About three or four weeks ago, I had my last [to date - I trust there will be more!] experience in moving in a word of knowledge.
It was in one of our Sunday-morning meetings again. I got a similar stirring as the previous two times - and this time I recognised it for what it was! So I was pretty confident that I had heard from God. What I sensed was that someone had a pain in their throat and down the sides of their neck. I could almost feel the pain, and it felt like when you have a sore throat and swollen glands.
While I was waiting for an opportune moment to share the word, I looked around the room. I couldn't help but wonder who it was. I saw some of the ladies with scarves round their necks, and someone else blowing into a hanky. Maybe it was one of these that the Lord wanted to heal. I also wondered why God would chose to heal a virus that is usually short-lived anyway - but I figured that it was to show us that he wanted us to live in perfect health and that nothing is too big or small for him.
The opportunity came, as it did the previous times, when the preacher had finished his message and there was a time of ministry. I went forward and shared that there was someone with a pain in their throat and sides of their neck, and even though it was caused by a virus that would go away in due course, God wanted to heal them now to demonstrate his abundant goodness and grace.
I waited at the front, during the whole ministry time. [Prayed for someone else then went back to waiting for the person to come forward.] The ministry time ended; the meeting concluded, but still no one came. Now I wasn't phased by this - I was still confident I had heard God, and I knew that people can be reluctant to come forward, especially if they are visitors, when everyone is watching. So I stayed my ground, and hung around at the front.
Sure enough, as soon as people started getting out of their chairs and milling around, a young girl, one of the visiting students that morning, made a path straight towards me. She explained that it wasn't caused by a virus, but she had the same pain in her throat and sides of her neck that I had described, but caused by strain. I prayed for her, and asked if the pain had gone. She said, "Yes, it's better."
Now this may not seem like a dramatic healing. And I don't have any follow up information like with the other two cases to confirm that a lasting healing took place, but I'm confident that God did a work. And again, what really struck me, is that he did it. I messed up! I confused and muddled up what God had told me with what I deduced must be the case as a result. I got the bit about the virus completely wrong... yet God still moved. Despite my failings and my mistakes, he still spoke and he still healed. Thank you, Jesus. He is so full of grace.
Some people are of the opinion that to move in the Holy Spirit you have to be 100% right 100% of the time. Some may be of the opinion that this makes me a false prophet who should have been dragged out of the room and stoned for daring to speak presumptuous words on behalf of the Lord. Some may see this as further evidence that modern day manifestations are not up to the apostolic standard in the New Testament.
But do you know what? When I read the New Testament, I've noticed something: the apostles got it wrong all the time! In fact the apostle who seemed to make the most mistakes (Peter) also seemed to be the one who was most used by God in the supernatural. What it shows to me is this: God is bigger than our mistakes! If you want to step out in the Holy Spirit you have to be prepared to make mistakes and to look foolish. God is not concerned with our reputation but with his. The gifts of the Spirit are there to make him look good not us. They are there to prove what a gracious heavenly father we have, not to demonstrate how accurately we can hear God.
I made a decision some time ago, that I would rather get it wrong and look foolish than to miss an opportunity to see God move in power. What this event showed me is that, in the abundant grace of God, getting it wrong an seeing God move are not incompatible!
Showing posts with label testimonies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label testimonies. Show all posts
10.10.08
God speaks; God heals - part 2
A few months after the events of my previous post, and a few months ago, I took another baby-step in the gift of the word of knowledge.
It was in another Sunday-morning meeting. During the time of worship I got an impression that someone had a pain in their back. You would have thought after the previous incident I would have had more faith to move in this gift and more confidence in recognising it - but I have to confess, I struggled again. I thought back pain has got to be one of the most common complaints. It's likely someone in the room has some kind of back pain just by statistics! People will think I'm just making it up... maybe I am making it up.
Then I felt a pain in my back, right at the base of the spine. Not general back pain, but a very specific and localised pain. I still struggled: on the one hand maybe this was God telling me the specifics of the person's pain, but on the other hand maybe I just thought someone else had back-pain when really it was just my own pain. I wasn't sure enough to step out during the time of worship, so again I did nothing.
