The Sword and the Spirit

The leader pointed to his little girl, Kamala. Joseph realized that only a miracle would save her life—and his. He knelt by the bed and prayed.

Joseph felt his heart pounding as the mob of angry men pushed and jostled him. Their angry voices rose as they accused him of stirring up trouble by introducing a new God to the village. “Let’s beat him!” said some. “Kill him!” yelled others. 

A Zeal for Christ 

Joseph had not been a Christian long. In his zeal to share his new faith with others, he had come to this village as a Global Mission pioneer to teach others about Christ. He’d found a man who wanted to know about Christ, and the two men studied the Bible together. Soon the villager had given his heart to God. 

But others in the village were angry that a Christian had come to stir up the people. They had marched toward the home where Joseph was visiting and demanded that he come out of the house. 

Joseph prayed silently as the mob pressed around him. Then he stepped toward the leader, who stood brandishing a sword. Gently Joseph put his hand on the man’s shoulder and spoke to him. “Brother, I’ve come in peace and in the name of Jesus, who is my God and my friend. He wants to be your God and friend too.”

The leader looked into Joseph’s eyes and grew calm. The crowd quieted a bit. Then the leader challenged Joseph.

The Challenge 

“I have a daughter,” he said. “She’s 10 years old and has been paralyzed for six years. She can’t move, and she can’t speak. Come and ask your God to heal my daughter. If He heals her, then we will leave you alone. But if she isn’t healed, then we will kill you.” The man touched the sword at his side in a threatening manner.

The man turned to walk to his home, and the mob made sure that Joseph followed him. When they reached the leader’s home, the mob stayed outside while Joseph and the leader entered the house. 

The leader pointed to his little girl, Kamala. Joseph realized that only a miracle would save her life—and his. He knelt by the bed and prayed. He asked God to forgive his sins, and then he asked that if it was God’s will, little Kamala be healed. “Help those in this room to understand that You are the all-powerful God who made the earth and everything that lives here,” he prayed. 

Seeing God’s Power

Joseph finished his prayer and stood to his feet. The girl’s father nodded to two men who stood in the room with them. They tied Joseph up to be certain that he didn’t escape. Joseph continued to pray for the child, and within minutes he saw a slight movement. 

Had he imagined it? No. Kamala moved again. She stretched out her leg! Joseph encouraged her to keep moving, and the girl stretched her other leg and then her arms. Joseph praised God as he encouraged the girl to move. 

Slowly Kamala sat up. Then as the family watched, speechless with joy, Kamala slowly pulled herself up on her once-withered legs and took a step. And then another.

“My daughter!” Kamala’s mother whispered. The girl smiled and walked slowly toward her mother. Tears filled the father’s eyes as he hugged Joseph. The men who had tied Joseph up stood silently as Kamala walked around the room. Her hands straightened out and grew strong as they watched. 

Opening the Door of Faith

The door behind them opened, and Joseph’s wife entered. Her face reflected her confusion. “What happened?” she whispered. “I was told terrorists planned to kill you.” She looked at Joseph, still tied up, and then at the joyful faces of those surrounding him. 

“I’ll tell you later,” he told her. “But God has just revealed His mighty power to these unbelievers.”

The leader of the mob untied Joseph and apologized for causing him trouble. “I want to know about your God, who has restored my daughter to health,” he said.

Joseph spoke to the crowd who waited outside the man’s house. Several asked to know more about the God Joseph worships. Within a year 15 people in the village were baptized, and Joseph and his wife are working with others who want to know about God. 

The leader of the mob who had planned to kill Joseph now works with him to teach others about the living God.