One of my favorite books is "Like a Mighty Wind" which takes place during the Indonesian Revival of the 60's. I found it exciting as I read about the miracles that took place during that time. Those testimonies really increased my faith. When I looked closer at the actual events I saw that God was not just doing magic tricks via the Holy Spirit; no, He was meeting the needs of His creation through the church. When the believers had a need they prayed and God met that need.
For a long time I wanted to see Jesus work in my life... not just in coincidental ways, but in true power that was undeniable. Here is what happened to me one day. Around the time of the 9/11 attacks, my mother was dying of cancer 900 miles away. Towards the end I drove there 3 times in 2 weeks. The cost of fuel and food on the road was a real hardship for me. On my second trip I stopped for fuel in PA on Saturday afternoon. My debit card was declined; I hadn't been really keeping track as my mind was on other things. I took my last $20 bill and put $15 in the tank and bought a couple of $1 hamburgers for the girls and myself at McDonalds. We had enough fuel to get back to Massachusetts.
The next morning when I awoke I heard the Holy Spirit say, " I am going to fill your tank." Wow, that was a relief as the fuel light had come on a few miles before I pulled in the driveway. Immediately I tried to determine just how that would happen. I assumed that someone would slip me some cash because the Lord had put me on their heart. Maybe the Lord would just fill the tank and the fuel gauge would be on "F" when I got in. Possibly the car would just not run out until pay day. I was wrong on all counts.
I got to church a little early, talked with some of my friends and introduce myself to a few new faces. I enjoyed the worship and the word. At the end of the service I began to think about the empty tank again, but I felt reassured that I heard God correctly. I spotted a woman that I knew, maybe she would give me some cash for gas. But today that Lord asked me to pray for her. I asked her to step to the altar area and started to pray. She fell under the power and I stood near by as I waited for her to come back the natural. My kids played in the hallway and waited for me. The woman wasn't moving very fast... as a matter of fact, she wasn't moving at all. 20 minutes later she started to recover. By this time my girls were rolling their eyes waiting to leave. And, everyone had left the church. The woman's son took her to the car and I headed for mine.
As I turned the key I remembered that I didn't have enough gas to get home. I began second guessing my ability to hear God. Why hadn't I just asked someone for $10? Maybe the pride of neediness took over. But I had a real situation on my hands, an empty tank. I began thinking over my options, searching the console and the ashtray for change. I came up with almost $3. I decided that would at least keep me from being stranded on the side of the road. As I slowly made my way to the main road and a gas station, trying to conserve what fumes were left, I decided to go the station where the gas was the cheapest. I was weighing the odds of going the extra 3 or so miles to get there. As I neared the first and most expensive gas station in town i decided to get the gas there. Sitting in front of the pump, I was trying to convince my daughter to go in and start counting pennies for the purchase. She was reluctant and said that I should do it. I decided to pump first and pay after. As I pulled the nozzle from the holder, I heard that Lord says, "Use you debit card and press credit." So I did. I figured it would be declined just as it was the day before. The pump flashed, "BEGIN FUELING." As I pulled the trigger I was thinking something was wrong. I decided to put in $5 just in case. But I heard the Lord say, "I promised that I would fill your tank." And so He did; nearly $25 worth! I hung up the pump and shared the good news with my girls.
A few days later I went to deposit my paycheck and there seemed to be a problem with the balance, as it was less then the check. I asked that teller what the problem was and as she looked at my account she said, "The computers were down for about 20 minutes on Sunday morning and your gas purchase was approved during that time. Because it was our fault, there will be no overdraft fee." I blessed her and left in awe of God.
For a long time I wanted to see Jesus work in my life... not just in coincidental ways, but in true power that was undeniable. Here is what happened to me one day. Around the time of the 9/11 attacks, my mother was dying of cancer 900 miles away. Towards the end I drove there 3 times in 2 weeks. The cost of fuel and food on the road was a real hardship for me. On my second trip I stopped for fuel in PA on Saturday afternoon. My debit card was declined; I hadn't been really keeping track as my mind was on other things. I took my last $20 bill and put $15 in the tank and bought a couple of $1 hamburgers for the girls and myself at McDonalds. We had enough fuel to get back to Massachusetts.
The next morning when I awoke I heard the Holy Spirit say, " I am going to fill your tank." Wow, that was a relief as the fuel light had come on a few miles before I pulled in the driveway. Immediately I tried to determine just how that would happen. I assumed that someone would slip me some cash because the Lord had put me on their heart. Maybe the Lord would just fill the tank and the fuel gauge would be on "F" when I got in. Possibly the car would just not run out until pay day. I was wrong on all counts.
I got to church a little early, talked with some of my friends and introduce myself to a few new faces. I enjoyed the worship and the word. At the end of the service I began to think about the empty tank again, but I felt reassured that I heard God correctly. I spotted a woman that I knew, maybe she would give me some cash for gas. But today that Lord asked me to pray for her. I asked her to step to the altar area and started to pray. She fell under the power and I stood near by as I waited for her to come back the natural. My kids played in the hallway and waited for me. The woman wasn't moving very fast... as a matter of fact, she wasn't moving at all. 20 minutes later she started to recover. By this time my girls were rolling their eyes waiting to leave. And, everyone had left the church. The woman's son took her to the car and I headed for mine.
As I turned the key I remembered that I didn't have enough gas to get home. I began second guessing my ability to hear God. Why hadn't I just asked someone for $10? Maybe the pride of neediness took over. But I had a real situation on my hands, an empty tank. I began thinking over my options, searching the console and the ashtray for change. I came up with almost $3. I decided that would at least keep me from being stranded on the side of the road. As I slowly made my way to the main road and a gas station, trying to conserve what fumes were left, I decided to go the station where the gas was the cheapest. I was weighing the odds of going the extra 3 or so miles to get there. As I neared the first and most expensive gas station in town i decided to get the gas there. Sitting in front of the pump, I was trying to convince my daughter to go in and start counting pennies for the purchase. She was reluctant and said that I should do it. I decided to pump first and pay after. As I pulled the nozzle from the holder, I heard that Lord says, "Use you debit card and press credit." So I did. I figured it would be declined just as it was the day before. The pump flashed, "BEGIN FUELING." As I pulled the trigger I was thinking something was wrong. I decided to put in $5 just in case. But I heard the Lord say, "I promised that I would fill your tank." And so He did; nearly $25 worth! I hung up the pump and shared the good news with my girls.
A few days later I went to deposit my paycheck and there seemed to be a problem with the balance, as it was less then the check. I asked that teller what the problem was and as she looked at my account she said, "The computers were down for about 20 minutes on Sunday morning and your gas purchase was approved during that time. Because it was our fault, there will be no overdraft fee." I blessed her and left in awe of God.
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