A Shaking Encounter with the Living God
Testimony Unfolded: April 2008
A Life Group leader witnesses the working power of the voice of God:
One of our Life Group leaders received a call from a concerned father whose 28 year old son had gotten arrested for drunk driving, and was now taking up residence at the Taylor County Jail. The son had requested a Bible and the LG Leader made the delivery. He was able to meet the young man, we’ll call Thomas, in a small cinder block cubicle inside the secured area. Merely receiving a Bible brought Thomas to the point of tears and he began confessing how he had made a mess of his life. He’d recently given his life to Jesus at Beltway and had even been baptized, but the chain of substance abuse had obviously not yet been broken. After 3 past admissions to rehabilitation programs, a deep sense of rejection still loomed like a dark cloud. Our LG Leader was praying as he listened and discerned that there was a particular event early in Thomas’ life which was critical to his restoration. Thomas was able to identify that at age 8 his step father sent him away to an institution for 99 days. Thomas felt that his step father didn’t want a child that was not “his own blood” and had thrust him out of the home.
The LG Leader decided to risk acting on an impulse inspired by the Holy Spirit. “Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you where God was when your step father sent you to the institution” he began. Thomas got quiet, then began shaking. “God was right there with me!” Thomas was surprised. “How do you know He was there?’’ Thomas responded, “He was sitting right by me.” The Leader took it another step, “What does He look like?” Astounded, Thomas reported, “He looks just like Jesus!” Our LG Leader asks, “Well, what are His feelings for you?” Thomas is now sobbing profusely and exclaims, “He just really loves me!” The Holy Spirit was so tangibly present I was sure that no security guard would even be able to enter the cubicle. It was as if we were safely secured behind a thunderous waterfall of God’s Presence. Thomas lifted his face which itself was flooding with more than just tears, and said, “I feel SO LIGHT!” “I’ve never felt this way before. I can’t explain it.” God had demonstrated that during Thomas’ darkest hour, He was right there loving him. Thomas now has consequences to face, but he has a brand new hope that was irrefutably birthed by a shaking encounter with the Living God. I believe he’s got now what he needed at the very core of his being.
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