of redemption. Israel was told to camp by the Red Sea at a place called Baal-zephon. Here they would be particularly exposed to the pur suing Egyptian army (Ex. 14:3, 4). Every avenue of escape seemed to be cut off. In their hopeless situation they cried out unto the Lord. Super- naturally, the angel of the Lord caused a pillar of cloud to become a curtain of darkness to the hosts of Pharaoh. Consequently, Israel was preserved from annihilation during the first night of their journey from Egypt (Ex. 14:19-20). The entire wilderness journey was really one miracle upon another. Here we see striking examples of God’s direct intervention. Another was the experience of Jonah. He was a rebellious prophet who attempted to thwart God’s will for his life. Out of fellowship with the Lord, he was sure that his dis obedience caused a series of events stranger than any fiction writer could have penned. There was an especially anointed fish God had pre pared (Jonah 1:17). Jonah prayed fervently to the Lord until the as surance of deliverance came to him. Then at God’s command the great sea creature disgorged Jonah on the beach (Jonah 2:10). Since a fish god was in the pantheon of the As syrian Ninevites in their temple, the pecular method which God used to deliver Jonah proved also to be a miracle of persuasion. The Lord sends His angelic mes sengers to rescue His distressed be lievers. Such was the case of Elijah who had infuriated the king of Syria. Troops were dispatched to capture God’s prophet (II Kings 6:13-15). Elisha prayed that his servant’s spir itual eyes might be opened. There were horses and chariots of fire ef fectually protecting them both from the wrath of the Syrian army (II Kings 6:16-17). In the New Testament, the apos tles experienced angelic deliverance, 31
remedy. He was told to stand on the rock and strike it with his rod. What an unlikely circum stance. When Moses hit it at God’s command water gushed forth in more than sufficient quantities. There may have been upwards of 3,000,000 people at that time. This also served to strengthen them against the Amalekites in their first military battle after leaving Egypt. All of these lessons show us that God provides our every need, and that we are His special concern. P art F our I t has TRULY been miraculous to think how the Lord has preserved His own children down through the ages. For many years the Congo has been a very difficult field. Rebels are constantly fighting. The problems missionaries face has been very acute. It was in 1964, that mission aries Charles and Muriel Davis gazed with sinking hearts when the car in which they were being trans ported as prisoners of the anarchists was surrounded by a pushing, kick ing, swirling mob of people. Sud denly a shot rang out and a body crumpled to the ground. With cries of, “Kill him!” the violent crowd shoved the bleeding man to the hood of the automobile. Somebody riddled his body with bullets. Young Steven Davis, the missionaries’ son, appalled by the sight of the brutal murder, sobbed uncontrollably. His father, in deep anguish, prayed that the Lord would either allow them to die to gether or that they might be spared. Moments later, which seemed eterni ties, the guns were withdrawn and the mob scattered. This godly family was miraculously preserved. Preservation in many instances has proven to be an amazing miracle at the hand of God. The Lord of Heaven is not limited to stereotyped methods. Sometimes He intervenes directly as part of His mighty plan
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