A Dream and a Prayer
June 24, 2009
Witch doctors use charms and amulets to place demonic spells over people. |
A huge snake slithered toward Jao. The flimsy door of his house couldn't keep this monster reptile out. Fear gripped him so strongly . . . that it woke him from his nightmare.
The snake wasn't real; it was only a dream. But Jao was still so afraid that he couldn't fall back asleep. Then he remembered a book someone had given him just days before. He found it and started reading about Jesus. He called out, asking for help and deliverance, and something inside changed. He could sleep peacefully.
When God took away Jao's fear, it wasn't only the fear from his dream. It represented a breakthrough from something he suffered for years.
Long ago, Jao's wife had hired a witch doctor to put a spell over him. She wanted control in their home, and the spell put Jao completely under her domination. He carried out her every wish, terrified not to. Even his decisions to sit or stand were under her control.
Finally, it was unbearable, and Jao's family sent his wife away. They took him to the witch doctor, trying to undo the spell, but nothing happened. Even though his wife was gone, Jao still spent his days hiding in his home.
But when a Gospel for Asia-supported missionary came to his house, Jao opened up. He explained his intense fear and hopelessness. And the missionary told him about the one God who had power to free him. Leaving a New Testament, he told Jao to call on Jesus' name when he felt fear.
After the night of the dream and the prayer, Jao's life radically changed. In great joy, he gave his life to Christ. He no longer crouches in terror, but freely shares his story of deliverance with others in his village.
