(This is a longer blog – but stick with it – you'll be blessed!!) 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 a 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 the house across the street.' The young man looked at the house. It was dark and 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. '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.
About 11 years ago I found myself in a similar situation. Mark and I were Youth Pastor's in Stillwater, OK, and due to some medical circumstances that hit us that year, we were under intense financial stress. We had more going out financially then was coming in. We had made a commitment that I wasn't going to get an outside job when we started having children. That was a huge commitment but even through this difficult time, we stuck to it in faith believing that God was going to provide. We had 2 children at that time. I cannot even begin to tell you how faithful God was through this. This 'TIGHT' time lasted a solid year and I have to say, never once did our electricity ever get turned off, our car payment not get paid, or our Dr. bills not get paid. God performed miracle after miracle. One of those miracles was the obedience of a special woman, one who actually reads this blog. Here it was the beginning of the week, we had already received our paycheck for the next week but all that was left for groceries was $7.00. I went to Walmart and prayed to God to stretch that money and make it last for a week. I knew, truly, that I would only get a few days worth of hot dogs and mac and cheese. While I was at the store, I asked the Lord, "Jesus, I need someone to go to my house and bring me food." Little did I know that by the time I got home there was $100.00 worth of groceries sitting in my living room that someone from our church had dropped off. The items in those bags were even my favorite brands!!! For the next year, that same woman came to pick me up every other week and bought me groceries so that my family could eat. When that year was over, not only did we finally have enough money to start buying our own groceries again but our $22,000 in medical debt had been wiped 100% clean – that's another amazing story!!
This Christmas season – the greatest gift you can receive is to hear the voice of God – not only will it change your life forever but you never know who needs a gallon of milk and you are the answer to their prayers.
Tracee – more blessed than I could ever imagine!! Thank you Debbie!!
