SAVED
BY A STORM

Topics: Boldness; Deliverance; Experiencing God; Help from God; Martyrdom; Persecution; Protection

References: Psalm 135:7; Jeremiah 10:13; 51:16; Mark 4:41; Acts 5:27–32; 16:22–34

While working with Christian youth in the southern part of Ethiopia under Communist rule (1974–91), Aberra Wata almost lost his life. He told the following story to fellow missionary John Cumbers:

Word came from the commandant that the Party leaders had studied my report about the work among the Christian young people. The authorities decided I had to be executed because of my “treasonous” words. “The only way you can overturn this sentence,” said the commandant, “is for you to deny that you are one of the believers.”

I told the commandant, “If they execute me, I will be immediately with the Lord.”

The commandant replied, “That’s what I expected you to say.”

As I awaited execution in prison, my Savior gave me songs to sing I had never heard before. He turned me into a composer. [My fellow prisoners and I] reveled in the joys of praise to our God. The guards tried to silence us, but with the threat of execution hanging over us, why should we keep quiet? Seven men came to Christ in that prison, and we all sang together.

One guard took delight in mocking us. He would put filthy words to the tunes we sang. One night he patted his revolver and promised, “Tomorrow morning you won’t be in the land of the living.”

Just after midnight, a tremendous storm burst above us. Huge hailstones fell, wrecking several roofs, including the one where the insulting guard was sleeping. He was terrified, pulled out his revolver, and shot at random into the darkness, using up all his bullets. The storm took roofs off the commandant’s house and the offices of the chief judge, the administrator, and his deputy. The prisoners in cells three, four, and five got a soaking from the rain too. We were in cell one and stayed dry.

At 9:00 the next morning, the nasty guard was pushed into our cell by the commandant, who was whipping him with his belt. Other people in the background were yelling, “We told this man to leave the believers alone, but he refused, and so God has sent this terrible punishment on the town and prison. He deserves to be given some of his own medicine.”

After the guard was finally released, he told us, “I know that the Lord was with you. I know the way I should have treated you, but Satan persuaded me otherwise. Please forgive me.” We did, and several more men in the prison came to Christ.

—John Cumbers, SIM missionary in Ethiopia