Almost everyone likes sweet potatoes. However, they have to be grown in a warm climate. In some parts of Africa they grow very well and are a main food, because white potatoes don’t grow well there.
A missionary lady in Africa had an African boy plant and take care of a patch of sweet potatoes for her. It was a pleasant sight to look at the many little potato hills all covered with long, green potato vines.
The missionary was looking forward to a meal of these potatoes baked with wild honey, so she walked over to see if the ground on the little hills was cracked open. That was the way to find out if the potatoes were ready to eat.
Choosing one of the largest hills, she pushed aside the vines. Instead of finding cracked ground, she was terrified to find a puff adder curled around the potato plant! Puff adders are very dangerous, poisonous snakes. Everybody in Africa is afraid of them.
This dangerous snake reminds us of Satan. In the Bible we read, “That old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan” (Revelation 20:2).
We know that the Lord Jesus Christ was tempted in the wilderness by the Devil. Then the Devil again tempted Him three times. Each of the three times Jesus answered by saying, “It is written,” and then quoted a verse of Scripture. After the third time of quoting Scripture, the Devil left.
When we are tempted to do wrong, may we follow the Lord’s example by quoting a verse of Scripture.
What a loving Saviour we have! It was He who protected the missionary from being bitten by the puff adder. She screamed at the top of her voice, “Muroro!” (serpent) when she saw the puff adder. The garden boy heard the cry and came running with a big, long stick and killed the snake. It never frightened or harmed anybody again.
The Lord Jesus is ready at all times to protect and care for all those who put their trust in Him. “Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength” (Isaiah 26:4).
ML-09/07/2003