Then the preacher began his message. He spoke about how you have to take risks if you want to step out in the supernatural, and he finished with the story of Peter and John and the beggar who was healed. The exact same scriptures that had convinced me to step out in the word of knowledge the fist time! [God is so gracious!] I must be better at hearing God though the preached word, because I finally got the message!
So after the preacher finished, I stood up and shared that there was someone in the room with a back pain at the base of their spine, and that I believed God wanted to heal them. I waited around at the front of the meeting, but no one came forward. But afterwards, as I made my way to the back of the hall to get a much-needed coffee I saw one of the visitors trying to catch my eye. I walked over to him and discovered that he was the father of one of the students attending our congregation. He told me that he thought he might be the one I was talking about as he had a back pain in exactly the place I had described.
I prayed for him. I can't remember what I prayed, but I remember I wasn't too impressed with myself. I thought, come on Chris, you can pray better than that! I was just about to offer to pray for him again, when he arched his back, rotated his arms and said, "I think... yes... the pain is gone!" I was taken aback! [Keri recently shared on the importance of having faith during a miracle, not just before - that men can give away thier lack of faith by how they respond when God actually does what they asked of him! I think this was one of those moments!]
This happened just before the students left for their summer holiday. This student and his father were from the Netherlands. He returned about three months later, and told me that his father had been trying to get hold of my email address. Apparently he used to suffer a lot with that back pain, but for the past three months he had been completely free of pain!
Thank you, Jesus! God is so good.
Again, I could have so easily missed this opportunity. Again, it showed me that it had nothing to do with me. It wasn't my faith that healed him - the way I reacted showed I had very little! Jesus healed this man out of the abundance of his grace and by his mighty power. The gifts of the Spirit are just that - gifts - we don't earn them, we don't deserve them, they don't communicate how spiritual the one who uses them is - they are unmerited expressions of the grace of God poured out on his church. We just need to learn to use them!
It was in another Sunday-morning meeting. During the time of worship I got an impression that someone had a pain in their back. You would have thought after the previous incident I would have had more faith to move in this gift and more confidence in recognising it - but I have to confess, I struggled again. I thought back pain has got to be one of the most common complaints. It's likely someone in the room has some kind of back pain just by statistics! People will think I'm just making it up... maybe I am making it up.
Then I felt a pain in my back, right at the base of the spine. Not general back pain, but a very specific and localised pain. I still struggled: on the one hand maybe this was God telling me the specifics of the person's pain, but on the other hand maybe I just thought someone else had back-pain when really it was just my own pain. I wasn't sure enough to step out during the time of worship, so again I did nothing.
Then the preacher began his message. He spoke about how you have to take risks if you want to step out in the supernatural, and he finished with the story of Peter and John and the beggar who was healed. The exact same scriptures that had convinced me to step out in the word of knowledge the fist time! [God is so gracious!] I must be better at hearing God though the preached word, because I finally got the message!
So after the preacher finished, I stood up and shared that there was someone in the room with a back pain at the base of their spine, and that I believed God wanted to heal them. I waited around at the front of the meeting, but no one came forward. But afterwards, as I made my way to the back of the hall to get a much-needed coffee I saw one of the visitors trying to catch my eye. I walked over to him and discovered that he was the father of one of the students attending our congregation. He told me that he thought he might be the one I was talking about as he had a back pain in exactly the place I had described.
I prayed for him. I can't remember what I prayed, but I remember I wasn't too impressed with myself. I thought, come on Chris, you can pray better than that! I was just about to offer to pray for him again, when he arched his back, rotated his arms and said, "I think... yes... the pain is gone!" I was taken aback! [Keri recently shared on the importance of having faith during a miracle, not just before - that men can give away thier lack of faith by how they respond when God actually does what they asked of him! I think this was one of those moments!]
