A young man had been to Wednesday night Bible Study. The Pastor had
spoken about "listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice."
The young man couldn't help but wonder, "Does God still speak to
people?" After service he went out with some friends for coffee and pie
and they discussed the message. Several different ones talked about how
God had led them in different ways. It was about ten o'clock when the
young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to
pray,"God, if you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I
will do my best to obey."
As
he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought
to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud,
"God is that you?" He didn't get a reply, so he started on toward home.
But again, the thought came to him... buy a gallon of milk.
The young man thought about Samuel, and how he didn't recognize the
voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli. "Okay, God, in case that
is you, I will buy the milk." It didn't seem like too hard a test of
obedience. He could always use the milk. So, he stopped and purchased
the gallon of milk and started toward home.
As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, "Turn down that
street." This is crazy, he thought, and drove on past the intersection.
Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street. At the next
intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh. Half jokingly, he
said out loud, "Okay, God, I will".
He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop.
He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in a
semi-commercial area of town. It wasn't the best, but it wasn't the
worst of neighborhoods either. The businesses were closed and most of
the houses looked dark, like people were already in bed.
Again,
he sensed something, "Go and give the milk to the people in the house
across the street." The young man looked at the house. It was dark and
it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep.
He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat. "Lord,
this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are
going to be mad and I will look stupid."
Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk. Finally, he
opened the door and said, "Okay God, if this is you, I will go to the
door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy
person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for
something but, if they don't answer right away, I am out of here."
He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some
noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, "Who is it? What do you want?"
Then the door opened before the young man could get away. The man was
standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like he just got out
of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy
to have some stranger standing on his doorstep.
The man asked, "What is it?"
The young man thrust out the gallon of milk and said, "Here, I
brought this to you," he said. The man took the milk and rushed down a
hallway speaking loudly in Spanish. Then from down the hall came a woman
carrying the milk toward the kitchen.
The
man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had
tears streaming down his face. The man began speaking and half crying,
"We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out
of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and
asking God to show me how to get some milk." His wife in the kitchen
yelled out,"I ask him to send an angel with some. Are you an Angel?"
The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he
had on him and put it in the man's hand. Then he turned and walked back
toward his car and tears were streaming down his face. He knew then
that God does still speak to people... and answer prayers.
