Tuesday, January 31, 2006

God Still Listens

A young man had been to Wednesday night Bible Study. The Pastor had shared about listening to God and obeying the  Lord's voice. The young man couldn't  help but wonder, "Does God still speak to people?" After service he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and they  discussed the message. Several different ones talked about how God  had led them in different ways.

It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home.  Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, "God...If you still  speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my  best to obey."

As he drove down the main street of  his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a  gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, "God is  that you?" He didn't get a reply and started on toward home.  But again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk.

The  young man thought about Samuel and how he didn't recognize the voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli.  "Okay, God, in case that is  you, I will buy the milk." It  didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could  always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of  milk and started off toward home.

As he passed  Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, "Turn down that street." This is crazy he thought and drove on past the  intersection. Again, he felt that he should turn down  Seventh Street.

At the next intersection, he turned  back and headed down Seventh. Half jokingly, he said out  loud, "Okay, God, I will". He drove several blocks, when  suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in semi-commercial area of town. It wasn't  the best but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods,  either.The businesses were closed and most of the houses  looked dark, like the people were already in bed. Again, he  sensed something, "Go and give the milk to the people in their house." It looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep. He started to open the door and then sat  back in the car seat. "Look at the house across the  street." The young man looked at the house. It was dark and  quiet. "Lord, this is insane.Those people are asleep and if  I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look  stupid". Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk.

Finally, he opened the door, "Okay God, if this is you, I  will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If you  want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be  obedient. I guess that will count for something but if they  don't answer right away, I am out of here."

He  walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, "Who is it? What do you want?"  Then the door opened before the young man could get  away. The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt.  He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange  look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to have some  stranger standing on his doorstep. "What is it?" The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, "Here, I brought this to you." The  man took the milk and rushed down a hallway. Then, from down  the hall, came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen.  The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was  crying. The man had tears streaming down his face.
 
The man  began speaking and half crying, "We were just praying. We  had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show  me how to get some milk." His wife in the kitchen yelled  out, "I asked him to send an Angel with some. Are you an  Angel?" The young man reached into his wallet and pulled  out all the money he had on him and put in the man's hand.  He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face.

He knew that God still  answers prayers.

This is so true. Sometimes it's the simplest things that God asks us  to do that cause us, if we are obedient to what He's asking,  to be able to hear His voice more clearly than  ever.

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