I went to Pittsburg Tuesday for a television interview on Cornerstone TV that will air this morning and again tonight on television and streaming over the Internet.
The host and I talked before we taped his show, and the subject came up of both of us having several experiences of facing death up close and personal and surviving. He told me of an experience that he had in the Sudan where he was in an orphanage with 300 kids and armed rebels surrounded the camp. They had every intent of killing everyone in the compound which was nearly defenseless with only a handful of missionaries and workers.
He was urged by one of the orphanage employees to pick up an AK 47 and help defend the kids, but he being a man of God refused, insisting that he would be more useful if he spent his time praying for their safety. They then tried to hand him some hand grenades and insisted that he use them when the rebels came through the bamboo fence surrounding the compound. Again he refused and went to the corner of the room and prayed for about an hour.
When he was finished he told his friend that he was going to bed. He was promptly told that if he did so, that he would die in his sleep. He responded that when he opened his eyes again he would see the face of Jesus, or if not, he would see the face of his friend again. Either way he would be fine with it.
He saw the face of his friend and the compound was never attacked.
Later he was told that the armed men were encountered by government forces later in the week and half of them were killed, (75 men). The other half was captured and when each was interviewed and asked why they did not attack the nearly defenseless orphanage, to the man they all responded that it was because it was surrounded by a great army and they were afraid to risk it.
I commented that the great army that they saw had to be angels and similar to the experience of Elisha’s servant, the Lord had opened the eyes of the rebels to see the vast army in order to scare them away and spare the orphanage and its missionary staff, and he agreed that must have been the case.
I don’t fear death and neither does my new friend. This is not mere bravado on our parts because we have both faced it up close and personal numerous times and did not blink. We don’t fear death because we have tremendous faith in God and are certain that when we cross the threshold into eternity that we will see the face of Jesus Christ and enter His rest forever.
It is a comforting feeling my friends and you can know it with certainty. We have faith and faith comes from hearing the word of God. The more we hear it the more faith we have.
I urge you to shore up your faith today. Read the Bible daily; begin in Romans and then read the New Testament followed by the Old. Study commentary like Matthew Henry, J. Vernon McGee, Wesley, and others. Attend a Bible believing church and by all means get enrolled in a small group or Sunday school class that goes through the Bible book by book.
God is still performing miracles and men and women of great faith get to experience God’s wonders in ministries all over the world. I urge you to participate; it is an indescribable feeling to witness and be a part of.
I’ve experienced it time and again in prison ministry where I never tire of seeing burly, murderous, hardened criminals, tougher than case hardened nails, with tattoos all over their muscled arms, standing with bowed heads in humility with tears streaming down their faces asking Jesus to come into their lives.
We need not be afraid, we are surrounded by the Lord’s army of angels and like my friend said, the face of Jesus awaits us whenever we finally do cross that line.
Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday!
2 Kings 6:17
And Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.