I recently was able to get a new computer, which is always exciting and a true blessing. As I was saving documents and pictures from the old to the new, I came across this article in the process. I do not know where I heard this or what missionary had told it, but it is thought provoking and worth sharing. It was title, 26 Guards.
26 GUARDS
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 talked to him about 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 twenty-six armed guards.
At this I laughed and said that I was certainly all alone 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 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 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 was not concerned with who they were; he was too busy counting how many men he saw. There were twenty-six!”
This is not a once in a lifetime occurrence. Being a missionary kid myself, we have heard many stories or what we would denote as testimonies of the same elk over the years. I am sure my family and I have been the recipient of the blessings and protection of God, because of the prayers of others for us. We will never know the extent of those provisions, but we know that God works in mysterious ways. He does not only operate in the physical realm, but His world, in the Spirit, dictates to what will happen in the physical. As my husband often says, the two worlds are like parallel railroad tracks. They are both needed for the train to keep moving forward, safely to its destination. It does not matter how much the world changes; these kinds of miracles are still very much needed today. There are several words I would like to discuss and bring to the forefront, define, and apply to our lives in the 21st century. They are prayer, entreat, intercession, intervention, and supplication.
Webster’s Dictionary states that prayer is, “an address, such as a petition to God; a set order of words used in praying, such as an earnest request; the act or practice of praying to God; a religious service consisting chiefly of prayers.” In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 it simply tells us to, “Pray without ceasing.” And Romans 12:12 says, “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.” It is a practice that should become a constant and second nature in the life of the believer. Prayer is not meditation or a mental affirmation of positive thoughts or scripture, but a conversation with God. Consider David’s descriptive writing of prayer. Psalm 55:17, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.” Psalm 61:1, “Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.” AndPsalm 64:1, “Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.” He was not only praying all the time, but he was earnest, and loud and vocal about it. 1 John 5:14-15 states, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” Again, prayer is communication. We ask, He hears and answers us. An example would be if you go stand in front of your dad and just stare at him, you most likely will not get anything no matter how hard you meditate or think on what you are wanting. But if you say, “Dad, can I please have a cookie?” It is most likely a done deal. Especially if, as I used to tell my daughters to do, you bat your eyelids at him. God loves us to ask Him for what we need. He loves to see that we have need of Him. Luke 12:32, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
Webster’s dictionary defines the verb entreat (intreat) as; “to plead with, especially to persuade or ask urgently. For example, he entreated his boss for another chance. Or, to make an earnest request: plead, negotiate, or intercede. Synonyms for entreat are to appeal, beg, beseech, besiege, conjure, impetrate, implore, importune, petition, plead (to), pray, solicit, supplicate.” Entreating is a form of prayer. In Genesis 25:21, “Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.” Exodus 8 –10, During the plagues, Pharoah was constantly asking Moses and Aaron to ‘intreat’ the Lord for Him to take the plagues away, however, when the Lord granted the petition, he did not listen. Ruth and Naomi had quite a discussion regarding the future of the family after their husbands had died. You can imagine the appealing, imploring and urgency in Ruth’s voice when she made this statement in Ruth 1:16, “And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither you go, I will go; and where you lodge, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:” She not only wanted to go with Naomi, but she had thought through and come to grips with the consequences of her actions.
We must be careful when we say in prayer, “Lord, whatever it takes!” James states, because we do not know what tomorrow will bring, we ought to pray, “If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” Deuteronomy 23:21, “When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the Lord, thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.” We can entreat and plead to God; however, we should be careful at trying to make bargains with Him. His word never changes, and he takes our word very seriously. However, God is a loving Father and wants to give us what we need, just ask with a pure heart in earnest. James 3:17, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” He even answers our request when we entreat him for things that are self-afflicted. 1 Kings 13:6 is an example of this. “And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.” He was in this predicament due to his own disobedience, but God had mercy on him when He was approached with the request. He is faithful to hear us when we call upon His name.
