A Prayer and an Angry Mob

Becky Schenck, a missionary in Papua New Guinea, described an incredible incident. One of the nationals was stabbed to death in a tavern one Saturday night.

The next morning her husband, Jerry, and another missionary went to the scene with some national Christians, hoping to prevent a conflict.

The tribal custom in Papua New Guinea demands that if a member of the tribe dies, someone from the murderer's tribe must die as a payback. Older men had been training younger men to fight for such an occasion. Now, with war-painted faces and carrying their bows and arrows, and spears and axes, they were approaching the tribe of the murderer.

The angry mob came to a government officer who was trying to block the road with his car to prevent the confrontation. They threw him in the ditch and marched on.

With much fear and trembling, Jerry and the other Christian nationals formed a "human roadblock" while the other missionary stood on the hood of the car praying. The angry tribal members came within inches of them.

Suddenly they stopped, turned around, and went back!

The next day the missionaries learned why. The warring tribal members said they had looked at the man on the car praying and their bodies felt weak, as if they had been doing a hard day's work. They had no energy to go farther.

We rarely get to glimpse the amazing effect of our prayers. God's response to our prayers renders the enemy powerless to discourage, to attack, to tempt. One of the greatest wonders in heaven for us may be the complete dependability of God to answer our prayers.

Thank You, Father, that a sincere prayer brings wonderful results.

"The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results" (James 5:16 NLT).