Arriving home from work one day, I thought I was alone. God knew that I wasn’t. Making my way to the back of the house to take a relaxing shower, I turned on the light in the hallway. I also turned up the volume on the radio to hear it over the running water and the exhaust fan.
As I stepped out of the shower, something in the hall caught my eye. I walked from the bathroom to the bedroom and flipped on the light.
To my utter horror a stranger was standing by my bed, a stocking over his head and a knife in his hand. Terror constricted my throat, but inside I heard, “Call upon Me and I will deliver you.”
“Jesus!” burst from my lips, followed by “I bind you in the name of Jesus!” Immediately I ran down the hall. I knew my screams would not be heard over the radio, and I realized that I must get out of the house.
I reached the front door, but I knew I’d never get the security chain off in time. When I whirled around to face the masked intruder, he was standing two feet away. He raised his knife and bellowed: “I’ll cut you in pieces. Go lie down!”
The calming voice of God told me to obey the authority of that knife for the moment. I whispered, “In Jesus’ name I will lie down” over and over as I headed back toward my bedroom, assuming that the intruder was right behind me.
As I re-entered the hallway, I prayed, “Lord, I know it is not Your will that I die like this, and I don’t know how, but I know You are going to save me.” Entering my bedroom, I noticed the intruder was no longer behind me.
The Spirit of God told me he had left the house. After a few minutes I called 9-1-1. The police found the intruder’s tracks under the window, where he had apparently broken in, and by the back door where he’d probably exited. The deputy was surprised I escaped unharmed.
All I could reply was, “Jesus did it!”
I’ve learned that prayer can carry us through not only daily needs but through deadly crises as well. Even if we find ourselves trapped in a corner, we have a prayer weapon to use in our defense–the name of Jesus.
