There I was, driving down a deserted mountain canyon road in a ’64 Chevy with lebenty-jillion miles on it. Suddenly, the car just quit. I mean everything quit! No engine; no lights; no horn; no radio; nuthin’! So I coasted to the side of the road, got out, and said, “Lord God, You’re gonna have to show me what the problem is ‘cause I ain’t a mechanic and I don’t have a clue! There’s nobody around to help and no way to call anybody for help. So, thank you Lord, for whatever You prompt me to do.”
I raised the hood. The first thing that caught my eye was a fairly heavy secondary wire coming off the battery, across the top of the radiator, to the other side of the engine compartment. Right about in the middle, it looked kinda burned. Well, now what? I didn’t have any tools of any kind. The only thing I had was a pen-knife in my pocket.
Using the pen-knife, I sawed the wire in two and striped back the insulation. Then I twisted the two halves of copper wire together as best I could. This left me with a bit of a problem – no tape. How am I gonna keep this splice from shorting out on the radiator? I looked around and, right there, on the ground next to the bumper, was a foot of bell-wire (bell-wire is real light stuff, but it was insulated!). I wrapped the bell-wire around the splice, figuring its insulation would keep the splice in the big wire from shorting out… maybe… hopefully.
I slammed the hood; got back in the car; held my breath; and turned the key. It fired right up and the radio came on blaring out the song, “Let’s Just Praise The Lord”!!!
Needless to say, I did “praise the Lord”… all the way back to town and at every chance I got for weeks after! My recollection is, I drove the car that way for about three months before I got that wire properly repaired.
Ps 25:4-5 Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. (NIV)
1 Sam 12:24 …be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. (NIV)
They say you “Can’t Go Home”. But I thought I’d try it anyway. I went back to Seattle to visit my Stepfather for a couple of weeks, after having been away for over twenty years. We really did have a good visit and enjoyed one another’s company immensely.
One day I decided to take the bus downtown, by myself, just to wander around and re-live the “good old days”. What a shock! I was amazed (and appalled) at how things had changed… in fact, virtually all of my perceptions were so negative that I ended up in a really foul mood. I then decided that the only way to work all of the negative “vibes” out of my system would be to walk back to my Stepdad’s place even though it was over ten miles. [This was a natural decision for me – I was “into” walking for my health at the time.]
As I walked, I carried on a running conversation with the Lord: “Lord God, I don’t know what it’s going to take to cheer me up! I’m in a really foul mood, Lord! About the only thing I can think of, that might cheer me up, Lord, would be to find a hundred-dollar bill!” That thought stuck in my mind and I kept it up… “Lord, if I could find a hundred-dollar bill, that would be about the only thing I can think of that would cheer me up!” grumble grumble
After a while, I was alongside a chain-link fence enclosed Industrial Park bordering a four-lane arterial. No residences; no side streets; no cross streets; no chance of anybody ever finding anything along this stretch. And I found a hundred-dollar bill!!!
In Monopoly money!!!
I laughed right out loud and said, “Lord, You really knew what it would take to cheer me up!” I sang praises to my God all the rest of the way home. I knew it had to be the Lord’s doing because I have never before nor since found any denomination of Monopoly money!
I learned several valuable lessons from this: 1) God hears me. 2) God knows me better than I know myself. 3) God answers me. 4) God wants me to be specific when I pray (I had not specified a hundred-dollar bill in legal U.S. tender). And, best of all, 5) God has a terrific sense of humor!
I had been in charge of a small town branch sales-office/warehouse for a little over a year. It was a challenge but, for probably the first time, the branch was finally making money. However, it was a bad year for the rest of the company everywhere else. They decided their best cost-reduction would be to close my branch down.
I protested, “Hey! I’m the only one in the company making money!”
They countered, “Yes, but your branch has a history of being in the red and we need the cost-reduction. It’s the only way the company can come out looking good as a whole.” Profitable or not, I was out of a job.
