The Believers

“Thank you, Pastor Alexander. God deserves all the honor and the glory because I realize now that he helps me stand through all my battles. God truly brings the victory.”

“Christy is in the hospital. Don’t be alarmed. The doctor says she will be fine. She was accidentally shot in her hand and the feeling has not completely returned.” (Sadie took a deep breathe and proceeded.) “At first I was angry but now I realize I should be thankful Christy and Mark are alive. Christy asked to go to the store up the street from our home. I told her it was okay as long as she took her brother Mark along for company.”

“Christy and Mark were walking along when they saw a new boy from their school. He asked them to come over and check out his new toy. He pulled out a silver gun. He said he found it in his father’s tool box in their garage. Christy told him never take anything without his parents’ permission because that’s stealing and that gun didn’t look like a toy. Then Christy said the strangest thing happened. The Holy Spirit put a scripture in her heart that filled her mind. ‘Children, obey your parents the way the LORD wants. For this is right and you will live a long life.’ Christy remembered learning that from the book of Ephesians in Bible study. So she quickly told the little boy goodbye because I expected them to go straight to the store and come right back. Suddenly the little boy began waving the gun around excitedly and stopped when the barrel was pointing directly at her brother’s head. Without thinking Christy put her hand in front of the gun’s barrel to protect her brother. As she pushed the gun away from Mark’s head it went off with a loud BANG, sending a bullet right through her right hand. Mark was so afraid he ran to the store for help while the little boy stood frozen with fear by her side. As Christy held her wounded bloody hand and winced in pain, the little boy began to cry out how sorry he felt. He begged that her life be spared. Christy told him that Jesus wouldn’t let her die. The little boy asked Christy who was Jesus.  Christy told him that Jesus is her Lord and Savior and could be his, too, if he were to believe. By this time Christy started feeling very weak and her hand started to throb with pain. The pain became so bad that she began to lose consciousness. As she lay down on the sidewalk, holding her hand tightly, the Holy Spirit filled her mind with Isaiah 53:4-5 on how Jesus bore our pain and suffering and by his stripes we are healed. Christy slowly closed her eyes and as she drifted off into a deep sleep she could faintly hear the little boy say, ‘I want to believe.’ Christy nodded and said, ‘Okay.’