Draw near to God – Day 15

Have you ever found yourself in fearful situations in which only God can help you? Here is a testimony by the author, Carina Stander, of an experience they had a few years ago:

Carina: “Shortly after my husband, Gerrit, and I got married, we woke up one morning at around 03:00 with a noise at the front door of our cottage, in Hout Bay. Gerrit got up to see what it was. When I heard a wrestling at the door, I immediately knew it was burglars. I jumped from our bedroom window and ran to seek help at the landlord’s house, a short distance away.

“While banging on the landlord’s door, I suddenly became aware of impending danger. Little did I know, the burglars stabbed Gerrit and left him in our cottage, before chasing after me. I swung around to find one of the robbers barely a metre away from me. He had an iron bar in his hand, ready to hit me. For years before this moment, I regularly practised to apply my authority in the name of Jesus Christ, if something like this were to happen.

“In that moment, I experienced the power and presence of God, and with an outstretched finger towards the burglar, I heard myself saying: ‘In the Name of Jesus Christ, you will not touch me!’ With total shock on his face, the man lowered his weapon. Two other robbers ran quickly next to the man and, again, I yelled the same words to them. They too froze in their tracks with an expression of shock on their faces, as if they saw something I did not. Within a few seconds, the three men turned around and ran away.

“We took Gerrit to the hospital and, luckily, none of the wounds were serious. Later that day, we were astounded when a friend from Pretoria, who didn’t know what had happened to us, phoned to find out if we were ok. He told us that he had a disturbing dream that previous night. In the dream, Gerrit and I were walking through an open field when three bush pigs came out of nowhere to attack us. They were about to overtake us when he woke up. He fervently started to pray for our safety. It was exactly 03:00 that morning – the hour of the attack. The police later arrested the attackers and found out that the attack was gang-related. The aim of the attack was to rape me. God protected me. All glory goes to Him!”

Carina is right. When Jesus Christ overcame evil on the cross, He gave us the authority to do the same. In Luke 10:19 we read: “Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy … Nothing will injure you.” When we command the enemy to flee “in the name of Jesus Christ”, it is as if Jesus Himself gives that command. Also, in Psalm 91:11 we read: “For He (God) will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.” In 2 Kings 6:16-17, the prophet Elisha and his slave were outnumbered by the enemy about to attack them. The slave was fearful, but listened to Elisha’s words when speaking to the servant: “Don’t be afraid! For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then, Elisha prayed that God would open his servant’s eyes to see the mountains around them, filled with horses and chariots of fire indicating that God was protecting them. He still does the same for us today.

I would not be surprised if the three attackers saw angels next to Carina that night – it perhaps changed their lives forever. Let us draw close to God in terrifying situations, with the knowledge that we too have authority over evil, because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. God protects us with an army of horses and chariots of fire, and his angels are indeed all around us. God bless.