The Haunted Mine

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8, NASB.

A man named Harry*, and his wife, sat out in front of their home sipping tea under a lazy shade tree when a stranger stopped by and started asking questions about their community. Harry seemed to be immediately taken with this stranger who happened to be a Christian businessman from a neighboring city. His wife prepared more tea, and he invited the man to join them.

Harry was proud of his town, and he enjoyed sharing the story of how the community was built originally by a mining company and later rebuilt in a government project. After the tea was finished Harry said, “If you have time, why don’t you let me take you out to the old mine so you can see it?”

After briefly sharing about his Muslim faith he explained that religion is not the main issue. “If you have a clean heart with God, then it doesn’t matter what your religion may be,” said Harry. It took about fifteen minutes to drive to the mine, and Harry kept up a happy monologue the entire way.

When the two arrived at the mine, a vista opened with what looked like a crater lake of emerald. Harry explained that the mine was originally controlled by the British during their colonial rule, but when they had to pull out during World War II they dug the crater and filled it in with water to make all the mining equipment left behind unusable. The lake was unsafe to swim in, and nothing was growing in it.

It was beautiful to look at, and the businessman commented that it must be a popular and romantic place for young people to come at night. Harry laughed, and said, “People are afraid to come here at night. They believe the old mine is haunted by ghosts from the old mines.”

He went on to explain that the spirit world could be seen by those who are pure in heart. The businessman thought about asking Harry if he could see the spirits, but then thought better of it. If he couldn’t see ghosts, that would only reveal that he had an unclean heart!

*Names changed for security reasons.

Pray that:

Harry would be convicted of his own sin and find the way to have a truly clean heart before God by faith in Jesus.

Harry and his people would come to realize that in Jesus Christ there is no longer need to fear the spirits.

Harry’s community would experience a touch from God to open many hearts to receive the Gospel.

Pacific Rim is a region of the International Mission Boards, SBC.