Encounters with God can be for different reasons. In another recent blog, I wrote about a warning. This time I would like to share about confirmation.
When I first became a Christian, and by this, I mean asking God to be Savior and Lord of my life, I had many faith questions. (I still do.) Christians throw big “spiritual” words around and “sovereignty” was one of them that one had me flummoxed. I’ve used my writing to ask God for His answer and was working on The Scarlet Thread at the time. Is He really in multiple places at the same time, talking to millions of people, overseeing the universe and all that entails? How is it possible? Is there a limit? Does God get too busy to hear or act? Sometimes it seems that way.
And then one night, God answered. He woke me up at 3:00 a.m. and gave me a strong sense of urgency: Pray for Rick.
Rick had been traveling around the east coast on business. He was due into SFO at midnight. and then would drive up to Northern California to meet with friends for a short fishing retreat. I had talked with him that day, and all was well, plans still on.
And then that jolting wake-up call. I obeyed. I prayed.
The next morning, I called Peggy, the wife of one of Rick’s fishing buddies, and asked if she’d heard from her husband. She said no and asked why I was asking. I said I’d “awakened in the night” and she interrupted and said, “At 3:00 a.m.?” That gave me chills. She’s a strong Christian. I’ve never had a conversation with her that Jesus didn’t enter in. She had also awakened at the same time with the same message: Pray for Rick. And she had. She then said, calm as you please, “It will be interesting to find out what happened at 3:00 a.m.” I was hoping it wasn’t bad news!
Rick called later that day and I asked. He had fallen asleep at the wheel and driven partway off the road, undoubtedly going fast enough that he wouldn’t have survived a crash. What time? 3:00 a.m. That gave me chills again. And that clarified “sovereignty” for me. God woke me up. He woke up Peggy. And He knew exactly where Rick was and what was happening. He could have saved Rick without me ever knowing what happened that night, but He included me so that I’d get the message. I’m with you. I’m with Peggy. I’m with Rick. I’m sovereign. Get it?
Oh, yeah! Big time!
This experience may seem small to some, but for me it was HUGE. It was from the Lord, and it was personal. Don’t worry. You’re in good hands. (And I do not mean Allstate.)