His Marvelous Ways

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It was 6:30 AM. As the loud vibrating buzz came out of no where, I swung my head upward towards the direction of the thunderous sound to see the low hanging stratocumulus clouds lit up with what appeared as the flash of a colossal camera. The entire sky flashed on and off like a strobe light for as far as i could see in every direction. My mind screamed as my heart skipped a beat. The initial jolt of screeching, buzzing sound and vibrating light was terrifying. It died down for a nanosecond, and then returned to full volume as the sky once again flared up.  Was it a storm? No. This was more far reaching than lightning and more ominous than thunder. It was not a storm. My first thought was, “The rapture of the church!”,

I froze.

I stared in wonder as the dramatic display of light and sound would die down and then instantly return to full volume and brilliance. It was like a high voltage dimmer switch was moving up and down, on and of in a frenzy. The buzz of the intense sound grew loud, then would soften, over and over. The sky strobed brightly then became a shadow, over and over. The frequency which permeated the atmosphere flowed through my body. Something strange was happening.

Only a minute before, I'd been sitting in my car, singing.

That morning I had to be at work by 8:30 AM, so I'd set my alarm clock for 5 AM. Because of difficult circumstances, I needed extra time with the Lord before work. I needed strength to make it through the day. I drove, looking for a quiet place where where I could be alone with Him. I parked under a large light in an almost empty parking lot. I needed the light to read His Word. As usual, after a while, I began to pray God's Word back to Him. And as usual, I became joyful and full of hope as the Lord took my burdens and gave me His peace.

An idea came to me and I asked, Jesus, You said that all things we ask for in prayer, believing, we would receive. (John 14:13-14) And You said that if we ask in Your name, we will receive, that our joy would be full. (Matthew 21:22) So I ask in Your name that each of my children and grandchildren now be with me in this car as I pray Your Word over them. I heard Him say, Yes, and Amen. (II Cor. 1:20)  By faith, I could 'see' each of them sitting in the car with me, and I imagined God's Word entering their spiritual ears and coming to pass in their lives.  I imagined their hearts overflowing with joy. I imagined their beaming faces as each of them, one at a time, spoke His Word aloud.

I have no greater earthly joy than this. (3 John 1:4)

Another idea came to me. Their spouses! Yes, let all the spouses come in too!  I could 'see' all of us worshiping God together. Even though only one of them was married at that time, I 'saw' a godly spouse with each of them. The Lord says that two are better than one, and when He is added to their union, it is not easy an easy cord to break. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). God didn't want any of them to be alone (Genesis 2:18), and He says that two cannot walk together unless they agree (Amos 3:3).  I prayed in alignment with God's Word for my children, grandchildren, and each of their spouses. I imagined I could see each of them reading and loving God's Word along with me.

Then I saw other family and friends enter my car, one at a time. Each was laughing, trying to find a place to sit. It was hilariously crowded, but very cozy. I hoped and prayed that each of these would feel this joy at that very moment. And then, by faith, I saw each of these people, one at a time, reading the Word of God out loud to the rest of us.  What joy!

Uh-oh.  The faces of those who were my enemies came before me. The gathering became serious and quiet..

Did I want to invite these who'd hurt me and my children and grandchildren into this meeting?

I imagined Jesus face. What do You want me to do, Lord?

Sigh. I knew what He would say.

Yes, He wanted me to invite all of them in. I laughed out loud. This is crazy. But OK, Lord. Yes! Everybody, come on in!

In my imagination I saw each of those who'd hurt me or my offspring, one face at a time, pile into my now overflowing car. Each person settled in and we began to sing to the Lord, as one voice. My car couldn't contain the joy! The angels must have marveled! I asked the Lord to accept this worship as one voice through my mouth. My hands were lifted to the Lord. It was when we were all worshiping Him together that it happened. Suddenly, an unidentifiable sound came out of nowhere and jolted my gaze upward.

A large transformer located 30 feet from my car had blown up! The high voltage power lines were dancing all over the sky.

I laughed at myself, thinking, At least we were all worshiping God at the moment of the rapture!

I got back into my car. My heart wasn't pounding now. I sat there for a few minutes, recovering from the rapture drill. Then came an 'Aha!' moment.  We were singing a hymn : There is power, power, wonder working power...in the blood....of the Lamb.

