26 guards

(taken from a 4warded e-mail)

Here's a message that will bring you chills. Have
you ever felt the urge to pray for someone and then
just put it on a list and said, "I'll pray for them
later?"

Or has anyone ever called you and said, "I need you
to pray for me, I have this need?"

Read the following story that was sent to me and may
it change the way that you may think about prayer and
also the way you pray.

You will be blessed by this.

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.

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 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 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 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.

This story is an incredible example of how the
Spirit of the Lord moves in mysterious ways.
If you ever hear such prodding, go along with it.

Nothing is ever hurt by prayer except the gates of
hell. I encourage you to forward this to as many people as you know.

If we all take it to heart, we can turn this world
toward God once again. As the above true story clearly
illustrates, "with God all things are possible".

More importantly, how God hears and answers the
prayers of the faithful.

After you read this, please pass it on and give God
thanks for the beautiful gift of your faith,
for the powerful gift of prayer, and for the many
miracles He works in your own daily life... and then
pass it on. Who says God does not work in mysterious ways

I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for you
today. To guide you and protect you as you go along your way.
His love is always with you, His promises are true,
and when we give Him our cares you know He will
see us through.

So when the road you're traveling on seems difficult
at best, Just remember I'm here praying, and God will do the rest.

Pass this on to those whom you want God to bless.