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Stephen's Slippery Walk
When Ruth saw the muddy footprints on the floor, she was upset. Surely there is another explanation, she thought.
Ruth was busy cleaning, packing, and sorting her family's belongings. After more than four years of working as missionaries with International Media Ministries, her family was preparing to return to the United States for a year of ministry. They planned to store most of their belongings, but choosing what to take with them was a big job.
A friend came to help Ruth, and they went to the attic to pack away some dishes. The friend had brought her son to play with Ruth's son Stephen while they worked. Both boys were three years old.
The dusty, empty boxes in the attic were very enticing to the two boys, and they played beside the women for awhile. When they grew bored, Ruth sent them out to play in the backyard.
A few minutes later, Ruth and her friend heard the boys' voices and realized that they were not outside. Instead they were in the guest bedroom next to the attic.
Ruth glanced into the bedroom. That's when she saw two sets of muddy footprints. They trailed across the windowsill, down onto the bed near the window, and onto the carpet where they eventually faded away.
Ruth was upset-not because of the mud and the mess, but because of how the footprints got there. She could think of only one way, and it frightened her.
Ruth's house is four stories tall and very narrow. An outside wall connects houses on either side. Screens are not used on the windows.
When Ruth questioned the boys, Stephen and his friend told her that they were pretending to be brave. They climbed out of the window and onto the ledge of the house, four stories from the ground. They walked to the neighbors' houses, watched a car drive by, and then came back inside.
Their dirty footprints were caused by spring rains, which had left slippery mud along the ledge and gutters. Ruth knew the boys easily could have fallen and been killed or seriously injured. Only God could have kept those two wiggling, squirmy, sometimes unsteady three-year-olds on that roof ledge without sliding off.
Later that week, Ruth's sister called her from Florida. As she talked, she mentioned that Helen, a friend who attends her church, wanted them to know that she had been praying for them that week. Ruth immediately thought of Stephen and his friend and their walk across the roof. God had answered Helen's prayers and provided His angels to guard the boys and keep them safe.
Ruth is so glad God impressed Helen to pray for them at a time when they desperately needed His help. She is also glad that Helen was willing to obey God's prompting. Where would we be without the prayers of God's people?
The information for this story was supplied and is being used with permission from the Assemblies of God World Missions.
Jeff and Ruth Cameron served as Assemblies of God missionaries with International Media Ministries in Brussels, Belgium, for ten years. ©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.
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