When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them,
“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at
her.” John 8:7
“Get dressed and come along, we have a traitor we are going to necklace. We
have a tire, a bottle of petrol and matches.” The group of angry youths at the
door did not even give their South African youth leader, Julia, a chance to
protest.
Julia’s parents were Christians who tried to raise her in the ways of the
Lord. She rebelled at an early age and mixed with bad friends, abused drink and
drugs, and married a man who deserted her. As a single parent she did her utmost
to find a job, but work and food was scarce.
Julia joined a political party and participated in every gathering in her
neighborhood. Violence, she thought, is the only solution to the country’s and
her own problems. She was soon chosen as leader of a large group of young people
who made their presence known in the streets.
Nevertheless, Julia’s problems were not solved. Every day was one long
struggle to keep body and soul together, to find employment and to care for her
child. One day, things became too much. She realized that no person could help.
“Lord,” she prayed in the dark, “if You truly are there, as my parents maintain
You are, You must help me now.”
The Lord answered her prayer. He laid His hand on this young woman and
changed her life. She would never again be alone without her Heavenly Father who
cares for her by her side. After her repentance she spent much time pondering
and praying about her political aspirations and how she would handle her youth
group.
That morning with the youths at her door, Julia got dressed and accompanied
them to the man they wanted to execute by necklacing. Julia says, “I did not say
anything. All that I could do was to pray and ask the Lord, ‘What must I do
now?’
“Fortunately it wasn’t long before I got an answer from the Lord. I scraped
all my courage together, looked at my comrades and said, ‘If there is one of you
who has never made a mistake, who is not a “sell-out,” let him fasten the tire
around the man’s neck, let him set it alight.’
“Not a single one of the young people had an answer. One by one they silently
parted and left me with the man who was to have been executed. I asked him to
help me to carry away the tire and the rest of the things. I never saw him
again.
“I must admit, I was quite afraid that the young people would return to burn
down my house. However, God is great and wonderful because nothing happened. I
am still their leader.”
RESPONSE: Today I will be bold to live like Jesus when facing difficult
situations.
PRAYER: Pray for young people caught in Satan’s lie that violence is the
solution to their problems.