禱告的力量

由於超愛戲劇性結局的，所以翻譯了這篇。

　一位宣教士在造訪他位於密西根母會的假期中，談到下面這個真實的故事…。

　「當我在非洲一個小型野戰醫院服事的時候，每隔一個禮拜我就必須騎著腳踏車穿過叢林，到鄰近的一個城裡去購買民生用品，由於這段路程有兩天之久，因此我必須在途中露宿一晚。在一次例行的購物行程中，我打算進城到銀行提了錢，買些藥物跟日用品後，就趕著另一個為期兩天、返回野戰醫院的路程。剛一進城，我就見到兩個人正在打架，其中一個傷得很重，我幫他處理了傷處，同時向他見證主耶穌基督。接著我趕著兩天的路程，露宿一晚，就這樣順利地回到了家，兩禮拜後又是我例行的旅程。

　這回當我一進城，上次那位我曾替他治傷的年輕人就靠近前來，他告訴我之前他早就知道我懷裡有錢跟藥品，並說：『當我和幾個同伴跟蹤你到了叢林裡，知道你要在那兒露營過夜，我們打算殺了你之後就奪財取藥；但正當我們靠近你帳篷的時候，我們看到有廿六個武裝的守衛圍繞著你。』聽到這兒我笑了出來，並且告訴他我的確是隻身待在叢林營地的。

　無論如何，這位年輕人還是堅持己見，並補充道：『不是這樣的，先生！我並不是唯一見到那群守衛的人，其他五個同伴也都看見了，甚至我們還都數過，就是因為這群守衛才教我們退卻的。』

　就在這時，會眾當中的一個人站了起來，打斷這位宣教士的話，問他還記不記得這件事發生的確切日期，宣教士告訴了會眾。這位打斷宣教士話的人接著說：『那晚你在非洲叢林宿營的時候，我們這兒還是早晨，當時我正準備打高爾夫，就在要推桿的時候，突然有股感動要為你禱告。事實上，那股從神來的感動之強烈，所以我又電召了其他人一起到教會為你禱告。當天跟我一起禱告的人都站起來好嗎？』於是當天跟他一起禱告的人就都站了起來。

　這位宣教士顧不得看是哪些人替他禱告──他只是一個勁兒地數著：站著的一共是廿六位。」

（英文原文）
Power of Prayer

A missionary on furlough told this true story while visiting his home church in Michigan…

While serving at a small field hospital in Africa, every two weeks I traveled by bicycle through the jungle to a nearby city for supplies. This was a journey of two days and required camping overnight at the halfway point. On one of these journeys, I arrived in the city where I planned to collect money from a bank, purchase medicine and supplies, and then begin my two-day journey back to the field hospital. Upon arrival in the city, I observed two men fighting, one of whom had been seriously injured. I treated him for his injuries and at the same time witnessed to him of the Lord Jesus Christ. I then traveled two days, camping overnight, and arrived home without incident. Two weeks later I repeated my journey.

Upon arriving in the city, I was approached by the young man I had treated. He told me that he had known I carried money and medicines. He said, "Some friends and I followed you into the jungle, knowing you would camp overnight. We planned to kill you and take your money and drugs. But just as we were about to move into your camp, we saw that you were surrounded by 26 armed guards." At this I laughed and said that I was certainly all alone out in that jungle campsite.

The young man pressed the point, however, and said, "No sir, I was not the only person to see the guards. My five friends also saw them, and we all counted them. It was because of those guards that we were afraid and left you alone."

At this point in the sermon, one of the men in the congregation jumped to his feet and interrupted the missionary and asked if he could tell him the exact day that this happened. The missionary told the congregation the date, and the man who interrupted told him this story: "On the night of your incident in Africa, it was morning here and I was preparing to go play golf. I was about to putt when I felt the urge to pray for you. In fact, the urging of the Lord was so strong, I called men in this church to meet with me here in the sanctuary to pray for you. Would all of those men who met with me on that day stand up?" The men who had met together to pray that day stood up.

The missionary wasn't concerned with who they were -- he was too busy counting how many men he saw. There were 26.