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God’s wonderful working

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 15, 2021
“Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
Psalm 50:14,14
 
In spite of a heavy downpour, I arrived at the Detroit airport in good time for my flight back to CT. After a week of teaching in Texas and another in Detroit, I was ready to get home.
 
At the gate it said the plane was on time; in fact it was sitting right there at the end of the ramp. However, the many thunderstorms of the day had stranded our crew on the runway in Columbus, Ohio for four hours.
 
They finally arrived and we boarded. The pilot then announced that our take off permission had expired and a new one needed to be printed. That took half an hour.
 
Then as we got out on the run way, the pilot stopped and shut off the engines, announcing that we were number 40 in the line to take off, but because of poor weather no planes were being allowed to leave at the moment. Half an hour later the engines started again and we crept to the front of the line and took off.
 
All this time my cell phone was not working for some reason, so during the last wait I borrowed my seatmate’s and called Barbara to tell her of the delays. Unbeknownst to me, she then wisely called the friend who was waiting to pick me up and told him to go home, as it was unclear when or if I would arrive. So when I got to CT more than four hours late, there was no one to meet me.
 
Well, this was a further adventure with Jesus; I prayed for wisdom and borrowed another passenger’s cell phone to call Barbara (there are no more pay phones at the airport!) and she said a neighbor would come to pick me up. Now comes the interesting part.
 
The fellow whose cell phone I’d borrowed came and sat next to me on the bench. His plane to Chicago had been cancelled because of the storms, so he was waiting for a hotel shuttle.
 
In the course of our talk, he told me he had two sons, 6 and 8, both of whom had muscular dystrophy. This meant that by the time they are 10, they will be in wheel chairs, and would have a life expectancy of 25 to 30 years. I asked how he handled that.
 
“At first I was angry with God, but after a couple of years I saw that was not working, so have now turned back to him. I go to church, but don’t get much out of it. I’m not sure how to proceed there.”
 
We then had a wonderful talk about God, salvation and reading Scripture. At the end of our talk he eagerly took a brochure on salvation and then made a very insightful comment.
 
“Now I know why my plane home was cancelled and why your plane was late—that made it possible for us to meet and for you to help me!” Pretty amazing that this seeker recognized this significant “Jesus sighting” in both our lives!
 
The delays and frustrations of our lives are not random and meaningless. God is at work orchestrating events for our protection and growth as well as to provide opportunities to speak into the lives of others.
 
Our praise in the midst of uncertainty prepares our hearts and minds for the chance to be an instrument in God’s hands as we offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving (Psalm 50:23), getting up the shield of faith.
 
Prayer: “Lord, help me to live in the larger reality of your orchestrating power at work within and around me. Help me to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving for whatever comes, thereby honoring you and opening the way to join you in what you are doing. Amen.”
 
Picture: What this man’s sons were destined for (from the internet)
Wheelchair, Ill, Old, Grandpa, Lame
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Victim, Victor or Vector

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 14, 2021
“Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you.”
Psalm 86:1,2
 
While reading in my journal, I came across notes from a message I heard from the leader of the “Hands of Hur” ministries. He talked about how we can have three reactions to a situation. We can be a victim, a victor or a vector. Joseph in the OT was all three.
 
When he was thrown into the pit by his brothers, he was a victim, focused on “poor me.” Genesis 42:21 says, “…he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen”. A victim allows his circumstances and suffering to define him. He has a very narrow, self-centered view of life.
 
A victor has moved beyond that to a trust in God, freeing him to serve more whole-heartedly. When Joseph was working in Potiphar’s house, he was a victor: he gave the right responses and triumphed in each situation, even resisting the temptations of Potiphar’s wife.
 
A victor lets his successes define his life. God is there, but He is not the center of the victor’s existence. Joseph told Potiphar’s wife that everything was in his hands, that he was the greatest in the house and, by the way, that he was obeying God (Gen. 39:8,9). The focus was on himself and his accomplishments, not on God. This continued while he was in prison, as he told the other prisoners how he could interpret dreams rather than giving God credit.
 
However, when he stood before Pharaoh, Joseph had become a vector, an arrow pointing the way to the True Victor. A vector is one whose life is centered on God, who points others to God, not to success or comfort.
 
