In a land far away lived a man named Paul. He loved Jesus very much and told many people about Him. But not all people liked what Paul said. Some were even very angry with him and wanted to do him harm.
One day, Paul found himself in the city of Damascus. There he told the people the good news of Jesus. More and more people heard him and believed in Jesus. But some people who didn’t like Paul’s message hatched a plan to catch him and do him harm.
Paul learned of their plan, and Paul’s friends were very anxious for him. They thought about how they could get him to safety. Paul’s enemies had posted guards everywhere so that he could not get away. They kept the city gates tightly closed and guarded them day and night.
But Paul’s friends had a great idea! They took a large basket strong enough to carry Paul. On a still, dark night, when the stars twinkled in the sky, they helped Paul into this basket.
Carefully they let Paul down the city wall in the basket on a rope. Very quietly they helped him so that no one could hear or see it. That was very courageous of them, and Paul trusted them and of course God that everything would go well.
When Paul finally reached the bottom safely, he was very happy. He was able to move on from there to tell more people about Jesus’ love. His friends had helped him, and God had protected him.
Message of history
God always finds a way to protect and care for us, even when life is sometimes difficult. If we trust in Him and look out for each other, He will help us through every challenge.
Bible passage
The story of how Paul is saved in a basket over the city wall is found in Acts 9:23-25.
Acts 9:23-25 (Schlachter 2000): “But when many days had passed, the Jews decided together to kill him. But their plot became known to Saul. And they guarded the gates both by day and by night to kill him. So the disciples took him by night and let him down the wall in a basket.”
