Interactions with God #56

Somewhere around 1990-91, the church started to use the downstairs kitchen area to serve lunch after the service each Sunday.  Lenny and Leah Mercer, our landlords, were running that ministry.  There was a cost for the lunch, but it was really nominal.  If I remember right, generally around $1.30 for a full hot meal.  Lenny and Leah were rather good cooks too, so this was appreciated by all. 

Unfortunately, on a particular day in late 1991, Martha and I were struggling in the money area.  Yes, even $1.30 was more than I could afford.  Martha was not at church that day.  I don’t remember if she was sick or out of town. Although, I do remember that food was not waiting for me when I got home.  I really wanted to eat the lunch downstairs after the service was over.  The smell of the food was killing me.  Talking to God, in a general way, I said, “Boy, that smells good. I wish I could go for lunch today.”   He spoke to me.  “Go, I will cover the cost.”

In learning how to listen to God, you first have to accept that He talks to you.  From there, you have to learn when it is Him and when it is not. Biblical knowledge helps immensely for the big issues, like should I cheat on my wife, or should I kill that really crappy driver.  If a voice tells you it’s OK to do either of those things, you can be absolutely sure, it was not a voice from God.  However, for decisions that are not so obvious, it is generally not as easy to tell.  Sometimes, you just have to take a step of faith.  That is what I did.  I went to the lunch, with absolutely no money in my pocket. 

Upon entering the kitchen, you were given a lunch ticket.  Like any cafeteria, you then went through a lunch line with a tray.  Once you got your food, you just picked a table and sat down.  After you finished your meal, you paid for it with the ticket on the way out.  I came in to the lunch area, got my food and sat down. 

I ended up sitting next to the pastor’s wife, who was a really nice person.  While eating, I chatted with her and several others seated around us.  In the middle of a discussion, Lenny came up to me and asked to see my ticket.  When I showed it to him, he smiled, took it from me and then walked away. 

I sat there for a second or two and then smiled as well.  “Now, that was just cool.”  The pastor’s wife asked what I meant, so I told her what had happened.  “God told me that He would take care of my lunch and I just watched Him do it.”  She replied, “Well, it certainly looks like you are learning to hear the voice of God.”  I replied, “Yes, it looks like that is true.” 

I wish everyone would.