DIVINE ENCOUNTER I know it was you Lord! The Lord can and will use you for His purposes, you simply need to be obedient to His guidance, even when you don’t understand! This short testimony highlights how the Lord used a faithful prayer and a divine encounter to transform a pastor’s ministry.
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hen I first moved to the town I currently live in, I joined a church that encouraged personal evangelism, discipleship, and Bible School attendance. I joined a Bible School and soon became very enthusiastic. I promoted the benefits to every Christian I met. We soon realised that not all the churches were teaching believers about baptism, ministry gifts, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in one’s life. Those who attended were very grateful that this information was being shared for them to pursue.
Praying for local ministers and their congregations My prayer partner and I decided to pray for all the ministers in our area on a weekly basis. We had a regular bench in a quiet spot in our town’s local Nature Reserve where we used to sit. We always met on a Thursday, but on this particular day, for whatever reason, we had met on the Wednesday. We walked to our bench and, to our dismay, there were other people sitting there already. We moved on to find another spot to pray. We ended up in a totally different, very remote spot on the complete other side of where we normally sat. We began to pray, and the Lord laid a certain influential minister on my heart. I had never met this pastor, but I began to pray earnestly for him, his church, and his ministry. I remember asking the Lord to please reveal to him, in the quiet of his heart, the importance of practicing believers’ baptism and the benefits of being filled with the Holy Spirit.
A divine encounter While sitting and praying, we heard some footsteps pass our bench. We never looked up, we kept our eyes closed and continued to pray. After about 20 minutes we finished and opened our eyes. Imagine my astonishment to see this very minister and his wife, standing beside my prayer partner and I. He looked at me with teary eyes and introduced himself. He was deeply touched that two women whom he did not know were praying for him and his church.
Th L d is at work that this was a divine meeting. Imagine the trouble that the Lord went through to arrange this – a different bench, a different day – just so that this minister could hear our prayers for him. To follow up, this influential church now offers believers’ baptism to whomever requests it – even though it is not officially part of their doctrine. Praise the Lord! If you would like your short miracle featured – please email info@joymag.co.za
“When it comes to giving, are you a person who will stop at nothing?”
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he secret to living is giving. One way to judge a person is by what they say. A better way to judge them is by what they do. The best way is by what they give. Charles Spurgeon said, “Feel for others—in your wallet.” An Indian proverb says, “Good people, like clouds, receive only to give away.” Whatever good happens in your life is not so you can keep it all to yourself. Part of it is intended to be given to others. I agree with E.V. Hill when he says, “Whatever God can get through to you, He will get to you.” The book of Acts says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Giving is always the thermometer of our love for others. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die.” If you have, give. If you lack, give. Selfishness always ends in selfdestruction. John Ruskin said, “When a man is wrapped up in himself, he makes a pretty small package.” Henry Drummond said, “There is no happiness in having or getting, but only in giving.” The test of generosity is not necessarily how much you give, but how much you have left. Henry Thoreau said, “If you give money, send yourself with it.” What you give, lives. This column is an extract from John Mason’s book, Why Ask Why, and was shared with permission.