So I packed up and went back to the big city. The first thing I did was go straight to the one company I really really wanted to work for. They had nothing for me. Thus began the task of papering the town with resumes… and I mean I papered every business in town!
The only response I got was from a wholesale liquor distributor. They offered me a position as an “expediter” with more money than I could have dreamed plus an expense account and a company car. Man, was I ever tempted!!!
But… I wrestled with it; I put ‘em off; I stalled. I was really struggling over it. Finally, one Friday afternoon, they called and pressed me for a decision. I said, “It sounds wonderful and I admit I am really tempted to take it but I don’t think it’s the job my Lord would want me to take.”
As I hung up the phone, it rang in my hand… It was the first company – the one I really wanted to work for – telling me to come to work Monday. I stayed with them 25 years.
If you honor the Lord, He will honor you.
MIND-SET… Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (NIV)
Some years ago, when I was not well-off financially, I was driving a rattletrap car that I knew needed tires. I had seen a Sears sale flyer catalog that offered "seconds" and/or "blemished" tires really cheap. The catalog expired December 31st so I wasn't in any hurry to figure out if I could somehow come up with the money to buy one or two. Then one day when I was running late, on my way to a meeting, dressed in my suit and tie, I had a flat. Now, you know I didn't want to be late for my appointment and I did not want to get dirty.
I Thess 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (NIV)
Eph 5:20 Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NIV)
I got out of the car, looked at the flat, looked at the people ignoring the opportunity to help, and said (right out loud - not caring who heard me), 'Well, Lord, this isn't going to be a lot of fun, but, thank You!'
[Do you think my saying, "Well, Lord, this isn't going to be a lot of fun, but, thank You!", made me more or less able to cope with my feelings about having a flat? We can overcome sin by practicing the presence of God.]
I changed the tire without getting too dirty and got to my meeting with time to spare. The next day I examined the tire that had gone flat and found it was so thin the cords were showing through. The other tires were in the same bad shape - even the spare! I asked, 'Lord, are you trying to tell me to go order those tires from Sears?'
[Do you think my asking the Lord if He was prompting/guiding me to act made me more or less aware of His activity/presence in my life?]
At the counter, in reading the fine print to place the order, I discovered something about God's timing… it said the last day to order this item is November 30 …and I was standing there the afternoon of November 29! It also said that you could not specify, other than size, what tire(s) you wanted - that you would receive any of several different tread designs with either a 35,000 mile warranty or a 40,000 mile warranty - and that if you wanted more than one (and if you wanted them to match) you had to have them all on the same order. I don't know what came over me but I ordered five tires!
[Trusting God is essential to overcoming sin.]
When I got home, there was a check in the mail for a refund on an insurance policy that I had cancelled some months before and had forgotten about. I said, 'Lord, this looks like about enough to cover the tires! Thank You!'
[Do you think my reaction to receiving the insurance refund made me more or less convinced of God's provision for my needs?]
A few days later I was advised the order had come in, so went to pick it up. The first thing they handed me was a notice that they were out of what I had ordered and had substituted a 'similar' product. My first thought (after my heart sank a bit) was, "Okay, Lord, You're in charge!"
Well, it turned out they had substituted their top-of-the-line 50,000 mile warranty tires! Not 'seconds'. Not 'blemished'. And the bill was to the penny the amount of the insurance check! Needless to say, I was praising the Lord for days! That was 'some years ago' and I am still praising Him every chance I get!"
[Do you think any of this made God do anything? Given that God wanted to bless me, how might things have been different if I had responded negatively? What if I had… Ignored God; Gone my own way; Done my own thing?
I could have…
kicked and screamed / gotten dirty / been late
missed the deadline for ordering
blown the money
blocked His blessing(s) -- been an obstacle to His grace!]
Whenever anything out of the ordinary happens in your life, look for God to be "up to something"… and then cooperate with Him!
An obstacle to grace is anything (including – or especially – ourselves) that keeps us from enjoying the loving relationship that God offers us -- in other words, "sin".