A vector’s life is defined not by his suffering, or by his victories, but by God’s relationship with him. When asked if he could interpret dreams, Joseph said, “No, but God can” (Gen. 41:16). And when he gave the interpretation he said, “God has chosen to show Pharaoh what he is about to do.” Joseph leaves himself entirely out of the picture, pointing all to the Lord of all. He had been truly broken, learning not to trust himself, but to fully trust God.
 
Paul expounds on this concept in Romans 8:37 in which he tells us we should be MORE than a conqueror, more than a victor, pointing us to the possibility of being a vector, a signpost to God for all those around us.
 
In each difficulty, disappointment or danger that comes into our lives, we can be a victim, a victor or a vector. A lot of what determines which one we’ll be, is how we cultivate our first love for Christ in meeting with Him each day in worship, confession, reading the Word and prayer. Are we cooperating with God in doing this?
 
Prayer: “Lord show me where I am acting like a victim or victor. Bring me to repentance and help me to live as a vector, focused on you and helping others to look to you. Praise you now for the help you will give. Amen.”
 
Picture: let go, hold on, rise above!
May be an image of tree, cloud and nature
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More Autobio

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 13, 2021
Shortly after moving into our new apartment in August of 1980, we got a further illustration of the determination in our older boy’s character. He was now six years old, so we often sent him to buy things at the little store on our street.
 
Late one afternoon we sent him out to buy bread for supper. When he didn’t come back in a reasonable length of time, I went to look for him.
 
The storekeeper said that he had come, but since there was no bread, he had left. I went outside and looked up and down the street, but no boy. I had no idea now of where to look for him. Maybe he had gone to look for bread elsewhere, but my further search at other stores was fruitless.
 
By the time I got home, Josh had been gone an hour and it was getting dark. We prayed and talked about what to do.
 
Shortly after the doorbell rang. When I opened it, there was the daughter of the janitor of our first apartment, and she had our missing boy by the hand!
 
He had gone down the hill from one corner grocery to the next, but all were out of bread. By the time the girl found him, he was about a mile from home and had crossed a very busy street at least once.
 
He had been given an assignment and he was going to follow through no matter what! We were thankful for God’s protection and for providing someone he knew to bring him home—a very clear God sighting!
 
Chapter 52 Coups and Cops
In early September we were looking for a larger bed for Nat and heard of one for sale out at the Middle Eastern Technical University campus, so we planned to go out there early in the morning to pick it up.
 
As we were getting ready at 6 am, there was a knock on the door. Barbara answered it, and came back looking very pleased.
 
“What is it?” I asked,
 
“There was a military coup last night,” she said. “The landlord’s son said we can’t leave the house until further notice. I’m going back to bed!” She was the happiest prisoner I’d ever seen.
 
At three in the afternoon, we got word that we were allowed to go out and buy bread if we wanted to, so the boys and I went. We were startled to see a tank at the end of our street was with its 50-caliber machine gun loaded and pointed our way!
 
From the corner we looked down the hill and at the entrance to every side street there were soldiers in full battle dress with loaded rifles standing guard.
 
We learned that during the night 10,000 people had been arrested, including all the leading political figures. Martial law had been declared, the parliament dissolved and all political parties closed.
 
In that one night this country went from being perhaps the most dangerous country in the world to the safest, with all known criminals taken in, along with a lot of innocent people. . For those arrested it was a brutal time of transition.
 
For those of us left at home, the coup certainly made things better for daily living: no more bombs, no more machine gun fights, no more dogs barking in the night, and a gradual end to shortages in the stores. How it would affect our work of sharing the gospel remained to be seen.
 
Picture: The boys in their Roman soldier outfits
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Persevering Prayer

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 12, 2021
“God our Savior…wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:3b,4
 
One thing I have been challenged on by some folks is the legitimacy of praying for the lost. Some contend that there is no biblical basis for it, although Jesus prayed for those who would believe and Paul asks for prayer for the gospel to spread.
 
Others say it essentially makes no difference, God is going to save the elect no matter what, so why bother?
The foundational truth in this issue is that God commands us to pray about everything all the time (Eph. 6:18). He says that we should be praying according to His will and if we do so, He will answer (1 John 5:14-15). So what is His will?
 
1 Timothy 2:4 states clearly that God would like all to be saved, so we should pray for that. It also states that some will not be saved because of unbelief, so not all will respond to God’s work or our prayers—but many will.
 
