Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: WAIT (05/21/20)
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TITLE: Encounter with Jesus | Previous Challenge Entry
By Marilyn Borga
05/27/20 -
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“Close your eyes and concentrate on God,” our youth pastor urged. “Tell him your deepest desires. Ask him to work in your life.”
Ah, my deepest desires! At fifteen, all I really wanted was to fit in with my peers, to have what they had. I shut my eyes as longing filled my heart: “Send me a girlfriend,” was my silent plea.
I waited in the stillness. Gradually, a face formed in the darkness. I thought I must have shut my eyes too tightly. I was seeing things! I opened my eyes and was surprised that the vision still hovered in front of me. It looked just like Jesus as I had always envisioned him.
“I will send you a girlfriend,” he said, “but first I’d like you to get to know me better.” The message was unmistakable and unforgettable. To this day I’m not sure if the voice was audible to me or if I only felt it in my soul. The others had begun to stir, but I sat trying to process my experience until I was jostled by one of my friends. “Hey, Jake, come on, your mom’s here for us.”
I stood, grabbed my Bible, and jogged outside to where my mom sat waiting in the car. She and I have always been close, but there was no way I was ready to share with her what had happened. I tried dismissing it, but deep in my heart, I knew that what I’d experienced was genuine. I’d never known anyone who claimed to hear a message from God, so I pondered my ghostly encounter alone.
I was heartened by the first part of the message: “I will send you a girlfriend.” Yet it appeared that God was asking me to wait a while. “First, I’d like you to get to know me better.” Okay, I was pretty sure that my Bible was the place to start. I vowed to read a few pages every day...
It wasn’t long before the words began to penetrate deep inside me. I soon found myself eager and hungry to learn more about Jesus and how I might serve him. Prayer became as natural as talking with a friend. I daily asked him to guide me.
I finished high school in an electrical vocational program. I heard about a place in the jungles of South America where electricity was sorely needed for a hospital. My first employer sponsored me to be part of a team that brought solar power to that jungle community. The experience drew me even closer to Jesus. I soon felt him calling me to be a pastor.
While working full time, I took courses at a Bible college. At last, one final class was needed to complete my degree. Fortunately, the university branch in my hometown was offering that class and the time slot fit perfectly with my work schedule.
I walked into the classroom that first evening and took the only seat left. Beside me sat a very pretty young lady; she turned to smile at me. It turned out that she had also attended another school, this was her final course, and this was the only class available to fit her schedule. We quickly became friends. We found that she shared my love for Jesus and was committed to following his leading. It had taken nearly ten years, but God kept his promise to send me a girlfriend.
My girlfriend soon became my wife and we now work in church ministry together. I marvel at how superior God’s plans are to mine. I’m so glad I waited for his timing. Life has been so, so good...
My reverie is interrupted by a rap on the door. A woman pokes her head into the room.
“Pastor Jake, the doctor is finished examining your wife. You can join us in the delivery room now.”
And now, it’s time to set aside my musings. My wife and I have some labor ahead of us. We shouldn’t have to wait too very long. Our friend Jesus will be there to share in our joy.
Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. Psalm 62:1 (NKJV)
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Fictional rendering of a true story.
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