• pretending we are the center of the universe is sin.
• we can overcome sin by practicing the presence of God.
• trusting God is essential to overcoming sin.
Grace: Unmerited favor; Undeserved love / blessings / provision / protection / guidance, etc.
Sin: "Symptoms" vs Ignoring God; Going your own way; Doing your own thing; Being god unto self..
One day, as I was driving to the mall, I noticed a young man a couple of blocks ahead of me walking in the same direction I was headed. He was stepping out briskly; not looking back; paying no attention to the passing traffic; obviously not hitch-hiking; apparently in a hurry to get somewhere.
Thinking it couldn’t happen, nevertheless I said, “Lord, if he sticks his thumb out, I’ll pick him up and tell him about You.”
Just as I approached the young man, he whirled around and stuck his thumb out!!!
I was obligated!!!
I pulled over and picked him up. As he got in the car, his attention was caught by a Christian song on the radio and he asked, “What’s that all about?”
As the conversation progressed, he was no longer in a hurry. We went to the mall together, had coffee, and spent a couple of hours discussing the truths of the Gospel.
2 Tim 4:2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; when it is convenient and when it is not; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction.
1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
GOD AS DR. DOOLITTLE:
I was driving from Denver to Phoenix to participate in a week-long missionary project. Although I was on a secondary highway at night, 75mph felt comfortable and safe. Soon, however, I came upon a sign warning of “rough road” ahead so I slowed to about 40 looking for the expected pot-holes. All I saw was a little ripple in the pavement at the edge of the shoulder. After being back up to speed for a while, another sign; another slow-down; this time a little ripple in the yellow dividing line. A third such sign didn’t prompt me to slow down nearly as much and the small pot-hole in the center of the lane was easily straddled. A few more of these “cry wolf” type of encounters failed to slow my speed at all. Another sign – “Ho Hum”… suddenly a coyote appeared in the middle of the highway, taking his time meandering off to the side. I hit the brakes. I was only doing 10 or 15 mph as the car lurched, bounced, and staggered through a rough break you could have hidden a Mack truck in! I looked off to the side; the coyote was standing there, looking at me, as if to say, “See?!” I thanked the Lord for talking to the animals and made it on to Phoenix without further incident.
Some years ago, when conditions were much safer, I went on a tour of the Holy Land with a church group. The company responsible for organizing the tour had everything well planned and prepared for in advance right down to the last detail. They even sent a copy of the roster ahead to every place we were to stay so the facilities would know how many people they had to accommodate. The roster was in alphabetical order, last name first. There was no one named Anderson in the group so the first name on the list was “Bishop, Cleveland”. We went into the King David Hotel in Jerusalem and everybody got a 12 X 14 room with a twin-bed and very little else… no heat; no air-conditioning; no television. Imagine my surprise upon entering my room: I had a suite of three rooms; two queen-size beds; heat; air-conditioning; television; a large bowl of fruit on the buffet, and a bottle of wine! We could only guess they must have thought they had “The Bishop of Cleveland”! Calling the rest of the group up to join me and enjoy my good fortune, we decided that, if they chose to make the assumption without asking, we needn’t tell them any different. It was like that everywhere we went and we all thoroughly enjoyed the tour! Pay-back time occurred on the return trip… we had three days in Vienna, Austria where a grilled-cheese sandwich was $8.50 and coffee $2.50/cup with no refills! Still, we praised the Lord for a delightful, wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
It seems as though God prompts me to think about all kinds of things from a spiritual perspective. One day I was thinking about nursery rhymes: Mary had a little lamb; its fleece was white as snow; everywhere that Mary went; the lamb was sure to go; It followed her to school one day; which was against the rule… How long ago was that written? A couple of hundred years ago? I suddenly realized that Satan had “called his shot” and we let him get away with it! You see, Mary (the Virgin Mary) really did have a little lamb -- The Lamb of God, Jesus the Christ; His fleece really was white as snow -- He was without sin; He really is with you everywhere you go -- “I will never leave you nor forsake you”; and prayer has been forbidden in the public schools! We teach our kids nursery rhymes and about the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus and, sooner or later, they figure out that none of it is true. Then we try to teach them the Gospel Truth, that Jesus the Christ is the Living Son of the Living God -- the Savior and Lord of fallen mankind -- and that, if they will repent, ask His forgiveness, and invite Him into their lives, He will cleanse them from all unrighteousness and give them the gift of Eternal Life. Why are we surprised when they respond, “Aw get away from me with your fairy tales!” ???
