In a city and province of Eastern Europe, the battle line swayed back and forth six times during the war. For months our people were in great peril, yet ever the Lord cared for them. But one day the soldiers of the revolutionists captured the city, and they declared that some of the wealthy men, as well as some of the intellectual leaders, should be killed. They made out a list of one hundred men who were to be shot. Our minister in that city was the fifth on the list. Word was sent to him by some friends who had seen the list, that he was sentenced to die. His wife, children, and others counseled him to flee, but he decided that he ought to stay.

Some days later, he and his family saw the soldiers coming across and empty space toward his house. They carried the list in their hands as they went from place to place to shoot the citizens who were to die.

The children were frightened, and begged their father to flee; but he gathered his little family by the window and knelt down and began to pray. They saw the group of soldiers coming closer and closer; but they kept on praying. Suddenly a gust of wind tore the paper out of the hand of the soldier carrying the death list. The men hurried after it, but it seemed to be whirled away, and they could not find it. They stood for a while counseling in front of the brother’s house, wondering what to do. Then they left, and did not return.

By L. H. Christian, Signs of the Times, January 15, 1924. With permission from Dale Galusha dalgal@pacificpress.com