This happened just before the students left for their summer holiday. This student and his father were from the Netherlands. He returned about three months later, and told me that his father had been trying to get hold of my email address. Apparently he used to suffer a lot with that back pain, but for the past three months he had been completely free of pain!
Thank you, Jesus! God is so good.
Again, I could have so easily missed this opportunity. Again, it showed me that it had nothing to do with me. It wasn't my faith that healed him - the way I reacted showed I had very little! Jesus healed this man out of the abundance of his grace and by his mighty power. The gifts of the Spirit are just that - gifts - we don't earn them, we don't deserve them, they don't communicate how spiritual the one who uses them is - they are unmerited expressions of the grace of God poured out on his church. We just need to learn to use them!
9.10.08
God speaks; God heals
I want to write this post to give Jesus thanks and honour for his faithfulness and goodness. He still speaks and he still heals. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. The things we read about him doing in the gospels are the same things he longs to do today through his people if they will obey the promptings of his Spirit.
Recently I have taken my first few baby-steps in the word of knowledge. This is a gift of the Spirit where God reveals a piece of information (knowledge) about a person or situation. Good examples of this gift would be where Jesus says to Nathaniel that he saw him under the tree, or when he tells the Samarian woman about her marital history. In both cases a little piece of knowledge has a dramatic impact.
Now, I had tried to move in this gift before. I remember a prayer meeting where I got a strong impression that the name "Tom" was significant. I shared it, but as far as I'm aware, to this day, there was no significance. No one had a friend or colleague called Tom; no one met a Tom; no Tom turned up to our meetings; nothing. I guess I got it wrong!
So you can imagine my reluctance when during a Sunday-morning meeting I got the same kind of impression about someone who had pain in their joints. I thought, I've had this kind of impression before and it was wrong, so it's likely to be wrong again. So I did nothing. However as the meeting went on, the preacher was talking about how God wanted to heal. He spoke about Peter and John who had no money to offer, but had something better to give, and Jesus brought a complete healing to the beggar through their obedience. At this point I felt a nudge in my spirit; I had forgotten my cheque book that morning, so had not been able to give my normal offering - so silver or gold I did not have, but I did have something, and as unsure about it as I was, I knew I needed to share it.
So sure enough, the preacher gave a call forward for those who were sick to be prayed for, and I knew that was the moment. As soon as I stepped forward to bring the word I felt a confidence that I had not felt before. [Isn't that often the way? I believe the hardest part of moving in a gift of the Spirit is the decision to get out of your chair!] What's more, I got more information. It was a pain the the elbows and wrists and the person who had it had had it for a long time and just got used to it. I believed that God wanted to confirm the word of the preacher by bringing a complete healing.
So I shared this word and joined the preacher and some others in praying for those who came forward. As I came to one man, a visitor that Sunday, I asked him what I could pray for. He said that since I had shared his joints felt like they were on fire, and that he had had a long standing condition in his elbows and wrists that gave him a low level of pain that he had just got used to. I was astonished and thrilled! I prayed for him, and straight away he said that the symptoms had cleared. This man has a manual job, so he said the real test would be when he went back to work. He came back again the next Sunday, and his first words to me were: "I'm healed!"
Thank you, Jesus! It was all of him and nothing of me. He used me despite my doubts and reluctance and brought relief from suffering to one of his precious children.
I have two other examples that I want to give thanks for, but I'll share them in separate posts.
Recently I have taken my first few baby-steps in the word of knowledge. This is a gift of the Spirit where God reveals a piece of information (knowledge) about a person or situation. Good examples of this gift would be where Jesus says to Nathaniel that he saw him under the tree, or when he tells the Samarian woman about her marital history. In both cases a little piece of knowledge has a dramatic impact.
Now, I had tried to move in this gift before. I remember a prayer meeting where I got a strong impression that the name "Tom" was significant. I shared it, but as far as I'm aware, to this day, there was no significance. No one had a friend or colleague called Tom; no one met a Tom; no Tom turned up to our meetings; nothing. I guess I got it wrong!
