Miraculous Protection of Hutu Preacher
Psalm 91:5 goes on to say, “You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day.” And vs. 11 says, “He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”
ILL. Tribal wars are nothing new in Central Africa. In fact, a few years ago a war between the Tutsi & Hutu tribes spilled over the boundaries of 8 African countries, with atrocities on both sides. In one case, in a Christian village in the Congo, Tutsi soldiers broke down the door of a young Hutu preacher’s house & stood poised to slaughter the entire family. Now this is a true story, & I want you to remember it.
“Wait,” the preacher begged. “Please allow us a moment to pray before we die.” The request was angrily granted & the family knelt to pray.
But the expected shots never came. After praying, the family slowly stood up & discovered that the soldiers were gone, not only out of their house, but out of the village, too.
Several months later, as the young preacher was telling this story to a church meeting in a nearby town, he heard a voice from the back saying, “I can tell you what happened.” It was one of the Tutsi soldiers.
“I was one of those who broke into your house,” he said. “I had your children in my sights as you knelt & prayed. Suddenly a tremendous wall of fire surrounded you. We couldn’t even see beyond the flames & we knew the house would burn down with you in it, so we got out.”
“Then, when we were outside & saw your house engulfed in flames & yet not being destroyed, we fled out of your village as well. We realized that this was not a kind of fire we are familiar with, but a fire sent by God. And if this is how your God responds, I want to know Him too. I am tired of the fighting & killing. That is why I came tonight.”
From a sermon by Melvin Newland, God is at Work Today!, 10/24/2009