|
||||||
| a | ||||||
|
God Works in Every Day Lives! Below are some short inspirational stories of how God work's in everyday lives and some words of wisdom from the author's.
Our son was born premature, weighing only four pounds 14 ounces, with many health issues to include severe jaundice. After two weeks we were told that at a minimum he was was going to need blood transfusions as his liver wasn't filtering his blood properly. His size was a major concern for the doctors if the transfusions didn't work and surgery was necessary. I was in the military and we were thousands of miles from our family and support system. We didn't belong to a local church and felt truly lost. Together my wife and I prayed for intervention and like so many others promised the world. On the night before the first transfusion we received an unexpected phone call from a local congregation's Elder. He asked if he and member's of his congregation could come over and pray with us and give him a "laying on of hands". At the time I didn't know what it was but was more than appreciative of someone's willingness to pray with us. When they arrived we joined hands and prayed together, it was amazing! You could feel the love that came from total strangers in the words that were spoke. I watched as the Elder laid his hands on my sons head and prayed for his health. I knew I was seeing things as it seemed you could instantly see him get better. The next morning the doctor took another blood sample before proceeding with the transfusion. When the results came back he was in shock and asked for a second test. Those came back the same. Other than needing to put on some weight our son was fine. The health issues were gone! To this day I am humbled by the miracles of prayer and the awesome power of God's blessing that we receive only through the blood of Jesus Christ. In 1981 I was being transferred to Ft. Stewart, Georgia to fulfill the last 10 months of my tour of duty. While I was overseas my wife and our new born baby girl had been living in Vermont with her parents. After seeing my baby girl for the first time I knew we weren't going to be separated again. Realizing I didn't have authorization for on post quarters I knew we would have to find a place on our own. Being young and stupid we decided to roll the dice and drove to Georgia. Upon arriving in Hinesville we spent a full week in a motel looking for a place to rent. I'm not sure if it was just the time of the year or what but there were no places available for us. We were definitely in a fix. On Sunday, we had just enough money for one more nights of lodging and the next morning I had to report for duty. If we didn't find a place immediately then my wife and child were going to have to take a bus ride back to Vermont. Again we headed out with the same results. With tears in our eyes we headed back to the motel knowing she was going to have to pack and head out. Driving past a fruit stand that was right next to motel we noticed a sign that said "Trailer for Rent". We drove past that fruit stand at least a hundred times and I swear that sign was never there. Turning around I went up to the elder gentleman behind the counter and asked about the trailer. He said that someone had moved out unexpectedly that morning. Sight unseen I offered to take it but told him that I didn't have any enough "upfront" money for rent. Much to my shock he looked at me and said, "We'll work it out". For the next ten months I enjoyed the company of my family because of the generosity of that man. I didn't realize it then but I know now that God was showing me that he has been there all along working miracles that have made me who I am today. A friend of mine was telling me a story about how God had worked in her life. She said that she was really sick and needed to go to the store. There was nobody else she could ask to go for her, so she had to get up enough strength to go herself. When she was pulling into the parking lot, she prayed and asked God to give her a front row parking spot so that she could get in and get out of the store quickly. Lo and behold, there was a front row parking spot available. My husband and I went to the store shortly after she had told me this story and on my way there, I thought, 'Why not.' So I prayed for a front row parking space, not ever thinking that it would happen. As we rounded the building in search of a parking space, yes, right there in front, was an empty front row parking spot. This may seem really small to some people, but now that God got my attention, I can tell you that he works in our every day lives. Start paying attention to the small things and you will see God's presence in everything you do! A friend of mine was starting a business. They put their bid in on a really big project. Her husband called her and stated that the bid had been given to someone else. Rather than be discouraged, she prayed to God and said, "Thy will be done." Within the hour, she received a phone call from her husband stating that out of the blue, another company called him and offered him a bigger and better job. God wants to do what is best for us, which sometimes means doing something different than we may want. Trust that God will work for you in far better ways than you can imagine! If you ask God for