Almost everyone likes sweet potatoes. However, they have to be grown in a warm climate. In 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 pleasant to look at the many little potato hills all covered with long, green potato vines.
The missionary was looking forward to eating these potatoes baked with wild honey, so she walked over to see if the soil 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 soil, she was terrified to find a puff adder curled around the potato plant! Puff adders are very dangerous, poisonous snakes.
We know that the Lord Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by the devil for forty days. At the end of that time, the devil tempted Him three final times. Each of the three times, Jesus answered by saying, “It is written,” and then He repeated a verse of Scripture. After the third time of repeating Scripture, the devil left. When we are tempted to do wrong, we should follow the Lord’s example by repeating 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 place their trust in Him. “Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength” (Isaiah 26:44Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: (Isaiah 26:4)).
ML-05/13/2012