Prayers For A Vote To Go Our Way

Prayers For A Vote To Go Our Way

The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God for this miraculous sign—the healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years. Acts 4:21-22

Often when Jesus healed someone, he told the person not to tell anyone. He knew that the religious leaders would respond negatively. So it was no surprise when the disciples also were threatened for performing miracles in Jesus’ name. Unfortunately, that kind of backlash still happens today.

One year, on a medical missions trip, we took a van full of supplies into the Andes Mountains of Ecuador and set up a small clinic in a mud hut. God was with us as we treated more than 150 patients with various medical and dental ailments, and the Quechua people invited us into their homes and hearts. It was beautiful to witness so many prayers being answered.

Each night, we showed the JESUS film, and the tiny village of fewer than seventy-five people would swell in population to four times that size. Everyone wanted to see the film and learn more about Jesus.

Then, with only a few days left on our trip, the local clergyman called upon the leaders of the tribe to ban us from the area. Apparently, he was uncomfortable with the message that Jesus could be a personal and ever-present Savior. He believed that everyone who wanted to know God must go through him. He didn’t like it that we taught the tribe that miracles could still happen in Jesus’ name.

From inside the mud hut where we were staying, I heard the voices outside growing louder and becoming more animated. I peered out to catch a glimpse of what was happening. The clergyman was holding a machete and threatening the local leaders, but apparently many of the locals didn’t want us to leave. It was finally decided that there would be a vote.

I watched as the clergyman with the machete angrily waved it in the air as people voted. If we lost the vote, we might also lose our lives. Fortunately, God heard our silent but desperate prayers. In the end, the vote was 176 to 92 in our favor.

TODAY’S RX

When you face persecution, know that God is with you and will reveal himself in your time of need.

God, be with the missionaries across the world who are faithfully doing your work. Strengthen them as they face persecution, and protect them from harm. Thank you for their dedication and sacrificial spirits.