The definition of intercession by Webster; “the act of interceding, prayer, petition, or entreating in favor of another.” Here we see sincere, earnest, beseeching prayer once again but on the behalf of someone else’s salvation and protection, whether it be from sin, sickness, or harm. Isaiah 53 1-12 is too wonderful not to share, especially this close to Easter. This is a prophecy of Jesus, the Messiah. “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely, he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore, will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Jesus has become our mediator and makes intercession for us because he shed His blood in our stead. 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
Romans 8:26-27 & 34, “Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searches the hearts, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” We plead for the cause of others, but the answer comes because of the price that Jesus paid on the cross of calvary for our healing, salvation, a specific event or for our protection. Hebrews 7:25, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them.” Just as our story in the beginning about the 26 Guards, Jesus does not have to be physically present to work the miracle. See the example of this while Jesus was still on the earth. Matthew 8:5-10, “And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” The two ingredients in this recipe, was asking and faith.
We must include the story of Abraham interceding for Sodom and Gomorrah. He was doing so because he had loved ones, aka, his nephew Lot, and his family living there. This interceding session became a negotiation with God, which God allowed to the point where Abraham stopped. If he would have continued down to one righteous, would the cities have been saved? We will never know the answer to that, at least not on this side of heaven. However, he stopped at ten righteous. Read here Genesis 18:20-33, “And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. And the men turned their faces from thence and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord. And Abraham drew near, and said, wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. And Abraham answered and said, behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. And he spoke unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake. And he said unto him, oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. And he said, behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake. And he said, oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. And the Lord went his way as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.” Note, they were communing, they were talking. Also keep in mind though Abraham was pleading, interceding, which means to ask a favor earnestly on the behalf of another, he did not make any rash or foolish vows or bargains.
Webster defines intervention is; “the act or an instance of intervening, the intervention of divine providence, the act of interfering with the outcome or course especially of a condition or process (as to prevent harm or improve functioning), the interference of a country in the affairs of another country for the purpose of compelling it to do or forbear doing certain acts, an occurrence in which a person with a problem (such as a drug addiction) is confronted by a group (as of friends or family members) whose purpose is to compel the person to acknowledge and deal with the problem.” In 2 Kings 6:11-17, there was a war that was raging, there are the Syrians, and the Israelites, there are spies, there is intrigue, intelligence ops, and fear of captivity, but there was also the man of God, Elisha. “Therefore, the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you are saying in thy bedchamber. And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. Therefore, sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” Elisha prayed for an intervention for his servant.
There is a healing that comes from intervention and interaction between the people of God. James 5:16, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” No one can forgive you but God, but he has given us one another to lean on and rely on for strength, comfort, and healing. Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” God is our Creator; he knows our weaknesses. Psalm 103:14 tells us, “For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.” Romans 12:4-8, “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So, we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teaches, on teaching; Or he that exhorts, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that rules, with diligence; he that shews mercy, with cheerfulness.” Just as we take care of ourselves, we must take care of others, because we are all a part of one body. We take intervention measures for ourselves; therefore, we should intervene on the behalf of others in love, through intercessory prayer.
The definition of supplication by Webster is, “to make a humble entreaty, especially to pray to God, to ask humbly and earnestly. Synonyms for supplicate, appeal (to), beg, beseech, besiege, conjure, entreat, impetrate, implore, importune, petition, plead (to), pray, solicit.” As you can see, this is remarkably close to the other words we have already defined, but with one difference. The addition to the equation is humility. God wants us to humbly seek him and build ourselves up first. Jude 1:20, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.” We can then in turn make supplication aka, humble petitions for our leaders, thereby facilitating the second part of this scripture, which is to live a peaceful life. 1 Timothy 2: 2-4, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.” Then we can pray for each other, humbly entreating Him for all saints. Ephesians 6:18, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” Finally, we must humble ourselves and pray for our land. 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” We are in dire need of this in our generation.
Philippians 4:6, “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” We see that prayer is communication through the means of entreating, interceding, intervening and supplication. We know he hears us and will answer us. Let us not be selfish. Let us entreat on the behalf of others who are in need and listen to the Spirit if He draws us to intercede for others. We might just be able to have our own ‘26 Guards’ testimony that we can share with others to build them up in their most holy faith. We may be instrumental in saving someone’s life not only physically and emotionally but spiritually as well.