Enjoy this heartwarming story of the power of God's Word to change a life:

In the days of Napoleon, a sheriff from the Silesian mountains named Grimez arrested a notorious gang of robbers and put them into prison. Only their leader escaped.

One evening, when Grimez didn’t return home at his usual time, his anxious wife brought out the Bible for family worship and read Psalm 71 aloud.

“In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust…Be Thou my strong habitation…Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.” Psalm 71:1, 3, 4.

Then kneeling, she prayed for God’s protection, for the needy, and for the robber whom they feared, that God would have mercy upon him and turn him from his evil ways.

Grimez came home before they retired. Upon hearing of their anxiety and prayer, he smiled, dismissing their prayers as foolishness. He trusted his guns and dogs for security. He locked the windows and then all went to sleep.

Coming down from the sleeping room the next morning, they found an open window. The Bible was missing from the table, and in its place was a great, sharp knife.

Soon after, the French warred against the Prussians, and Grimez, wounded in battle, was left for dead. A man fishing nearby heard his groans and rowed to land. Finding him, he took him to his cottage, where his wife tenderly cared for him. Then he arranged for the man’s wife to come.

A Change of Heart

On his sickbed, Grimez thought of how, twice, God had protected and saved him. He prayed earnestly and became a Christian.

When he tried to pay the fisherman for his kindness, he would accept nothing, claiming that he wished to return a treasure. From a closet, he brought out a Bible. Grimez’s wife instantly recognized it as the Bible that was stolen on that unforgettable night.

“I see you do not recognize me,” the fisherman said. “I am the leader of the gang whose members you imprisoned. Bent on revenge, I sneaked into your house one evening and lay behind the high-backed sofa of your sitting room, intending to murder your whole family in your sleep. I was obliged to hear your wife read Psalm 71 and pray. As if an unseen hand was laid upon me to keep me from accomplishing my mission, all my desire was turned to getting that wonderful book and reading it.”

“That Bible became my companion which led me through a most wonderful transformation. I began a new life as a fisherman. We have all we need for this world, and are blessed with hope for the next. All this I owe to the Bible I found in your house that evening.”

by W. A. Spicer

If you enjoyed this story, obtain your copy of "Can We Trust the Bible?" which will provide you with even more evidence in favor of the Bible's authenticity. Also subscribe to Last Generation to read more powerful testimonies in our bi-monthly magazines.