Every few months or so I'm going to blog about testimonies that I've read or heard. Testimonies are great building blocks of faith, and we each have our own. Occasionally we should reflect on the good works God has done in our own lives and in the lives of others. It helps jump start our faith when we go through seasons of doubt and drought. God is always faithful to His Word, and testimonies prove it. I want to share three with you today, I hope you enjoy them. Feel free to share one of your testimonies too.
I was finishing a meeting one day in Switzerland. When we had finished the meeting and had ministered to all the sick, we went out to see some people. Two boys came to us and said there was a blind man present at the meeting who had heard all the words of the preacher, and said he was surprised that he wasn't prayed for. They went on to say this blind man had heard so much that he would not leave that place until he could see. I said, "This is positively unique. God will do something today for that man." We got to the place. This blind man said he had never seen; he was born blind, but because of the Word preached in the afternoon he wasn't going home till he could see. If ever I have joy it is when people are not satisfied until they get all they have come for. With great joy I anointed him and laid hands on his eyes, and then immediately God opened his eyes. This is from Smith Wigglesworth. I could write a book on his testimonies alone, and will share more another time. The man didn't leave until God fulfilled His Word!
The second is from Pastor Daryl Waller, a man that went to his former church. This man was humble, God fearing, and gentle. He and his wife had a daughter in college at the time. She didn't live at home but was still nearby. The man got a call from the school one day asking where his daughter was. He said, "Well, she's in school of course." The lady said, "This is the school. Your daughter hasn't been to class in over three days." He immediately hung up the phone and began to weep. His family was pretty close and he couldn't understand why his daughter would just leave. (This was back before we all had cell phones.) Days went by without hearing a thing. He started to expect the worst. He laid on his kitchen floor one night weeping and praying to God, asking where his daughter might be. He heard a voice in His Spirit say "KFC Madrid Spain." He got up, called the operator and asked for KFC in Madrid Spain, I believe there was only two at the time. A man answered, He asked if there was anybody there by the name of .......... He heard the man ask, and then he heard his daughter's voice in the background! She got on the phone, apologized to her father, and requested to come home at once. Now that's powerful!
Lastly, I heard this one on the radio yesterday. It's a piece of history from Dallas Theological Seminary. In 1926, the Seminary only being a few years old was about to go under. The lenders had called and were ready to start the process. The very last day they had in the building, the leaders gathered to pray one final time. Lewis Chafer, and two other men began praying asking the Lord for a miracle. Lewis began, "Lord the cattle on a thousand hills are yours. Would it be possible to sell some of them? We're really in a pinch here Lord." (Now that sounds funny, perhaps it was meant too, but the speaker was very sincere.) It wasn't but a few minutes later a gentleman walked into the lobby of the school and handed the secretary a check. He said, "I'm not sure if you need this or not, but I believe the Lord put it on my heart to give this to the school. I just sold a bunch of my cattle and didn't know what to do with the money other than what I'm doing now." The man had cowboy boots and a hat on. The secretary knew the leaders were in the back praying. She walked in and handed the check to Lewis Chafer who said, God sold the cattle! He recognized the name on the check, and it was one of the areas wealthiest cattle farmers. And of course...The check as for the exact amount of money they needed! (God always does that!) Needless to say the school didn't close, and many great pastors were students there, including Chuck Swindoll, David Jeremiah, and Andy Stanley.
If these sound to crazy and wild to be true, I understand, but this is God and this is exactly how He works. It's the most amazing thing when He does something like this in someone's life. He leaves 0% room for doubt. Nobody could have done it but Him! He is faithful! Listen, He has worked this way in my life. Very rarely, but when He....well I'm still feeling the impact and I can't wait for Him to move like that again. I'm sure He's done something like this in your life too. May not be as extravagant, but a time when you knew it had to be God. Cherish that moment and hide it away in your treasure chest. Pull it out occasionally and reflect on the goodness of God. Timothy needed encouragement to get him through all the trials he was going through being a young pastor. Paul echoed the great things God had done in Timothy's life and the faith that he was raised under by his mother and grandmother. He wanted Timothy to reflect on his past faith success's and stir him up to move forward in his faith. Paul encouraged him with this scripture,
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