So you can imagine my reluctance when during a Sunday-morning meeting I got the same kind of impression about someone who had pain in their joints. I thought, I've had this kind of impression before and it was wrong, so it's likely to be wrong again. So I did nothing. However as the meeting went on, the preacher was talking about how God wanted to heal. He spoke about Peter and John who had no money to offer, but had something better to give, and Jesus brought a complete healing to the beggar through their obedience. At this point I felt a nudge in my spirit; I had forgotten my cheque book that morning, so had not been able to give my normal offering - so silver or gold I did not have, but I did have something, and as unsure about it as I was, I knew I needed to share it.
So sure enough, the preacher gave a call forward for those who were sick to be prayed for, and I knew that was the moment. As soon as I stepped forward to bring the word I felt a confidence that I had not felt before. [Isn't that often the way? I believe the hardest part of moving in a gift of the Spirit is the decision to get out of your chair!] What's more, I got more information. It was a pain the the elbows and wrists and the person who had it had had it for a long time and just got used to it. I believed that God wanted to confirm the word of the preacher by bringing a complete healing.
So I shared this word and joined the preacher and some others in praying for those who came forward. As I came to one man, a visitor that Sunday, I asked him what I could pray for. He said that since I had shared his joints felt like they were on fire, and that he had had a long standing condition in his elbows and wrists that gave him a low level of pain that he had just got used to. I was astonished and thrilled! I prayed for him, and straight away he said that the symptoms had cleared. This man has a manual job, so he said the real test would be when he went back to work. He came back again the next Sunday, and his first words to me were: "I'm healed!"
Thank you, Jesus! It was all of him and nothing of me. He used me despite my doubts and reluctance and brought relief from suffering to one of his precious children.
I have two other examples that I want to give thanks for, but I'll share them in separate posts.
29.1.07
The revelation and the appointed time
For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end - it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. (Habakkuk 2:3 ESV)
Richard Gamble gave a great word at our congregation in Coventry, yesterday. He spoke on the life of Joseph and how he was tested in prison by the word of God he had received that said he would rule (something I have written on myself - see categories: meditations/joseph). For Joseph, like Habakkuk, the revelation of God's word, and the appointed time of its fulfilling were far from immediate. Joseph had to persevere in faith and not give up in order to see the fulfilment of God's word over his life.
One of the things Richard shared on, in a moving way, was his own struggle with sickness, and claiming the promises in the Bible for healing. This is an area where I too have a testimony of perseverance and God's faithfulness - a testimony that is long overdue being shared...
When I was 15 year old, 4 years after I became a Christian, I was diagnosed with an incurable disease: Crohn's disease. It is an inflammatory condition of the bowels. I was told that I would always suffer with this condition - a statement I refused to accept. You can call it denial, you can call it foolishness... I call it faith. For over ten years I did suffer with this condition, on occasions very acutely.
I was prescribed drugs that for a while prevented the progression of the disease. These drugs have well documented side effects - side effects I never developed.
However, after years of living my life as normal, and refusing to give any ground to this disease I didn't have to, it seemed for a while as if it got the upper hand over me.
In 1995, while I was in America on business, I developed acute gut pain. No prayer or medicine could shift it. On my return I was admitted to hospital, and a scan revealed that my bowel was now almost totally obstructed. The nurses were incredulous, that someone who on paper was so seriously sick had walked into hospital under their own steam. Never the less, I was seriously ill, and I required a week on a liquid diet just to build my strength and weight up to the point where it was safe to operate.
I praise God for the surgeon who operated on me. A man of great skill. All good things, and means of healing come from the Lord. In the operation I lost half a meter of my small intestine, but all the disease was removed from my body, and no more was removed than was necessary.
I made a good, but slow recovery. I'll spare you the horror stories from that time. But like Joseph, I knew a low ebb, where the word of God tested me. Yet I clung to my faith in the goodness and healing power of the Lord I serve.
Because of the part of my bowel that was removed, I was told that I would need injections of vitamin B12 for the rest of my life. A statement that I also rejected in faith; although I don't believe that it is wise to refuse medication unless one has a specific and clear word from God, so I took these injections every month for a year.
