Close Call

I awoke this morning and suddenly realised what happened yesterday. Looking back, that is actually what should have happened. However, at the time, in the heat of the battle, it did not feel like that. It all started some time ago, when I was looking for something to read, and decided to re-read a very small book entitled “The Jabez Prayer”. At the end of the book there is a challenge, and I took up that challenge.

The Jabez Prayer is in the Bible at 2 Chronicles 4:9-10. The challenge was to say the prayer in a very meaningful way, every morning for 28 days. That length of time will create a habit and you will say it daily after that. There are four parts to the prayer, a request for God’s blessing, a desire to enlarge God’s Kingdom, a request for God’s leading when the job gets too big and to be kept away from harm and evil.

None of the above immediately came to mind when the phone rang yesterday. A voice, in a very strong and difficult accent was urgently giving me information. It was like he did not want me to think, just act on his words. I repeatedly asked questions, such as “How did you get my name and address?” There was no reply. Just the urgency that I was about to lose money out of my account and that they wanted to ensure I did not. Upon request I was told that it was about my Amazon Prime account. (I don’t have an Amazon Prime account.) Eventually I was handed over to the ‘supervisor’ who obviously was more experienced in handling ‘difficult’ clients.

I was asked to open my browser and to type in <www.getjoin.me>. I complied and hit return. Up came a close-up picture of three three people and the texts TECHNICIAN 1 and TECHNICIAN 2. “Click on TECHNICIAN 2,” was the repeated request. There was urgency, enforced by statements like, “We are trying to help you safeguard your money” and “Quickly, click on TECHNICIAN 2”.

All I had done up to this point could not endanger me, but to click on an unknown link, made me feel very uncomfortable. With persistent determination I resisted and told him that I was out of my depth technically and I needed to consult my provider before I went further. After many objections, and giving him permission to call back in half an hour, I hung up and called my provider. He confirmed that it was a scam to get my banking details and to ignore it all. Then I rang Amazon Prime and they confirmed that there wasn’t any account in my name.

The phone did ring again later, but I did not answer it.

And after a night’s sleep I woke up to the realisation that my daily prayer had been so clearly answered. “Lord keep me away from HARM and EVIL.” This is another example of how knowing God’s Word is so important. It will influence what we do every moment of every day. That is actually what it tells us in Ps 119;105 “Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

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