INKLINGS THAT HE IS THERE
INKLINGS THAT HE IS THERE
Scriptures say that to receive
any of the benefits promised everywhere in the Bible, one must first
believe “that He IS, and that He rewards those who “diligently” seek
Him.” That sounds clear enough, but apart from various religious
traditions and routines practiced in doing church, how much evidence do
we have from our day to day experience that He really is there for us or
“in” us-- especially when we are told that we cannot trust our
“feelings” in this matter?
I could take the easy way out and
just tell my skeptic friend to read the 1st Chapter of
Romans, which tells us that God has put ample evidence in front of us
all, alluding to his miraculous creations and spectacular beauties and
wonders everywhere so that we are “without excuse.” That is, the
creation speaks for itself: It couldn't have just “happened by accident”
as the evolutionists say.
But to return to the real world
of my personal experience, let me simply cite a few things that have
happened to me that prove to me, at least, that God not only IS, but
that he is very much involved in each of our lives. The first
experience that convinced me that God was really there was when I
accepted Jesus as my savior. It was at a USO club in San Antonio. At the
invitation of an evangelist named Billy Comfort; I responded to his
altar call, received some literature, and later returned to Lackland,
AFB with my three buddies, who ironically had been visiting a brothel
that was across the street from the USO. I didn't
notice anything much different at first, but riding back to the base on
the bus I began to experience a joy and elation unlike anything I had
ever known. Basic training had exposed most of us airmen to a series of
downers that had many of us very depressed. But this joy stayed with me
all through the night and well into the next day-- until a drill sargent
singled me out for a harsh reprimand: “Wipe that smile off your face!”
Well you can guess the rest. It verified the scripture that says,”the
sower sows the word, then Satan comes immediately to steal that word out
of your heart.” Frankly, by the time I shipped out, I had pretty much
forgotten “the Joy of my salvation.” A second
very convicting event was when I received “the baptism of the Holy
Spirit,” as described in the 2nd Ch. of Acts. All I can truly
say is that that changed my whole perspective about God. Up until then,
I believed that my confirmation and baptism had given me my ticket to
heaven. But that “seal” still left me pretty much on my own to try to
deal with daily problems. With the infilling, the Spirit became that
“very present help in time of need.” Other names for the Holy Spirit are
the teacher, the wisdom giver, the helper, our peace, the river of life,
the friend that sticks closer than a brother.” the comforter--- living
within us for the asking. But one had to ask. That's what free will is
all about. We are free either to ask Him or to go our own way. Often I
have misplaced items that appeared to be hopelessly lost, and nearly
always when I asked Him to help me find it, the lost item would turn up
as if by magic. Once when
fishing I had a birds nest of the type that usually required my cutting
the line on both sides of the tangle, costing me many yards of line and
much lost time, This time I simply asked, Holy Spirit, would you help me
get this untangled? Starting above the tangle and running my hand gently
down through the tangle the whole thing came out with no effort at all
on my part. Seriously, He's there for the asking, but one has to ask
“with the confident expectation of good.” That is the definition of
hope. See “Faith is the substance hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen.” (Heb. ch. 10.) A number
of times I would make my way down to my fishing spot and say on the way
down, “Holy Spirit I could sure use a nice two-pound walleye for
dinner.” and no more than see my float hit the water than it would go
strait down at the strike of that two pound fish. Sounds like bull, but
it happens a lot, especially if I've promised some little old lady that
I'd bring her a fish. And I never go fishing any more with out asking
the Spirit to put me in a good spot and preferably with some good
company to share Jesus with. I can't think of many times when that
didn't pay off. Remember,
God's #1 priority is the great commission- - saving those who are lost.
If we'll help Him with that, He'll help us with all kinds of stuff.”
Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find.” One final
proof that He has beem there for me were my last three deer hunts. Since
I always hunt alone and on foot, I've been through many arduous long
seasons, but the last few hunts I learned to ask God for three things:
first, that I do not run afoul of other hunters, secondly, that the deer
would fall near enough to the road so as to make the drag back easy, and
thirdly that I don't wound the animal or hit it in a meat- destroying
place. In each of those hunts, all
three of those petitions were answered exactly. In two of the
hunts, deer that I hit way out from the car ran, after they were hit and
ended up in the ditch only a few yards from the car. All three of those
deer came running to me from quite a distance away, and all were hit
where little meat was ruined. With two, the game warden even came and
helped me load the animal into my little Dodge Colt. By the way, all of
those hunts were on the refuge, for which I drew refuge permits seven
years in a row. So, sorry skeptics- - none of your brilliant
rationalizations will ever convince me that Jesus ain't there. To see my
account of the miraculous deer hunt on which I discovered the magic of
asking in detail, read “The Miracle of the Deer.” on
www.friendlyarts.net web cite. Or my stuff can be accessed by going to
Google and typing in Gene Pinkney, N. D. writer or poet. All kinds of my
attempts at writing can be found there. I think my best work is in
eulogies. I can't really call myself a poet, but I do write occasional
verse and song lyrics. Gene Pinkney 12/12/19 For
The Daily News edited html update 08*13-2021
I am personally completely sure that
He IS, and that he is a hands-on, living-within us personal friend in
need, but to convince a skeptic I must come up with instances from real
experience to make my case.
I have always
been one who likes to listen to good teachers, and then go out and test
what I have been taught. I got good at fishing doing that. That tendency
would qualify as a “gifting.” Each of us, says the Manufacturer's
Handbook in Ephes. 2:10, has unique gifts that equip us for the specific
purpose for which God has designed us.
