speaking had failed. God was at work behind the scene, and my prayers had been answered.
I met some really wonderful people at the church that invited me to speak. One man in particular came up to me with a story that left me with chills.
I have a friend who was once a missionary doctor in Africa. He lived and worked far out in the middle of a distant village. Every so often he would ride his bike to the nearest town to buy needed supplies. The bicycle ride to town took two days, and he would make a tent to sleep in with a box that he carried on this bike. One day he took off towards town to get the supplies. He bought the supplies and made a camp site in a remote place on his way back home. The next morning, he got up and started on his way home.
While riding, he saw something on the side of the road. It was a man…a very injured man. He stopped and attended to this suffering person. The injured man looked up, and said, “Please don’t help me.” The man explained to the doctor that he didn’t deserve to be helped by him. When the doctor asked him why, the man explained. “My friends and I had seen you in town and had followed you yesterday. We waited until you had time to set up your camp and would be asleep. We were going to rob you. When we got to your camp, there were 14 armed men standing around you. We got sacred and ran away. I was going to rob you, I don’t deserve for you to help me.”
The doctor was amazed. He was traveling alone. He knew the armed guards surrounding his tent must have been angels sent from above. He helped the man on the road and returned home. When he returned home, he called back to the US. He called his friend and told him what happened. The friend went silent and asked him what time of day this attempt at robbery happened. The friend here in the US explained that his own sleep was interrupted by a feeling of need to pray for protection for his missionary friend in Africa. The feeling was so strong that he called more friends to join him in praying. This all happened the exact time the doctor was about to be robbed.
Can you guess how many men that friend called to join him in praying for protection for the missionary? You got it…13! Remember..the robber said that fourteen armed men protected the missionary as he slept.
As the hair on my arm settled back into place, I was reminded of something so important. There are battles going on around us behind the scene each day that we don’t or sometimes cannot see. The Lord is so gracious to take care of us in ways we will never comprehend or know. He does it for the missionaries and soldiers on foreign soil, and He does it in each of our lives here while we go about our daily routine. He amazes me. He helps, heals, fights for, and loves us even when we don’t deserve it. God is good.
I met some really wonderful people at the church that invited me to speak. One man in particular came up to me with a story that left me with chills.
I have a friend who was once a missionary doctor in Africa. He lived and worked far out in the middle of a distant village. Every so often he would ride his bike to the nearest town to buy needed supplies. The bicycle ride to town took two days, and he would make a tent to sleep in with a box that he carried on this bike. One day he took off towards town to get the supplies. He bought the supplies and made a camp site in a remote place on his way back home. The next morning, he got up and started on his way home.
While riding, he saw something on the side of the road. It was a man…a very injured man. He stopped and attended to this suffering person. The injured man looked up, and said, “Please don’t help me.” The man explained to the doctor that he didn’t deserve to be helped by him. When the doctor asked him why, the man explained. “My friends and I had seen you in town and had followed you yesterday. We waited until you had time to set up your camp and would be asleep. We were going to rob you. When we got to your camp, there were 14 armed men standing around you. We got sacred and ran away. I was going to rob you, I don’t deserve for you to help me.”
The doctor was amazed. He was traveling alone. He knew the armed guards surrounding his tent must have been angels sent from above. He helped the man on the road and returned home. When he returned home, he called back to the US. He called his friend and told him what happened. The friend went silent and asked him what time of day this attempt at robbery happened. The friend here in the US explained that his own sleep was interrupted by a feeling of need to pray for protection for his missionary friend in Africa. The feeling was so strong that he called more friends to join him in praying. This all happened the exact time the doctor was about to be robbed.
Can you guess how many men that friend called to join him in praying for protection for the missionary? You got it…13! Remember..the robber said that fourteen armed men protected the missionary as he slept.
As the hair on my arm settled back into place, I was reminded of something so important. There are battles going on around us behind the scene each day that we don’t or sometimes cannot see. The Lord is so gracious to take care of us in ways we will never comprehend or know. He does it for the missionaries and soldiers on foreign soil, and He does it in each of our lives here while we go about our daily routine. He amazes me. He helps, heals, fights for, and loves us even when we don’t deserve it. God is good.
1 comment:
What incredible encouragement to "keep on....keeping on" in the battle of prayer. It was almost as if the 14th person was our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. WOW...I was very moved by this actual event....not just a story.
et from Wyoming, IOwa
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