[builder_content post_id=”18654″]When I was fourteen I loved to play hockey on the pond behind my house. It was January and it had not snowed yet, so the ice was like glass, which is perfect for a game of hockey. To test the ice, I went down to the shore with my hockey stick and took the handle part of it and hit the ice a few times to see if it went thru. And if it did, how thick was the ice? I continued to do this every three feet until I got to the other side of the pond.
When I got about ten feet from the shore, the ice broke and I went down. When I was under the water there were particles all around me, so I could not see. When the particles cleared I realized that I could not see the opening where I fell thru but I was not afraid. I looked up and because the ice was like a mirror, I could see the sun in the sky and the trees on the shore line. Then I looked down and it was black and deep.
Suddenly, I could hear the audible voice of God and He said, “Look to your right”. But when I did I could not see the opening where I fell thru. So, I waded over about two to three feet to my right and I saw the rim of the opening. I waded over until I reached the hole and climbed out and walked across the ice to go home, as this was the shortest route to get there. There was no one at the pond that day but me. But God had plans for my life.
“There was no one at the pond that day but me.
But God had plans for my life.”
Twenty-three years ago, my wife and I were going thru a tough time and I was also going thru turmoil within myself. It was Christmas and my brother in law and his family had come over and they had recently gotten saved. My brother in law has always tried to persuade me to attend his church which I always resisted until this time. I told him I would try, but he had to stop talking about it and he agreed.
It was New Years, a week later, and my brother watched our kids so we could attend a Sunday night service. As we walked in I told my wife it looks like they are being held up as all their hands were in the air.
In February I told my wife it was not for me and she needed to go on without me. She said no, that she would go wherever I went. We went to bed that night and left the lights on as we continued to talk, and all of a sudden, I felt this feeling come over the upper half of my body. At this time my wife was next to me and I pushed her away. Then the feeling filled my whole body and to my right I heard the audible voice of God. He said “I will be back, and I will tell you what you will do with your life and show there is a God and he has power. Tell everyone.”
I started to feel sinful and dirty. Then I felt the desire to pray but my flesh was fighting it, as I was not going to bow down to anyone! But the power of God was so strong that I got up, went to the end of my bed and started to pray. As I was praying I saw the Lord standing over me and looking down at me. He was in the brightest white I had ever seen, and he just stared at me. The Lord then turned away, took two steps and stopped, and looked back over His left shoulder down at me. By the look in his eyes I knew He would be back.
“But the power of God was so strong that I got up,
went to the end of my bed and started to pray.”
For the next three days I had a peace I never felt before. I read the Word for hours every day as I could not get enough of it. And that was the beginning of my journey.
I hope my story helps others to know God is real – as I have experienced it myself. He will show himself in many ways.[/builder_content]