We'd been singing about the power of the blood of Jesus when the transformer blew up! 

Ha haaa! I couldn't stop laughing!  I sensed the Lord was laughing too.

 Now the four lane road was blocked off and morning traffic was backing up. Sirens blared as police and three firetrucks arrived. I drove away, still laughing, trying to convince myself that it was a coincidence. But I really didn't think so.  If the joy of the Lord is our strength, as He says in Nehemiah 8:10, then I had been given more than enough strength for this day!

A week later it was still on my mind. I wondered how often these large transformers blew up, so I did some research which included a visit to the same fire station that has dispatched the three firetrucks. I learned that it happens about 5 times a year. What were the chances of me sitting so near when the one of five blew up? Ours is a 900 square mile metropolitan city with thousands of transformers. Sure, this particular transformer might have blown anyway. And the walls of Jericho might have eventually fallen on their own too. (Joshua 6:1–27).

I concluded that the Great Transformer Himself had arranged for me to be there.

There was nothing that could have kept me from Him that morning. I would have walked 500 miles.

Jesus said that where two or more of us are gathered in His name, there He is in the midst of us. (Matthew 18:20).

 He said that we cannot please Him without faith. (Hebrews 11:6)

 He said that we are to pray for and even implore God's blessing on our enemies. (Matthew 5:43-47)

There is power in the blood of Jesus.  There is power in His forgiveness and in our forgiveness!  I had just forgiven all who had hurt me.

If you need forgiveness, or if there are people you need to forgive, keep reading...

On the cross, as they spit on him, and mocked him, He cried out, " Father! Forgive them! They know not what they do!" 

His blood was shed as the price for their lives and ours.

Many miracles happened at the moment of Jesus death. The veil in the temple ( 60 ft. tall and 4 in.thick) that separated people from God ripped in half from top to bottom. Jesus' blood tore both the natural and spiritual veil between us and the father. Jesus is the Bridge to the father...the Bridge to God, to heaven, to Life. The whole land became dark for three hours. Graves opened up and many dead rose up out of them. 

At the moment of Jesus' death, there was an earthquake. It was finished!  He forgave and paid the price for the sins of all mankind. Three days later, He arose from the dead, holding the keys of death and hell in His hands. He went there so we wouldn't. The power of the blood of Jesus Christ can blow a transformer, cause an earthquake, and anything else we need. It is this same power that will raise those of us who trust and love Him from the dead. It's an extravagant free gift for all who will receive it.

It has been several months since that transformer blew.

Now, I have large prayer meetings in my living room most every day,  by faith.

May your faith be greatly enlarged, and may you be granted the grace to forgive those who have hurt you. I know from experience that some things are hard to forgive, but I have learned that if we take one small step, the Lord will do it for you, in you, and through you. If you are willing.

(Dear Reader, Your heavenly Father saw what happened. He can feel what you feel. He knows. He loves you and wants to heal you.

If you're still in it, I pay the Lord will comfort you, make His Presence known to you, and lead you.)

Forgiveness doesn't mean you are to return to an abusive situation. And some who have hurt you may have already passed into eternity. But your freedom will come as you forgive them, and pray for their welfare and blessing if they are still alive.  You will be imitating the One who loves you enough to die for you. And then your ties to the pain of the past will dissolve as you run with joy into your future.

Forgiveness is breeding ground for miracles.

If there are people who need your forgiveness, if you like you can pray something like this sample prayer, adding whatever else you want to say :

Father, Thank You for creating me, loving me, and forgiving me. You loved me before I knew I needed forgiveness. Lord Jesus, there are people who have hurt me.  Help me to forgive them now in the same way You forgive me.  And there are people I have hurt, and I ask you to forgive me for the ways I have hurt others. Please bless those that I have hurt, whether I know what I did or if I don't. And I forgive ________for hurting me, and I ask You to forgive them, whether they realize what they've done or not. Help me to love and forgive like You do. Release me and each of these from all offense so each of us can run freely into a bright future with You. Let all the painful ties of associated with the past now be cut as I forgive, and ask Your forgiveness for myself and for each of these. I ask You to heal my wounds in me, and also any wounds in those I have hurt, and in those who have hurt me. Help me and each of us to see things the way You see them.

In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

I bless you in ​the name of Jesus!