Experiential

Back when I was a wee-snapper of a Christian, I used to visit local Bible studies, mostly college age in attendance.  Nothing unusual there.  Most of the groups were borderline Charismatic in their faith.  Nothing unusual there either.  However, I am not a Charismatic by any sense of the word.  I find it quaint that there are those whom are - but my faith has always been based on my Bible and meditation.  Emotional outbursts and experiences I give very little credence to.....

Oh make no mistake, I fully and completely believe in the existence of the Holy Spirit and its ministry both in our lives and through us to one another.  However, through the years I have seen far to many train wrecks caused by youthful exuberance of those experiencing the Holy Spirit.  In fact, it seems it is often hard for those being used by the Holy Spirit to actually control themselves.

Solid, staunch men of Christ I have known, have pulled some of the dumbest blunders I have ever seen - and reaped some of the most incredible miracles because of it!  Imagine a crippled man whom suddenly gets the bright idea that he needed to drive quite some distance, by himself, because God told him to.  He had been a severe stroke victim and really had to be supervised just to go to the grocery store.  But, he believed God, not his physical limitations.  The family had the police looking for him when he turned up missing!

Oh did I mention that he also had to travel through several different countries to do this?  Yeah an impossibility.  Yet, he bought a VW van, made his trip, arrived at his destination and then sat there.  He had no idea why he was there, but he was, and now he was doubting his sanity.

In the course of dinner, he met an odd family.  They knew him, but he pretty much was sure he had never met them before.  They knew he was to take them to freedom.  Their bags were packed, they were ready to go, oh - and by the way, the police and army were hunting them!  So, wanted posters out on them, no passports, their id papers had already been seized.  Yeah.

So, they piled into the van and headed for the border using back roads to avoid all of the police and the officials.  They became incredibly lost, got stuck in the mud and buried their axle.  And along comes a column of tanks.

Yeah, the officer was very interested in them.  Here was a foreign vehicle, in an area used by smugglers, being driven by a man obvious handicapped by a stroke!  Then it started raining, heavily.  The van was blocking the road, the tanks needed to get by.  The officer could not even have a conversation with the stroke victim.  And then as the situation became tense, the lightening hit.

Now I do not know if you have ever taken a lightening hit or not, it is not pleasant.  I came close one time - it missed me by just under a foot and that was still enough power to just about smoke my climbing boots, fry my hair and throw me a good eight feet!  It is very real and very powerful.

Our hero of this tale however was thrown about thirty feet!  The army aid unit rushed up to help the stranger and their officer.  Only neither was harmed!  In fact the stranger was now completely healed of his paralysis and suddenly could speak their language!  The officer was not dumb, he knew he was facing something far more powerful than himself.  He was facing that non-existent God he had heard about.  He ordered one of the tanks to pull the van out of the mud and tow it the short distance over the border.

Apparently, the whole issue of this hunted family sitting in this van the entire time never came up!  Yeah, they were Christians, the father a pastor whom had refused to be silent.  And God worked a miracle to move them out of harms way.  I heard this tale from one of the kids.

Now, how do you deal with something like this in your daily life?  Sure we credit God with the ability to do anything He wants, just as long as it is what we expect.  But, what happens when He begins working in unexpected ways in our lives?  Our handicapped stranger really was only obedient and desiring to be used.  And used he was in a tremendous way!  The Christian pastor only had faith that God would help them to escape and spare their lives.  And God did do just that!  Both had to step out in faith to do the unexpected!  And because of this, God worked a few miracles!

Yeah, not necessarily a Bible quality tale, but a true on none the less.  And I can find examples in my Bible of God managing to do even greater things than this.  Then looking in my own life and seeing the miracles across the past months, incredible!  And last night having a daughter lovingly look me in my eyes and tell me she never could have imagined ... this change going on inside of her.

Wow!  What an incredible God - using "foolish" men to perform His deeds.....