Saturday, May 26, 2007

God's Word to Me

There are many times in our life when we could wish that God would just tell us what was going to happen; that He would say, “This shall come to pass”. How easy it would be to chart our path if we knew exactly what to expect.
But in actual truth, it does not necessarily make our path easier!
If God tells man what is going to transpire the human tendency is ‘to help Him’ make it happen! We know the story of Abraham – the Middle East war we are witnessing today is a direct result of Abraham wanting to ‘help God’ make His words “It shall come to pass” happen.
While God has, for the most part, hidden the future from us….. once in a while He does tell us something that is going to happen.

I want to share with you a time it happened to me.
God told me something in 1979; it came true in 2007.
There is only one reason I am sharing it….in case there is even one person reading this who needs encouragement to trust God for something they believe God said He would do but they are weary in waiting.
It is easy to believe that God would tell an important person…such as a prophet or a leader… what will happen in the future, but God is no respecter of persons. Isn’t that wonderful to know? You are as important to God as the most important person you could think of.

I shared with you My Vision of Jesus in which I had a conversation with Him.
One of the things He told me at that time was about something that was going to happen some time in the future.
He said that one day something I would do would go all around the world.

I had no idea what He meant… in fact…. It seemed the most unlikely thing to happen in my life. I was an ordinary person, living a very ordinary life.
It was good that I had no idea what it was that God was talking about because not knowing left me with only one thing to do….hide it in my heart and wonder.

I had a secret dream… from the time I was little I loved books.
I remember the day I was first allowed to take a book out of the church library. I doubt I have ever felt as rich as I did that day!
Books were my treasure, my pleasure, my most coveted gift. I got into more trouble at home for having my nose in a book than for anything else!
I thought the highest calling anyone could have was to be an author.
So it was my secret fantasy that one day I could have a book published. I knew I didn’t have the necessary talent ….even though I got good marks on my essays at school; it wasn’t enough to make it in the literary world.

In 1979 shortly after I had my vision,
I felt that I would like to be involved in helping with a girl’s club since I had extra time having taken a leave of absence from my job at Eatons. But I wasn’t sure if our church even had one or if they needed any help.
Perhaps a week later, we went to visit another couple. I asked her if our church had a girl’s club. She looked at me with a strange look on her face and asked if I wanted to help. “Oh yes,” I replied, “Do you think I could?” She started to cry and told me what had happened. She was in charge of the girl’s club and had been praying for workers. She said the Lord had kept giving her my name and she kept saying that I didn’t have time because I was working full time. Finally, because my name kept coming up in her mind she had said, “Ok, then You will have to talk to her.”
I spent the next year teaching one of the classes, and enjoyed it very much.

In 1982, when we were in another church, I began to feel a burden for there to be a girl’s club because there was nothing for the kids there, not even S.S. As I prayed about it I began to feel that I should lead it! The thought terrified me… I had never done anything like that before !
Finally I asked God that if He was indeed speaking to me that He should make it clear to me. I had spoken to no one about a girl’s club.
The very next Sunday a lady I hardly knew was walking out of her pew and passed by the one I was sitting in; she stopped and turned back and looking at me said, “You know, you should start a girl’s club here.’ I didn’t even answer her, I was so stunned.
During that same week I was at work and was called out on a fitting. It was for a woman from our church that I had only met a couple of times. Her husband was with her and when they were ready to go, he looked at me and said, “Have you ever thought of starting a girl’s club in our church? I think you are supposed to do it.”
My heart stopped ! I was scared! But I had asked God for a sign and if it was truly Him speaking to me.. would He not help me?
Over the next while as I thought about it more and more I began to get excited and ideas filled my mind.
To make a long story short! – I did do it and with much prayer for inspirational help wrote my own devotional material in story form – an allegory about the fruit of the Spirit. The girls enjoyed it and I got positive feed back from the women working with me.
The girls would come up to me and say “Where can I get that book?” I would say, “It’s not a book.” And they would say, “It should be.”
That it could be published as a book had not occurred to me, but some of the other teachers also encouraged me to have it published; I thought they were being very kind and did not take them seriously.

One day my husband and I were asked to look through some tracts to see which would be suitable to put in the church foyer, and as I held one in my hand I sensed the Lord say, “Send your material to this address.” I looked at it and thought, but I don’t even know what it is, it doesn’t look like a publishing company. But I packed up my manuscript and sent it.
Some time later I got a letter. I had sent my manuscript to a clearing house – not a publishing company, but they knew someone who was interested in my material and wanted to publish it in instalments in the Chivalry Leadership magazine for their denomination children’s clubs. It was an international magazine – therefore would also be distributed in other countries.
I remembered what God had said, “something I would do would go around the world.”

In 1985 , we were in still another church where I was teaching S.S. - an older lady came up one Sunday morning and asked if she could help in my department.
After S.S. was over and we were walking out together, something clicked in her mind and she connected my name with the Chivalry Magazine. “Are you the one who wrote that material? “ I was surprised that she would have seen the magazine and said yes.
She replied, “It needs to be published. Here I am going to give you an address. The publisher knows who I am; tell him I told you to send your manuscript to him.”
I did and the book was published in the USA in 1985 entitled “Adventures of Heart Longing”.
I thought God’s word had indeed come to pass.
Until this year.
When God spoke to me in 1979, I had never owned a computer… the internet was still years away.
I did not think of God’s word until after I started my blog and realized that God’s word had come true in a way no one could have dreamed. I have a site meter on my blog and I have lost count of how many different countries have logged on – some of them by accident I’m sure and log out again quickly - but to my amazement the humble words I type on my computer, with a click of my finger are hurled out into space reaching the far corners of the world.
“ It has come to pass” just as God said.

God is worthy of our trust. He is worthy of our praise.
He is truly the great “I AM”.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Aunt Julie,

I thank God that what he told you would enevitably come true, did so in such a way that would help your family and so many other people. I just wanted to thank you again for all of your prayers regarding Scott's mom. They think that her heart should be fine but there are other underlying issues that are messing up her recovering. I thank you and your many readers for their continued prayers and support.

Love you,
Cherie

Lovella ♥ said...

Julie, I just love confirmations that God is making his plans for me. We don't often see such obvious signals as you had but all the same they are there.
It makes me want to pay closer attention . . .be watchful.

I did think you were taking a break. Silly me.

Demara said...

Oh wow Julie! That is so good...I love reading autobiographies!!! God is a great friend and He has allowed you to be in His circle, what a priveledge you've had to hear Him speaking to you directly and then through others still! But to top it all off, the best thing you ever did I believe, is obey Him. Good work and you know YOU ARE an EXCELLENT writer!!!

Julie said...

Cherie, I love your choice of word 'inevitably'. because of course God's Word cannot do other but come true.
And yes, Lovella, I believe God's favorite way of speaking to His children is quietly in ways they would miss if they weren't listening...the obvious ones are just to 'prove' to us that He speaks, to increase our faith and the faith of others.
And Demara, you have it exactly right!!!! There is NOTHING we can do that is more important than simply 'obeying' !
Thank you, for your comments!