In 1996 I went to Bible College, almost completely restored to health, but still taking the injections. At the induction I fully intended to ask the Principal, one Roger Aubrey, where the local doctors was so I could continue to receive these injections, but it was on this day that I received a word of faith that released me from these injections.
Roger simply said: "The details of the local GP is on this sheet, but I'm in faith that none of you this year will need it." To me that was not just an off-hand remark, but a word of faith that found a deep resonance in my own spirit.
That was the last time I had a B12 injection... over 10 years ago! When I applied for life-insurance with a new mortgage a couple of years ago, the medical questionnaire flagged up that I had had Crohns. They were incredulous that I no longer needed any medication and wrote to my GP (who I had not had any need to visit for any reason for over 5 years). He sent me off for a B12 test which came back without any abnormality.
I can honestly say, that I am healthier now that I have ever been. I do more than fifty press-ups every morning, and swim half a mile most weeks. A far cry from that pale emaciated figure in 1995 lying in the hospital bed with tubes stuck in him from every angle. Yet that pale man had something that no illness can take away - faith. Faith that God is good in every situation and is always faithful to his word, no matter how bleak the circumstances.
Praise God for his faithfulness to his word. God's word will always be fulfilled. Though it lingers wait for it. It will certainly come.
Richard Gamble gave a great word at our congregation in Coventry, yesterday. He spoke on the life of Joseph and how he was tested in prison by the word of God he had received that said he would rule (something I have written on myself - see categories: meditations/joseph). For Joseph, like Habakkuk, the revelation of God's word, and the appointed time of its fulfilling were far from immediate. Joseph had to persevere in faith and not give up in order to see the fulfilment of God's word over his life.
One of the things Richard shared on, in a moving way, was his own struggle with sickness, and claiming the promises in the Bible for healing. This is an area where I too have a testimony of perseverance and God's faithfulness - a testimony that is long overdue being shared...
When I was 15 year old, 4 years after I became a Christian, I was diagnosed with an incurable disease: Crohn's disease. It is an inflammatory condition of the bowels. I was told that I would always suffer with this condition - a statement I refused to accept. You can call it denial, you can call it foolishness... I call it faith. For over ten years I did suffer with this condition, on occasions very acutely.
I was prescribed drugs that for a while prevented the progression of the disease. These drugs have well documented side effects - side effects I never developed.
However, after years of living my life as normal, and refusing to give any ground to this disease I didn't have to, it seemed for a while as if it got the upper hand over me.
In 1995, while I was in America on business, I developed acute gut pain. No prayer or medicine could shift it. On my return I was admitted to hospital, and a scan revealed that my bowel was now almost totally obstructed. The nurses were incredulous, that someone who on paper was so seriously sick had walked into hospital under their own steam. Never the less, I was seriously ill, and I required a week on a liquid diet just to build my strength and weight up to the point where it was safe to operate.
I praise God for the surgeon who operated on me. A man of great skill. All good things, and means of healing come from the Lord. In the operation I lost half a meter of my small intestine, but all the disease was removed from my body, and no more was removed than was necessary.
I made a good, but slow recovery. I'll spare you the horror stories from that time. But like Joseph, I knew a low ebb, where the word of God tested me. Yet I clung to my faith in the goodness and healing power of the Lord I serve.
Because of the part of my bowel that was removed, I was told that I would need injections of vitamin B12 for the rest of my life. A statement that I also rejected in faith; although I don't believe that it is wise to refuse medication unless one has a specific and clear word from God, so I took these injections every month for a year.
In 1996 I went to Bible College, almost completely restored to health, but still taking the injections. At the induction I fully intended to ask the Principal, one Roger Aubrey, where the local doctors was so I could continue to receive these injections, but it was on this day that I received a word of faith that released me from these injections.
Roger simply said: "The details of the local GP is on this sheet, but I'm in faith that none of you this year will need it." To me that was not just an off-hand remark, but a word of faith that found a deep resonance in my own spirit.
