December 1            Arrows of the Almighty

Prophetic Words Misinterpreted   

 
  "When (Agabus) had come to us, he took Paul's belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, 'Thus says the Holy Spirit, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.' ... he would not be persuaded." (Acts 21:11, 13)   

Did Paul disobey the Lord as some think or was the Lord simply telling him and all the people there what was going to happen as he followed after God's leading?  Let me illustrate with a couple of personal experiences.   It was forty years ago that I first had the dream but it repeated many times in the months and years that followed.  I was always in a bright light and it always seemed to end with those around me wearing expressions of disbelief at my being there because "there was little life in my blood."  Barbe and I would talk about the dream but could make nothing of importance out of it.  Then in August of 1985 I had a cardiac arrest.  The heart stopped and only the medical staff at Tucson Medical Center got it started again after several minutes.  When I came to and opened my eyes I saw my dream as I looked at all the medics around my bed with that look of amazement and wonder that I was yet alive!  Yes, I made it.  That was more than 24 years ago now and I have never had the dream again.  I believe God was showing me not only what would happen but that he was with me in it and I should have no fear!  He is still with me and we are not finished yet.  

Last year I was given the impression that I should pray from someone "who had a hole in their heart."  I surely wondered at that for I had never heard of such a thing.  One Sunday I shared a word with the congregation at our Church and in it was this word about healing that hole in your heart.  I thought well, there it is and I thought the urgency to pray would go away but it didn't.  Then I learned that the cause of my daughter's terrible headaches which would put her to bed for days was caused by a hole in her heart!  After surgery fixed it those headaches left!  Praise be to God! 

In both cases God spoke and used the prayers to accomplish His work even though my natural reasoning was at a loss to understand what was going on.   Back to the prophetic word of Agabus for Paul: those who heard the word misunderstood its purpose but God was leading all the way and God's mission for Paul was accomplished in Rome.  Among other things, out of that trip to Rome came some holy writ about the awesome grace of God for generations to come!   

Keep looking UP.  He really is in control!