The Missionary's Guard
Have you ever had the urge to pray for someone and then
later just
put it on a list and said, "I'll pray for them later."? OR Has anyone
ever called you and said, "I need you to pray for me, I have this
need."?
Read the
following story that was sent to me and may it change the way that you
may think about prayer and also the way you pray.You will be blessed by
this one!!
A missionary on furlough told this story while visiting his home
church in Michigan:
While serving at a small field hospital in Africa,
every two
weeks I traveled by bicycle through the jungle to a nearby city for
supplies.
This was a journey of two days and required camping overnight at the
halfway point. On one of these journeys, I arrived at the city where I
planned to collect money from a bank, purchase medicine and supplies,
and then
begin my two-day journey back to the field hospital. Upon arrival in
the city, I observed two men fighting, one of them had been seriously
injured. I treated him for his injuries and at the same time I talked
with him
about the Lord Jesus Christ. I then traveled two days, camping
overnight, and arrived home without incident.
Two weeks later I
repeated my journey. Upon arriving in the city, I was approached by the
young man I had treated. He told me that he had known I carried money
and medicines. He said, "Some friends and I followed you into the
jungle, knowing you would camp overnight. We
planned to kill you and take your money and drugs. But, just as we were
about to move into your camp, we saw that you were surrounded by 26 armed
guards."
At this I laughed and said that I was certainly all alone out in
the jungle campsite.
The young man pressed the point however and said, "No
sir, I was not the only person to see the guards.
My five friends also saw them, and we
counted them. It was because of those guards that we were afraid and
let you alone."
At this point in the sermon, one of the men in the
congregation jumped to his feet and interrupted the missionary and asked
if he
could tell him the exact day this happened. The missionary told the
congregation the date, and the man who interrupted told him this story:
"On the night
of your incident in Africa, it was morning here and I was preparing to
go play golf. I was about to putt when I felt the urge to pray for
you. In fact, the urging of the Lord was so strong, I called the men in
this church
to meet with me here in the sanctuary to pray for you."Would all of those
men who met with me on that day stand up?" The men who had met together to
pray that day stood up.
The missionary wasn't concerned with who they were
- he was too busy counting how many men he saw. There were 26. This story
is an incredible example of how the Spirit of the Lord moves in mysterious
ways. If you ever hear such prodding, go along with it.
Nothing is ever hurt by prayer - except the gates of
Hell. I
encourage you to forward this to as many people as you know. If we all
take
this to heart, we can turn this world toward Christ once again. Have a
great day.
THE POWER OF PRAYER
As the above true story clearly illustrates, "with God
all things are
possible" and more importantly, how God hears and answers the prayers of
the
faithful. After you read this, please pause and give God thanks for the
beautiful gift of your faith, for the powerful gift of prayer, and for the
many miracles He works in your own daily life ...and then p