Yesterday, early Sunday morning, our soldiers were killed in
their sleep by the terrorists in the neighboring country. A terrible cowardly thing to do, kill someone
while sleeping.
The terrorists sneaked into the army camp, not sure how they
managed to do that.
We moan for the loss of lives of our soldiers who protected
our borders and kept us safe. We pray
for healing and comfort for their families.
Soldiers live on the sword of death daily. Some live, others die.
Life is unpredictable. We do not know when we may go.
God has given us a promise on earth, the promise of protection from sudden death....if we ask.
We have a promise from Psalm 91 …God keeps us in safety
because:
14: “Because he loves
Me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges My
name.
15 He will call on Me,
and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I
will satisfy him
and show him My salvation.”
I remember the story of Phillip during religious agitation
in Orissa. On Christmas, December 25,
2007, a curfew was declared in Orissa due to the previous conflicts between
Hindu Guru Late Laxanananda Saraswati. On the same day in the church, they were
celebrating Christmas and the church was filled with both Christians and
non-Christians. Around 80 to 100 people
had gathered there to celebrate the Christmas celebrations.
Phillip was preaching from the pulpit. All of a sudden, 200 to 250 Hindu agitators
entered the church violently through the doors and breaking windows. All of them were inebriated, smelling heavily
of liquor, carrying knives in their hands and rushing towards the people in the
church mad with fury. They started
dragging people out of the church, thrashing them violently, swearing, cussing,
and cursing.
As Phillip watched, he was stilled with fear and almost
terror, but then suddenly as he called on God, a deep supernatural calm filled
him. He was suddenly filled with great
courage. He thought, "If I am to be
killed tonight, I am ready to die for my Lord!"
Within a short time, they also dragged him by the collar
abusing and hitting him. The church was
surrounded by huge crowd from outside and the tension mounted it seemed for
hours. He kept praying within his heart
for the protection of his church believers.
Suddenly, something strange began to happen. The activists started quarreling among
themselves on some issue and went on to such an extent that they fought
bitterly amongst themselves and then left the church!
It was the hand of God that saved them that day because they
had come the intention to murder.
After they left, Phillip suddenly realized how close they
were to dying. Fear hit him with this
realization and the calm left him! It seemed
the Lord gave me that calm for that situation and when it was over, he was
normal again, naturally fearful in the terrifying time!
Later that night, a police officer asked him to leave the
area as soon as possible or the situation would not be in his favor.
Phillip was unable to take that decision as he was not sure
whether running away was a good thing to do, so he just went to his house, went
into his bedroom, shut the door and started praying hard. As he kept praying, he had a strong sense
that he should leave the place, so within fifteen minutes, he packed a small
bag and left the area.
The next morning he reached his hometown and immediately
called the police by phone asking them about the situation in the church. He
got to know that the activists came to his home, took away all his belongings
and then burned down his place. They would have surely burned him if he had
been there! God shielded, protected his
life, and directed him out to a safe place.
When we are close to God, we hold the legacy of protection,
even in war and when terrorism strikes.
Psalm 91:9-16
If you say, “The Lord
is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will
overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command
his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you
up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot
against a stone.
13 You will tread on
the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the
serpent.
14 “Because he[b]
loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my
name.
15 He will call on me,
and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I
will satisfy him
and show him my salvation
Rita.
Some of the names of the individuals have been changed to protect their privacy.
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