Before I continue with my testimony I have to make a comment.
I can appreciate that some people who might read my testimony, could think that it is fanciful and that it is not true. You might even think that what I will talk about in this post is something that God would not do. But I believe that God is interested in the minutia elements in our life and will reach us in any way he can. As you will find out it took a very unusual event to make me wake up, to the reality of a living God.
I take the person of the Lord and his love seriously, and do not underestimate his power, and in my postings I seek to honour him.
I can only say, that what I write about, is what actually happened to me. You will either believe me, or you will not. My testimony is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. With God's help I will honour his saving grace in my life.
To put things in context I think I need to explain a bit more about me, and what makes me tick. The relevance of me telling you about this will become apparent as I tell you my story.
For over 20 years my work involves using data to make decisions. The desire and drive for clarity of evidence, the use of structured problem solving methods are what I do on a day to day basis as part of my job. Another part of my job involves teaching engineers the tools and techniques, that use data to solve complicated business / engineering problems.
So you could say that my mantra is 'show me the data'. I like to see the data and to prove statistically that something is real. It is even better if I am there to observe the process that produces that data. I am a firm believer in the phenomena of cause and effect, and that is how the Lord grabbed my attention, events that would 'prove' to me, that He was real.
As part of the Alpha course I talked about in the previous post, there is a session on the gifts of the spirit. Following on from the watching a video about that topic, I went into a small group to discuss what I had heard.
To open the conversation the small group leader, called Piers, started with a sentence that I will never forget. I could see that he was finding it difficult to start the small group in conversation.
He mumbled a bit and then said something that was so off the wall, so way out, that I will remember it for the rest of my life. He said "What if I were to say to you that you woke up this morning, and you were in such a hurry to get out you you ripped your new Marks & Spencer's shirt on the bedroom door handle, and you have a sore big toe".
I have to admit that I was amazed at this sentence, but for all the wrong reasons. If I could have said "Ugh", I would have. All the rest of the small group looked just as bemused as I did.
In our small group was the minister of the church, and he proceeded to ask in an incredulous tone of voice. "What did you just say"?
All eyes turned to see what the Piers would say, and he repeated what he had just said. "What if I were to say to you that you woke up this morning, and you were in such a hurry to get out you you ripped your new Marks & Spencer's shirt on the bedroom door handle, and you have a sore big toe".
As he finished speaking I could see that he was in full discomfort mode, and he seemed to be thinking what to say next, when the minister said. "That happened to me to-day".
Now all eyes turned to look at him. He explained that earlier on that day he got up and was in a hurry to get out of his house to go to an important meeting. He told us that he had indeed put on a new Marks and Spencer's shirt and had caught the sleeve of the shirt on the bedroom door handle and ripped the shirt.
Then he proceeded to remove his shoe while explaining that he hurt his big toe playing indoor soccer two nights before. He did not have to tell us that it was very painful as he showed us all a blackening toenail, on a toe that was much bigger than it should have been.
Everyone was stunned into silence. Piers had just spoken what I know now to be a 'word of knowledge'. You had to be there to see that this was something that was spontaneous and wonderful. No big theological revelation, but just knowledge of a couple of everyday events that only God and the minister knew about.
Could it have been a staged event? I hear you ask? No! You could 'feel' Piers discomfort, and the minister I had come to know as a faithful servant of the Lord. The look of embarrasment on Peirs face when the words left his lips left me in no doubt, that this was real and not staged.
I was shocked because I knew that the probability of this being put down to pure random chance events was out of the question.
Think about it, think of the accuracy of the word of knowledge:
The correct day
The correct part of the day
The fact that the minister was in a hurry
The correct type of garment
The correct make of garment
The correct door in the house
The correct object that damaged the shirt (door handle)
The correct explanation of the damage to the garment (ripped)
The same person having a sore big toe
The Lord knew that that event would grab my attention. This was a 'Divine' moment and I went home that night determined to seek this all knowing God, not fully appreciating that he was always there with me, and that had planned further revelations of his love and care for me over the following months.
I have over time told this event to a number of people and I can say that the reactions have been from full acceptance to the look of 'are you for real'. But again all I can say is this really happened. It also told me that God has a wonderful sense of humour, and used this 'funny' set of events to catch my attention in a profound way. I have found that some people think that God is only interested in the 'big stuff', but I have found and I believe that God is interested in the 'small stuff' that makes up our daily lives and well as the 'big stuff' that can impact our lives. Let us take everything to the Lord in prayer.
I thank you my Lord. for your love and continuing care.
1Co 12:8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit.
Finally ............. a thought for to-day
Mankind's limited potential highlights God's limitless power
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