| LONG LENGTHS of the LORD’S LEADINGS By Erwin Bourne—August 6, 2002 There is often a quiet awareness in the midst of chaos that the Lord is there, and He is still in control. Millions of people have reported His persistence when life seemed to be systematically unwinding. On other occasions, He permits us to see evidences of His love at the critical moment of need. The following examples are from Dr. James Dobson, Ch. VI in his book—WHEN GOD DOESN’T MAKE SENSE. This is one of the most interesting examples of God’s intervention I’ve ever heard. It occurred in 1945, shortly after the end of the second World War. A young associate pastor named Cliff and his fiancée, Billie, were anxious to get married, even though they had very little money. They managed to scrape together enough funds for a simple wedding and two train tickets to a city where he had been asked to hold a revival with a friend. They planned to stay at a nearby resort hotel. The couple got off the train and took a bus to the hotel, only to learn that it had been taken over by the military for use as a rehabilitation center. It was no longer open for guests. There they were stranded in an unfamiliar city with only a few dollars between them. There was nothing to do but attempt to hitch a ride on the nearby highway. Soon a car pulled over and the driver asked them where they wanted to go. “We don’t know,” they said, and explained their predicament. The man was sympathetic and said perhaps he could offer a suggestion. A few miles down the road was a grocery store that was owned by a woman he knew. She had a couple of empty rooms upstairs and might be willing to let them stay there inexpensively. They were in no position to be choosy. The lady rented them a room for five dollars, and they moved in. During their first day in residence, the new bride spent her afternoon practicing the piano and Cliff played the trombone he had brought with him. The proprietor of the home sat resting in a chair, listening to the music. When she realized they were Christians, she referred them to a friend who invited them to spend the rest of their honeymoon in his home. Several days later, the host mentioned that a young evangelist was speaking at a youth rally at a nearby Christian conference center. They were invited to attend. That night, it so happened that the regular song leader was sick, and Cliff was asked to take charge of the music for the service. What an historic occasion it was! The evangelist turned out to be a very young Rev. Billy Graham. The groom was Cliff Barrows. They met that evening for the first time, and a lifetime partnership was formed. Cliff and his wife, Billie, have been members of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association ever since that evening. And have been used by the Lord all around the world. One of the most miraculous events happened to my friend, Jim Davis, when he and his family visited Yellowstone National Park. These are his approximate words. My wife and I were raised in Christian families and were taught the power of prayer. But we were not living very godly lives. We did not pray together or have a family altar in our home. Then she made a wonderful commitment to the Lord and began praying for me. Also she bought me a research Bible. That summer we went on a vacation to Yellowstone Park with four other couples. Several of those friends went fishing in an aluminum boat. One of the ladies hooked a trout, looked over the edge, and her glasses fell off. That night everyone was talking about the glasses and how unfortunate it was they were lost. Then my wife said, “No sweat, Jim is a great scuba diver. He’ll go out and find them for you.” “Hey, thanks a lot” I said. “Do you know that Yellowstone Lake has 172 miles of shoreline? Besides, the water is very, very cold—50 degrees. And I don’t have a wet suit—just a pair of fins and a snorkel.” My objections fell on deaf ears. The next morning we got in the boat and headed about a half mile out from shore. “Uh, where do you think you dropped them?” I asked. “It seems like about here,” someone said. Well I got in the water, and it was freezing. The boat dragged me along the surface as I looked at the bottom. The water was about ten feet deep and crystal clear. After about 20 minutes of this search, I was chilled to the bone. I prayed a little prayer and said, “Lord, if You know where those glasses are, I sure wish You’d tell me” I wasn’t convinced He knew. It’s a very big lake. But a little voice in my mind said, “I know exactly where they are. Get in the boat and I’ll take you to them.” Well I didn’t tell anyone about the message because I was too embarrassed to say it. I was just shivering and I said, “Lord, If you still know where those glasses are, I’ll get in the boat.” I called to my friends and said, “We’re in the wrong place. They’re over there.” The driver said, “No. We weren’t out that far.” But we kept going, and I said, “Stop. Right here. This is the place.” I jumped back in the water and looked down. We were right on top of those glasses. I dove to the bottom and came up with the prize. It was one of the clearest answers to prayer I’ve ever experienced. Here is another example “which begs to be shared.” Sandra Lund and her family survived Hurricane Andrew in south Florida by spending the night in a shelter. Then they returned to their home the next morning to find everything destroyed except some of the interior walls. As a bewildered Sandra strolled through the rubble, she found a note she had taped to what had been the kitchen. It was still in place and read, “For I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” On the remaining bathroom wall was another verse she had penned, “O give thanks to the Lord for He is good.” Sandra got the message. Edited by Erwin Bourne <Outreach_amazon@yahoo.com>
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