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The Corner
Dear Friends, Have you ever had anything stolen from you? I recently had a car stolen, in fact this was the second time someone had decided they needed this particular car and taken it. I woke up on a Sunday morning and went about my usual routine until I looked outside and saw the ministry vehicle I use was missing from its parking spot and immediately knew it had been stolen. The first thought that entered my mind was that Satan was laughing hysterically and waiting to see how I would react. Well, what can one do in a situation like that? It was only about one hour before I was to be in church and lead the congregation in worship. I didn’t panic because I knew there was nothing that could be accomplished until later, but it still was a disturbing feeling -- something akin to rape, that someone had violated my property. I decided to praise God for the return of the car and sang my heart out that morning with the congregation. Later in the service, a prayer request was put out about the car and the man who led the prayer asked God to return it in the same condition as it was taken. After the service I thought about the difficulties having only one car would impose on my family as I drove home. I didn’t know how things were going to turn out and I still refused to panic. I was almost home and decided to take an alternate route through my neighborhood when the Holy Spirit popped a thought into my mind, “I wonder if my car is parked somewhere in this area?” I immediately started scanning the parked cars and thirty seconds later was surprised to see what looked to be my vehicle sitting in the parking lot of an apartment complex. Turning around I found it was indeed my car and could see the contents of the glove compartment strewn all over the floor. Interestingly, the thief had carefully locked up his pilfered car and a closer examination showed there was no forced entry and the ignition was not damaged so that I was able to drive it away. You could say that I stole my car back and I get a good laugh over the irony when the thief later walked out and found the car missing. I want you to know that I don’t believe in luck as long as there is God in heaven and I want to emphasize the power of prayer and making the choice to praise God in the midst of the storm before you receive a miracle! In our church we speak often about how Moses was able to praise God on both sides of the Red Sea when taking the Israelites out of Egypt, whereas, most people only praise God after He delivers a miracle. Don’t get me wrong, it is very hard to praise the Lord when there is all kinds of pressure, but then it is so gratifying to know that you were able to praise God before He moved. That is the essence of faith, believing God for a miracle before it happens. Satan is thwarted and you have a great testimony to share with family, friends, co-workers and neighbors. May God richly bless you today,
Charles Thorell |
