Children’s Story – Even the Winds Obey Him

World War I had just ended, but there was still trouble in many places in Europe. Groups of soldiers were making their way toward their homes, and violence was common.

In a certain village lived a good Christian family who loved God and served Him faithfully. One day, soldiers appeared outside the village. More and more soldiers kept coming until they surrounded the town and were camped all around the countryside. They were placed so that they could shoot anyone who tried to leave the village. They demanded food. They took what they wanted, and then they set fire to the town.

The houses in that village all had thatched straw roofs. The weather had been very dry, and a strong wind was blowing. The whole town was rapidly being burned. The flames grew larger and larger as the wind drove the fire straight toward this Christian family’s house!

“Father, what shall we do?” the mother and the children asked. “Let’s run! Otherwise, we will surely die!”

“If we run out of the house, the soldiers will kill us,” the father answered. “I believe God will protect us, for He has promised never to leave us or to forsake us no matter what may come.”

Then Father and Mother and the children all knelt down and began to pray. As they prayed, the fire came closer and closer. Before long, the house next to theirs began to burn. The fire came within two feet of their roof. But they kept on praying.

Suddenly, they heard a strange sound. They stopped praying and looked out the windows to see what it was. They saw that the wind had changed and was blowing right away from their house. It was blowing so strongly that the fire could not touch them. God had heard their prayers. They were saved!

“I know there is a God in heaven and that He hears the prayers of His children,” the father said. “We are never in danger when the Lord is with us.”

Surely, even the winds obey Him (Matthew 8:27).

Storytime, Character-building Stories for Children, 80, 81.