The Power Of Prayer!!
Have you ever felt the urge to pray for someone and 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 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 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, and 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 Jesus Christ. I went about my business
and then I 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 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, 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 that 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. I encourage you
to forward this to as many people as you know. If we all take it to
heart, we can turn this world towards Christ once again. Have a great day.
|