I don't believe it. He's alive and doing well
God speaks in mysterious ways so says the famous quote. Do you think that's true? I find for the most part, he's pretty direct when he speaks to me. I've heard him loud and clear so many times I'm tempted to put it all down in a book....usually I mark my bible with the "experiences" I've had with God, noted completely with the dates of occurrences.
This week an incident happened, actually involving my husband, that reminded me that God does listen and does care for our every need. He is not some faraway God that is not involved in our daily lives but desires a relationship with us now. For God to be God, his attributes have to be manifested. The way they are manifested is thru the lives of his people.
This week my husband who has been counseling a couple, in their 40's , had quite the interesting meeting with them. They started attending our church maybe a month or two ago. They are not married and are living together. There are issues they are dealing with. He's teaching them that their actions come with consequences which they are starting to realize for the first time. One of the issues discussed this week is their non married status..
She is very vocal while he is very quiet. It's quite clear that she is wrestling with God. Her desire is to follow God and is willing to work at changing her life around but draws the line in the sand when it comes to ending the living arrangement with the boyfriend. Somebody in our church has even offered to let her sleep at their home during the nighttime to help her. She's adament and at times very agitated. It's very clear that she's in a war zone here. She's troubled. She's irritated. She's angry. Yet, her desire is to follow God.
During the meeting she spat at my husband and said...."I DON"T LIKE YOU. YOU PISS ME OFF." Of course he was very taken aback not used to hearing anything remotely like this in a counseling session before. He asked her, "Why are you mad at me? I just showed you what the book says. I didn't write it, I'm just explaining it." To which she replied, "Well, God pisses me off too."
Ok, glad to see this is going well. Before she left he asked her. "Are you coming back next week?" "YES" she snapped back, not in a pleasant tone of voice. She is clearly not coming around easily. He told her earlier that she was rebellious and that she needed to work on that. He asked her if she had a bible. She said no. When he offered to get her one from the church she informed him she wanted no handouts. She knew exactly what she wanted and would get it for herself when she was ready. They talked a bit about pride here. She said, she wanted an NIV Life Application Bible. Since her eyesight was not great she wanted large print also.
I am not kidding what I am about to tell you. About an hour later one of the ladies in our church, I'll call her Brenda came up to my husband and from about 20 feet away tossed him a bible. "Feel that, how heavy that is," Brenda said. "I decided it's too heavy. I'm getting another bible. Give it away." My husband looked down at what he had just caught. It was an NIV, Life Application Bible with large print. Yep. Exactly what the lady in counseling had wanted. She had made it clear she wanted no handouts. But would she accept a bible right from the hands of God himself?
So, he called her. Remember this happened within an hour or so after the counseling session. She started to cry over the phone. He then went and told Brenda that God had just used her without her even knowing it. Her mouth opened wide, big smile on her face. "Wow"
Two mornings later we get a phone call from the boyfriend. His girlfriend is in the hospital in detox. She had been over medicating herself on prescription medicines and it was rough. She had a very bad night. My husband had a smile on his face. God is working on her, and God is winning. This is great. Another consequence for her actions. Remember they discussed this.
Sunday morning during the invitation song, a pretty blonde lady came forward. With her arm around my husband and his arm around her they prayed right there in the front of the church while we all sang. I had no idea until after church that this was the same lady that had told him four days earlier that he pissed her off. Here she was now, praying with him.
God is good. Don't tell me that God is not here. He's alive and doing well. I just saw him on Sunday morning.
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