The Bees
The other day I was reading Psalm 1, which says, among other things, that the blessed man's delight is in the law of the Lord, and on this law he meditates day and night. And so he is like a tree planted by the stream which yields it fruit in season and leaf does not wither and whatever he does prospers. (Paraphrased vv. 1-3)
Psalm 1 reminds me that reading the Word is supposed to be a really rewarding endeavour. I'm very glad that on many occasions, I've seen God speak very clearly to me, and to others I know, through the Word. Like the time a friend and I were praying for someone else, and that very day, God encouraged us that our prayers were heard by directing me to Acts 3:1-9, where, just like my friend and I, Peter and John spoke to a person in need and said "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."
And of course, God can speak through other media as well. Just recently, I heard that someone I knew was thinking of leaving for another church, and the very next day, I was directed to pick up CS Lewis' Screwtape Letters while waiting in Borders, and I happened to flip to Chapter XVI which specifically addresses the issue of church-hopping!
Then there's the most dramatic form of communication, which is signs and wonders! This is probably one of the best experiences of my life. When my wife and I were in Law School, the threshold for obtaining 2nd Class (Upper) Honours was to get approximately 6 "B" credits. This is harder than it sounds, because in my time at least, getting a "B" in Law School is quite an achievement! Due to various reasons, including illness during one of the exams, my wife needed to basically ace all her last 4 exams. Given the difficulty of getting a "B" in even ONE paper, getting four in a single sitting seemed nigh on impossible. In the run-up to the exams, we really prayed hard, probably harder than I have ever prayed since, or then.
One day, when the two of us were in the dining room studying, my mum-in-law ran into the house and yelled for us to close all the windows! We quickly closed the windows. Looking out of the house, I saw a HUGE cloud of insects swarming around the house, and gathering around a lone tree in the garden outside. It was a massive swarm of BEES! We eventually had to call the NEA to smoke out the bees, and the ground was absolutely CARPETED with bees when they were done. I have never seen anything like it, and I would venture to guess that you haven't either. If you haven't got it by now - yes it WAS a sign! God was promising us that he had more than enough "B"s for us. And a few months later, true to His Word, my wife HAD, incredibly, aced her exams. And I will always, always remember God's incredibly dramatic, and humorous communication with the bees.
Today, if you haven't heard from God for a while, look for Him. He's always eager to speak to us, but it's our own ears that are stoppered. Look for Him in the Bible. Look for Him in your prayers. Look for Him in the mundane and look for Him in the miraculous. He's here and He's waiting to pour out His heart to us.
God bless you!
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