Calling on a hospital patient I had not previously met, I learned she had been diagnosed with a large malignant tumor behind her right eye. She was scheduled for surgery later in the day and had been warned that it was possible she would end up blind in that eye and deaf in her right ear. She was in a great deal of pain and was terrified of the pending operation. I prayed with her. It wasn’t an elaborate prayer and I don’t remember all of it, but, it included, “Lord, I don’t want her to hurt and I don’t want her to be afraid”. After visiting a short while longer I left, saying I would check on her again later. When I called the hospital, to try to comfort her once more before the surgery, I was told that final preparatory tests could find no evidence of the tumor… it was gone. She was pain free, completely at peace, and had checked out and gone home. “The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5 NKJV
Coming out of church one evening, I was met by a young man who implored, “Do you have jumper cables?”
“You don’t need jumper cables,” I said, “where’s your car?”
When we got to his car, I kicked its bumper, as though to get its attention, and exclaimed, “In Jesus’ Name, you will start -- you do not have authority to refuse!” Then I told the young man to get in and “fire it up”… the engine immediately roared to life.
Now, as Paul Harvey would say, here’s “the rest of the story”: The young man drove home and the car died in his driveway; he had to have it towed to the mechanic; he told the mechanic the whole story and was met with utter disbelief; the mechanic swore that, once that car quit on him the first time, there was no way he could ever have gotten it started to drive home!
Today that young man is a Minister of the Gospel.
My foot had been becoming more and more painful for quite some time – it felt like my right heel was on fire! To make matters even worse, when I would sit down to rest my foot for a while the pain would actually get more severe rather than lessen. But, at last, I was on my way to the Doctor’s office.
Thankfully the Doctor knew I was on my lunch-hour and didn’t keep me waiting. I explained the problem while he examined my foot. Finally he offered his diagnosis… “There is a membrane that wraps around the heel to hold everything together and in place. The membrane on your right heel is inflamed. There is no cure for this type of inflammation. You can take aspirin to ease the pain but, as soon as you quit taking the aspirin, the pain will come back.”
Driving back to work I thought, “Lord, that is really stupid! No wonder they say Doctors are ‘practicing’! All they know is to treat symptoms. There has got to be a cause for the pain and, if You will just show me what the cause is, Lord, I’ll bet I can figure out a way to cure it.”
When I got back to my building, heading for my office, I was walking down a long hallway toward a co-worker who had his back to me. Without turning around he said, “Well hi there Cleve Bishop!”
I said, “Hey, you had your back to me. How did you know it was me?”
“That’s easy,” he replied, “when you walk you drag your right foot.”
I couldn’t help exclaiming right out loud, “Thank You, Lord God!”
Responding to his startled look I related the visit to the Doctor and my conversation with the Lord on the way back to work, finishing with the assurance that “if I just concentrate on lifting that foot properly when I walk, until it becomes habit, my heel will be cured!”
He “assured” me that I was “nuts” but it wasn’t too awfully long before I was able to show him my “new” walk and brag that the Lord had, indeed, healed my heel (no pun intended).
They say a coincidence is when God wants to remain anonymous. Yeah, right. With coincidences like the following, it's a dead give-away that God is definitely on the premises!
Just as I finished typing the account re my foot, I became aware of the music from my CD player in the other room. It was playing, "He leadeth me" but what I thought I was hearing was, "He healeth me, He healeth me... etc"
Bless these old ears!
[Many more yet to be written...]
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