Here's a message that will bring you chills. Have you ever
felt the urge to pray for someone, then 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. It may change the way you may think about prayer and
also the way you pray.
A missionary on furlough told this true 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 in the city where I
planned to collect money from a bank, purchase medicine
and supplies, then begin my two-day journey back to the
field hospital. Upon arrival in the city, I observed two
men fighting, one of whom had been seriously injured. I
treated him for his injuries and, at the same time, talked
to him about the Lord. 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
in that 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 all
counted them. It was because of those guards that we were
afraid and left you alone."
At this point in the sermon, which I was delivering in
Michigan, one of the men in the congregation jumped to
his feet and interrupted the missionary. He 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 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.
"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here
on earth!"
-- Author Unknown
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