What Happens When God, Answers by Evelyn Christenson 

Chapter 4:  I Prerecorded That Answer

Page 46

Why can we get specific answers from a book whose closing words were written almost two thousand years ago?  Because the Bible is the only book on this planet earth where the Author is always present while it is being read.

I am continuously surprised at people's reaction to having the actual author of a book in  their midst.  Some stand in awe, wondering if they might touch us, while others question if we are human. Yet, the very God of the universe is present with us every time we read His book.  But how few of us treat the Bible that way!   How little awe or excitement do we display by having its Author, the very God of heaven, actually speaking to us about our personal needs and desires.     

God is right there with me every time I read the Bible!

I understand this, but as I read it again my mind pictured God sitting right next to me as I read the words of the Bible.  This thought touched my heart.  I cannot describe how I felt after I read those words. 

I have been a Christian for many years and I have prayed a lot and read my Bible a lot, but have not actually thought too much about the God of the universe being present with me every time I read His book.  I am excited to think more about him being present with me every time I read the Bible.

Page 46

How does God answer us by His Word?  There are four basic ways.

1.   It was the night before my first prayer seminar in Japan when God used where I was reading devotionally to influence not only me, but all my audiences throughout the Japanese prayer seminar tour.
2.  God brings words to my mind that direct me to His answer.
3.  Bringing to my mind a book of the Bible, a chapter,  a verse, or a place on the page.
4.  Then there are those very rare instances where his prerecorded answer is on the page of the Bible to which I randomly turn.
 

God has used all of these ways to answer me.  There is nothing more exciting than to be praying that God will give you an answer and then he does in a random way. 

While we were waiting on God to direct our path into missions, we had a prayer that we needed answered.  We had to decide if we wanted to serve God in Africa, where Dave’s skills of construction could be definitely used or should we go to the Philippines and work in church planting.  We had no experience in this, but we had been doing a lot of work in our local church that might have prepared us.

So one morning, Dave was downstairs in our family room reading his Bible and I was upstairs in our bedroom reading mine.  .

While I was reading I came across a verse that struck my heart.

2 Timothy 1:9

Who has saved us and called us to a holy life, not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.

God spoke to me though this verse that we could not make our decision according to Dave’s skills in construction and go to Africa because God could have something else for us.  So I believed that we were supposed to go to the Philippines and work in church planting.

A few minutes later Dave came upstairs and God had led him to the same verse and gave him the same thoughts.

We had our answer.  God was calling us to the Philippines.

Throughout our missions experience  I have learned that I can have all the plans I want for my life, but God’s plans for us are perfect.

Dear God, 
Thank you that you speak to me in so many ways.  Please help me to take the time to listen.