Thursday, January 08, 2009

God Saves

This past weekend we had a special speaker at our church, we'll call him Bro. L. He was incredibly funny and a powerful preacher.

Most of my long time blog readers know of my bible study that has serious addictions and issues. She has been struggling so much recently and I've been getting, gasp, frustrated, wondering if I was supposed to be reaching out to her or if I wasn't doing what God wanted me to do. She says she wants to come to church with me but when it comes time for church something always comes up. I've been pulling for her to come and calling and praying, but nothing seems to happen...

This past Sunday our special speaker told a story from when he was a youth and was in a car with his youth leader. A woman, thin and frail and apparently a prostitute knocked on the car window and asked for money. "My kids are dying, they haven't eaten for 3 days.", she said. The youth leader told her that he didn't want to give her money because she would abuse it. She pleaded with him to just buy food for her kids. They followed her to an alley where a cardboard box was covering 3 kids that could barely hold their heads up. They bought them food and watched as the kids hungrily ate.

They begin to tell the woman about Jesus. She said, "I've tried everything. Nothing works." She showed them her arms, they were covered and scabbed from needles. She told them she didn't want her kids taken away, she had no where else to go.

The youth leader and Bro. L gave her their church business card and told her to come.

Weeks went by, no sign of the woman. One service, Bro.L's father was preaching and the back doors flew open and in comes a woman yelling, "JESUS!" The ushers tried to sit her down but Bro. L recognized her and told his dad who she was. They led her to the front and she begin speaking in tongues as God filled her with the Holy Ghost!

She came to church with her children for a few months but then disappeared... no where to be found.

Years later Bro. L was in another country preaching and a man came up to him and said, "Bro, your the man that witnessed to my wife." The women came to him and asked him if he remembered her and he said no. She said, "I'm that women." and she pointed over to where her three kids were praising God, "and those are my kids..."

God can do incredible things in ones life! I was so overwhelmed and stung at the thought that I was feeling frustrated and about to give up. God works form the inside out. He knows the heart, when you work in His kingdom it is not in vain. I know that He will save my bible study and He's working on her.

It's all in His timing... just wait on Him.

2 comments:

Becky said...

That was a wonderful story!

My sister has a family in her church that were neighbors to another member who just kept knocking on their door week after week inviting them to come to church. They made excuses for a few weeks, but finally, just to 'get them off their backs', they got up one week and went...and kept coming back, intrigued, and eventually got saved! He'd gotten up to give the testimony, "Never give up asking folks!"

The Daily Bee said...

I love that!