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Psalm 91, Guys! Psalm 91!
This story is true, but the names of the people have been changed, and the country cannot be revealed due to sensitivity.
After twenty years of ministry in other lands, God led the family of Glen and Peggy Gray to Ukraine. They were the first Assemblies of God missionaries to reside in this former Communist country. As academic dean, Glen was correlating and organizing studies at the Ukraine Assemblies of God Bible School located in the capital city of Kiev.
The Grays arrived in August 1993, excited about helping to train pastors and leaders for the growing Pentecostal churches.
Weeks later, after many discouragements, including not being able to find housing (the four of them were living in one room with no cooking facilities) and visa delays, they decided to take a break. With their students, they attended a Christian youth music festival celebrated by the Ukrainian church. Young people from all over the country displayed their talents in worshiping the Lord.
As the Grays were leaving the festival, a visiting pastor from the States followed them to the car. Sensing their discouragement, he prayed for their housing needs. Then before he left, he shook his finger at Glen and Peggy and said, “Psalm 91, guys! Psalm 91 is your cover!”
“What does that beautiful psalm have to do with our housing.
About fifteen minutes later Peggy, daughter Charlene, and son Shawn were sitting in their Speed the Light car outside a hotel. Glen had gone inside to exchange dollars into local currency. Peggy and the children were talking and “people watching” when all of a sudden Charlene yelled, “Mom, that guy has a gun!”
As Peggy looked, she saw not one but many men with guns surrounding them and other cars, as well as a large tourist bus. Peggy screamed for the kids to hit the floor of the car.
They got down as far as possible, and Peggy told them to pray that their dad would not walk out into this major robbery. Minutes seemed like hours as they cried out to God. Once Peggy peeked up and saw a man standing directly in front of the car, waving his gun wildly. He looked right at Peggy, so she quickly flattened herself down behind the driver’s seat again and prayed. The man never came to their new Speed the Light car—an obvious target!
Peggy had an overwhelming sense of being covered. In the short time she’d looked up, she’d seen men with guns beating people. Other victims lay bleeding on the ground.
Meanwhile, when Glen tried to leave the hotel, he was almost knocked down by three of the bandits who were attempting to escape by racing into the hotel. He paused at the door, horrified to see men struggling with the armed robbers.
In a few minutes, he was able to race to the car, where he was relieved to find his family safe. Quickly he drove them away.
They returned to the center where we were staying, and George Dawidiuk, a Ukrainian-American evangelist, prayed with the Grays. Then, without knowing of the previous pastor’s prayer, he too shook his finger at them and said, “Hey, guys! Psalm 91! Psalm 91 is your cover!”
“Mom, that’s what the other man said!” Charlene whispered.
They went quickly to their room, opened their Bibles, and read together, “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day (or bullets?), nor the plague that destroys at midday (the worsening of fear, anger, and disillusionment here).
“A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, (Oh, Lord, we saw that today at the right side of our car!) but it will not come near you.
“You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. (We saw that carried out by the undercover agents!) If you make the Most High your dwelling—even the Lord, who is my refuge—then no harm will come near your tent (or car?),” Psalm 91:4-10, NIV.
Verses 14, 15, and 16 are the Grays’ family slogan now! Whenever the shaky conditions make them nervous, they look at each other and say as a family, “Psalm 91, guys! Psalm 91!”
The information from this story came from Mountain Movers and is used with permission from the Assemblies of God World Missions.
©2002 The General Council of the Assemblies of God. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce and adapt lesson components for exclusive use in the local church. Any other use requires written permission. |
