A thick and dreadful darkness came over me when I shook hands with Satan.

He had a firm grip and his hand was warm. For a moment I looked into his eyes and nodded my head. It was then that my heart began to pound and my breathing became shallow. I let go and began to fall backwards, but his grip remained firm. Just before loosing consciousness I felt my hand jerked from his grip.

When I awoke, I looked down at my hand. I remembered the warmth of Satan’s hand, but what I didn’t realize was the burning, devouring fire in his grip. What my eyes beheld as I saw my hand was hardly a hand at all, but rather a blistering piece of burning flesh.

I turned my head and saw a man. He looked very plain with simple brown hair, and dull brown eyes. He asked me if I was alright and I told him that I wasn’t sure. The truth is, I was terrified, but I didn’t want to admit it. His boring eyes looked concerned. He must have seen something in my face because he said, “Don’t be afraid. It’ll be alright.”

I asked this man who he was, but he didn’t answer. Instead he asked me a question, “Do you want to be healed?”

In that moment I thought that, perhaps, I had met this man before, though I knew not where. He reached out his hand to help me up, but I knew that I could not grip him with the appendage at my wrist. So I gave him my other hand, but he withdrew and said, “Do not be afraid. Do you want to be healed?” I hesitated for a moment. He extended his hand toward me again.

I lifted my arm and as I began to reach I no longer saw burning flesh, but instead a hand, my skin without blemish. I put my hand in his and he lifted me up. As I rose from the ground he was no longer a plain looking man. His face shone with radiance. It was this glowing face that I recognized, for it was those shining hands that had rescued me from Satan.

I stood by His side and He embraced me. His beautiful, caring eyes looked straight into mine and he spoke these words to me:

“I love you. Your faith has made you well. Let us walk together, so that you may sin no more.”