That was the last time I had a B12 injection... over 10 years ago! When I applied for life-insurance with a new mortgage a couple of years ago, the medical questionnaire flagged up that I had had Crohns. They were incredulous that I no longer needed any medication and wrote to my GP (who I had not had any need to visit for any reason for over 5 years). He sent me off for a B12 test which came back without any abnormality.
I can honestly say, that I am healthier now that I have ever been. I do more than fifty press-ups every morning, and swim half a mile most weeks. A far cry from that pale emaciated figure in 1995 lying in the hospital bed with tubes stuck in him from every angle. Yet that pale man had something that no illness can take away - faith. Faith that God is good in every situation and is always faithful to his word, no matter how bleak the circumstances.
Praise God for his faithfulness to his word. God's word will always be fulfilled. Though it lingers wait for it. It will certainly come.
9.10.06
You cannot out-give God
Here's a testimony I knew I would be able to give. Why? Because I took God at his word.
At the Elders and Leaders' conference a couple of weeks ago we took up not just one offering but two, and the second was in response to a prophetic word from the Lord. This word was that we were to try to be like God in his generosity, but that we would never be able to attain such a target because no matter how much we gave, God would always give more. Taking up an offering in response to such a word was fairly obvious, even though we had already just given, but another word came, through a proven prophetic ministry I know and trust: "Whatever you give, you will have back within the week."
This then presented me with a challenge. Not whether I should give; that was obvious. But how much? If I really believed that was the word of God then a "generous" amount would be very different from one where I could only give what I could spare. I took a deliberate decision to receive the prophetic word as the word of God, and stepped out in faith giving a lot more than I would have otherwise, believing that I would get it all back.
One week came and went, but both Jacqueline (who wasn't there when I gave) and I still held on to the word. If you examine prophetic time periods in the Scriptures, you will see that they are very rarely exact.
Today we received a cheque from the Inland Revenue, covering everything we had given to the Lord, plus another £80! Praise God.
At the Elders and Leaders' conference a couple of weeks ago we took up not just one offering but two, and the second was in response to a prophetic word from the Lord. This word was that we were to try to be like God in his generosity, but that we would never be able to attain such a target because no matter how much we gave, God would always give more. Taking up an offering in response to such a word was fairly obvious, even though we had already just given, but another word came, through a proven prophetic ministry I know and trust: "Whatever you give, you will have back within the week."
This then presented me with a challenge. Not whether I should give; that was obvious. But how much? If I really believed that was the word of God then a "generous" amount would be very different from one where I could only give what I could spare. I took a deliberate decision to receive the prophetic word as the word of God, and stepped out in faith giving a lot more than I would have otherwise, believing that I would get it all back.
One week came and went, but both Jacqueline (who wasn't there when I gave) and I still held on to the word. If you examine prophetic time periods in the Scriptures, you will see that they are very rarely exact.
Today we received a cheque from the Inland Revenue, covering everything we had given to the Lord, plus another £80! Praise God.
4.4.05
Protection and Provision
I picked up a new car this weekend. It's a T reg Saab 9-3 SE Turbo, with 104K on the clock. How I have come by it is quite a testimony to God's protection and his provision.
A couple of weeks ago I was driving my Ford Escort to work along the country lanes I have driven for the last 5+ years. As I came round a bend, for some reason I'm still not sure of, I lost control of the vehicle and it started to skid. I briefly managed to straighten up, but then lost control completely. The car span out 180 degrees, slid into the ditch and flipped up onto its side. I had to climb up the seats, and push the door open vertically, pull myself up onto the side of the car and jump down.
Miraculously I was not hurt at all, not even a single scratch or bruise! I am convinced this was the preservation and protection of God. I was praying in tongues at the time the accident occurred, and I felt strangely calm during the whole process. I just knew that God was with me and that I was going to be OK. A number of drivers had seen what happened and stopped to give assistance, they too were visibly incredulous that I was standing there totally unaffected. One of them even said to me - "You need to thank God that you are still here!"
