Prayer answered – the wall - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

For I, says the LORD, will be a wall of fire all around her.
Zechariah 2:5

Prayer answered – the wall
It is winter in Russia. Fiercely, the snowstorm shakes the shutters. Barely anyone dares to venture out onto the street. But this is not just because of the icy cold. Marauding Cossacks roam the land! They raid isolated villages setting fire to the houses. There is no escape! Little Nelja lives with her grandmother in a cottage on the edge of the village. Again and again, she peers into the evening twilight. “Will the Cossacks come to us too?” she asks anxiously. “I hope not,” replies Grandma. “We will pray that God preserves us. But first, let’s read something from the Bible.” Today it’s Zechariah 2. When they reach verse 5 (see today’s verse), they look at each other.

“A wall of fire?” asks Nelja. “Won’t they burn with that?” “No,” explains Grandma, “it means that God will protect them.” Nelja jumps up: “Then the Lord Jesus can also make a wall of fire around us!” – “Yes, He can. I don’t know if it will be a wall of fire – but He can definitely protect us!”

Now they both kneel down, and Nelja prays: “Please, Lord Jesus, make a wall around our house! You know that the Cossacks are coming. Please protect us! Amen.” Then they both go to bed completely reassured.

The next morning, it doesn’t seem to get properly bright, and everything is so quiet around them. What’s going on? Finally, Grandma opens the front door – and, to her amazement, she sees that the whole house is surrounded by a high wall of snow!

Laboriously, she digs her way through the snow. Then she realises that indeed everything is quiet in the village. The Cossacks had come during the night and abducted or killed all the residents – and burned down all the houses! Only the small house buried under the snow remained undiscovered.

Today’s reading: Exodus 10:1-11 · Luke 4:14-30