something and do not get quite what you asked for, know that God has an exceptional plan for you and it's his way of making sure you get what you what best for you! God Answers Prayers, although it may NOT be exactly what you are looking for! I worked for a company for about 10 years when the working conditions started to become less than admirable. At one time, I had a lot of power and responsibilities, was even considered a Senior Manager and all of a sudden, my secure world that I had worked so hard for, fell apart. I was demoted and was never given a reason for the demotion. I had never had any disciplinary actions, I had always been given the new positions in the past, and people praised me for my work, so I really had no idea what was going on. New managers were hired, people with less experience were given some of my duties... basically I had devoted 10 years of my life to this company and now was being pushed into the corner to be kept until they needed me again. Every night during my evening prayers, I asked the Lord to get me out of that company. I explained to him, as we so often do, that I had learned a lot of valuable lessons such as humility, patience, even forgiveness for what they were doing to me, so I felt that I had suffered enough and wanted out of the company. Well, the Lord answered my prayers... I was laid off by the company that I had worked so hard for, while they kept employees who had only been hired a few months earlier and whose job I had done in the past. I could have been very angry and bitter but instead Jesus showed me how to offer mercy and forgiveness. I realized that God had indeed answered my prayer and "gotten me out of that company." SO, Be very careful and very specific in what you pray for because God DOES answer prayers! Sometimes it’s the small things
in life where Our Lord shows his sense of humor. Reminding us that he has
his own plan and time frame. I love football and had been coaching teams of 5th
and 6th graders for ten years. My philosophy that winning
wasn’t everything and that everybody should play often gained my teams a
reputation much like the boys in the movie “The Little Giants”, lots
of heart but not the best in talent. Last year we went into our last
game with two wins, two losses, and one tie. The team was much like
previous years but had a talented fifth grade squad who would be
returning. After all those years I felt overwhelmed and way too zealous
with the need to win. My typical game day routine is simple. Go over the
game plan and before walking out of the house I pray for a good game,
safety of the players, God’s guidance, and that his will be done. I was
one that never prayed for specifics and definitely nothing small, God’s
will was good enough for me. But that morning the TV was on and I had been
watching a well-known evangelist who said to ask for specific things. So I
thought what the heck, and added to my prayer that I couldn’t take
another LOSING season, that the kids deserved more, that I deserved
more!!! The game itself was a close one,
back and fourth. In the 4th quarter we are tied, it’s our
ball and we are on our own thirty-yard line with two seconds on the clock,
with one time out. Our league plays on an eighty yard field and doesn’t
have overtime, so we are fifty yards from a win. Like a script from the
movies, I called a time out. Go into the huddle and gaining inspiration
from one of my favorites, insure the kids the games not over and that
winners always want the ball last to make the big play. In unison they all
start asking for the ball. I know the defense would back up for a Hail
Mary. So instead I call a flanker screen and go back to the sidelines
reminding God of my prayer. The ball gets snapped, pass thrown, caught and
our receiver makes it three yards before getting wrapped up by three kids.
Game over my prayer unanswered. Then miraculously he breaks free;
he’s in the open field running in and out of the defense gaining 5
yards, 10, and 20. The parents and players on the sidelines are going
crazy; one player to beat and he’s inside the three-yard line. We’re
going to WIN!!! He’s tackled…from my vantage he made it, We WON!!! But
the referee doesn’t signal touchdown. WHAT? How can that be? Time seemed
to stand still and after what seemed an eternity, he signals the ball
down, six inches short of glory. After the post-game team huddle,
I’m a little depressed as I start the walk to my car. Thinking my
prayers went unanswered with another losing season. On the way parents and
players come up and congratulated me on what a great game it was, how they
had fun as a family, what a great experience it was for the kids, and how
they appreciated me as a coach, who wasn’t caught up in the need to win.
As I got in the car and buckled my seatbelt it suddenly hit me. I started to
chuckle then burst out laughing. God DID answer my prayer. I didn’t ask
for a WIN, I had asked NOT to have a losing season, we didn’t. We
didn’t have a winning one either. We had ended up with two wins, two
loses, and two ties, my PERFECT season. If you would like to submit a short article on how God has worked in your life, please e-mail it to dcissell@godscoalition.org. Thank You! |
||||||
|
Home |
Join God's Coalition | Members Only | God Works |
Who's Helping Who |
|
||||||