Afterwards it really made me think. The words of Psalm 8 came to my mind. What is man that you are mindful of him? Don't get me wrong, as a Christian, I know that God loves me and cares for me, and that even the hairs on my head are numbered. But I couldn't help but feel humbled and in awe that the great God of heaven would care so much for me that he would miraculously preserve my life in this way.
The very next day a member of our church was tragically killed in a road accident. As I made my way to work that week, on the train and the bus, I had plenty of time to think and reflect. Why did God preserve me, yet take him? Why is it that sometimes God miraculously shields us from the troubles of this world, yet at other times he allows us to go through them? Why does God allow some of his servants to enjoy a long life full of vigour, yet calls others home early? I don't have answers to these questions other than this - God is sovereign, and he is always good. Sometimes that is all we need to know. I am very grateful to be alive, and while I still have breath, until the day comes when it is my turn to be called home - I will praise my God and live my life to please him, so that on that day I can hear those words - "Well done good and faithful servant."
The next week my car was declared "beyond economic repair." Although I felt very grateful just for life, and certainly felt I had no grounds for complaint, as I commuted in I felt a rise of faith. I knew that just as God had preserved me, he would also provide for me. I didn't have to wait long. That week my father-in-law was taking his car in for a service, and it just happened to be the last week on the job for the dealer he had known there for the last 25 years. He gave him an outstanding deal on the car I now drive. If he had gone in 2 days earlier, the car would not have been there, two days later and he would have already left. With the money I got from the insurance company, I only had to find another £1,000. And I now drive a much better car than the one I lost.
Praise God for his provision and his protection.
A couple of weeks ago I was driving my Ford Escort to work along the country lanes I have driven for the last 5+ years. As I came round a bend, for some reason I'm still not sure of, I lost control of the vehicle and it started to skid. I briefly managed to straighten up, but then lost control completely. The car span out 180 degrees, slid into the ditch and flipped up onto its side. I had to climb up the seats, and push the door open vertically, pull myself up onto the side of the car and jump down.
Miraculously I was not hurt at all, not even a single scratch or bruise! I am convinced this was the preservation and protection of God. I was praying in tongues at the time the accident occurred, and I felt strangely calm during the whole process. I just knew that God was with me and that I was going to be OK. A number of drivers had seen what happened and stopped to give assistance, they too were visibly incredulous that I was standing there totally unaffected. One of them even said to me - "You need to thank God that you are still here!"
Afterwards it really made me think. The words of Psalm 8 came to my mind. What is man that you are mindful of him? Don't get me wrong, as a Christian, I know that God loves me and cares for me, and that even the hairs on my head are numbered. But I couldn't help but feel humbled and in awe that the great God of heaven would care so much for me that he would miraculously preserve my life in this way.
The very next day a member of our church was tragically killed in a road accident. As I made my way to work that week, on the train and the bus, I had plenty of time to think and reflect. Why did God preserve me, yet take him? Why is it that sometimes God miraculously shields us from the troubles of this world, yet at other times he allows us to go through them? Why does God allow some of his servants to enjoy a long life full of vigour, yet calls others home early? I don't have answers to these questions other than this - God is sovereign, and he is always good. Sometimes that is all we need to know. I am very grateful to be alive, and while I still have breath, until the day comes when it is my turn to be called home - I will praise my God and live my life to please him, so that on that day I can hear those words - "Well done good and faithful servant."
The next week my car was declared "beyond economic repair." Although I felt very grateful just for life, and certainly felt I had no grounds for complaint, as I commuted in I felt a rise of faith. I knew that just as God had preserved me, he would also provide for me. I didn't have to wait long. That week my father-in-law was taking his car in for a service, and it just happened to be the last week on the job for the dealer he had known there for the last 25 years. He gave him an outstanding deal on the car I now drive. If he had gone in 2 days earlier, the car would not have been there, two days later and he would have already left. With the money I got from the insurance company, I only had to find another £1,000. And I now drive a much better car than the one I lost.
Praise God for his provision and his protection.
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