When we turn on our televisions or smart phones we are bombarded with news that brings us down. Where are all the good stories? They’re still there. Here’s one that we hope will bless you.

A pastor’s quick thinking may have saved many lives in his church when several men with guns entered the building during the service earlier this month.

Pastor Marquaello Futrell of All Creation Northview Holiness Family Church in Ferguson, Missouri, noticed several men enter the sanctuary with guns in their waistbands. “We believe that they were intending to rob us, do some harm,” he told The Ingram Angle. “We believe God is the greatest power. We cannot be defeated, so I had those instincts. I engaged them and we prayed for them, and they knew that they were being recorded.”

“Who sent you?” Futrell asked the men. “Can I pray for you?” he asked each one. Then he, along with some of the congregants, prayed for the men. One of the congregants slipped out and called 911.

Futrell, a former police officer, said the Holy Spirit helped him. “A lot of people really didn’t know what was going on. Many did and we had our children’s ministry on lockdown. Many of the congregants were just thankful that I was able to navigate them through that process with the help of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost.”

As it turns out, the men had committed a robbery at a convenience store only hours before. 

Watch:

Nancy Flory, Ph.D., is a senior editor at The Stream. You can follow her @NancyFlory3, and follow The Stream @Streamdotorg.