Then we must ask, “What is God doing to bring people to a point of making a clear decision for or against Christ so that I can join Him in this through prayer?” The Word gives us a number of things we can pray for.
 
1. 2 Corinthians 3:16; 4:4 — God must remove the veil that Satan has put before the eyes of unbelievers.
 
2. Romans 1:20 — God wants people to see his attributes displayed in nature.
 
3. 2 Corinthians 4:6 — God must make the light of the gospel shine in the hearts of unbelievers so they can know His salvation.
 
4. John 16:8-11 — God the Holy Spirit is at work convincing unbelievers of guilt because of their sin of not believing in Jesus as God and Savior, because of Christ’s righteousness and of judgment for the prince of this world is condemned—and with him all who don’t believe in Christ.
 
5. Following examples in Scripture, I also ask that God would speak to them through whatever means He chooses: dreams, visions, tragedy, blessing, fear of death, terrors, questions and statements of truth, etc.
 
6. 2 Timothy 2:25, Romans 10:17, Ephesians 2:8, Colossians 1:5–Then I ask Him to grant them faith and repentance.
 
7. And finally I ask Him to pin them down, as He did king Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel, and Paul in the NT, so they have to face the issue of believing or not.
 
So I ask God to do these things for the unbelievers on my prayer list. This is no magic formula, but it is joining Him in His desires, cooperating with God in what He is doing, and asking Him to do what He says He wants–therefore such prayer will be effective. Some I’ve prayed for have come to Christ after 20 years, some after 50 or more of prayer. Perseverance is important! As is then sharing the gospel with those we are praying for!
 
Prayer: “Lord, help me to join you in your great work of sweeping as many as possible into your Kingdom before they perish. Help me to be, in your power, consistent in prayer, persistent in sharing, insistent in being a living witness for you. Amen.”
Picture from ABWE
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More Thoughts on Psalm 119

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 11, 2021
 
 
“Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you” (Ps. 119:91).
 
You created the universe to be dependent on you; you established the laws of physics, the laws of ethics, the laws of morality, and they have continued on throughout history. Whatever happens, the creation serves you. You are able to transform whatever comes into something useful in your Kingdom.
 
“If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction” (Ps. 119:92).
 
This is so true of me: if I had not meditated on your Word, I would not have made it in the Middle East. I would have both exploded and imploded, for the difficult events we lived through would have driven me back home, demolished my emotional life, destroyed my family life and done in my ministry. But you fed and led me through your Scripture.
 
Your Word brings life, it brings light, it brings truth, it transforms, protects and guides.
–By it we can understand life to a sufficient degree, enough to make sense.
–By it we can know you enough to trust you.
–By it we can see you at work so we can move on with you in life.
 
Your Word is my light, my lamp, my love. Praise be to you for providing what we need to trust you.
 
Prayer: “I bow before you, O Lord– Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I give you honor and praise for you have revealed yourself to us in your Word. I rise up from worship to obey you today with all my heart, for all your glory. Amen.”
 
May be an image of African daisy and nature
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Psalm 119:93

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 10, 2021
 
“I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.” Psalm 119:93
 
Praise be to you, Lord God: you are the Great “I Am,” the all-powerful Creator, Sustainer, Director and Ender of history. Your being flows from before time, into history and beyond it into eternity. You are forever, with no beginning and no ending.
 
Like you, “Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens” (Ps. 119:89). It does not change or shift; it is not altered or abrogated; it is firm and sure, true and right, trustable and good.
 
“Your faithfulness continues through all generations….”
 
You are the same as when you created Adam and Eve: your wisdom has not diminished, your power is not less, your love has not shifted and your grace has not been depleted. You are forever unaltered: ever trustable, ever faithful, ever present, ever good.
“…you established the earth, and it endures” (Ps. 119:90).
 
Whatever its age may be, the earth endures, hung on nothing, spinning at the right speed, circling the sun at the needed distance, tilted on the right axis—all this because you are faithful. The enduring earth is the visible evidence that you are the unchanging, unending God whose Word is forever true.
 
So each morning, when I awake you in your enduring love are there, faithful to your character, to your creation, to your creatures. I can face the day knowing I will go through it with you, on the path you prepared, in the events you have planned. Praise be to you, my great shepherd.
Picture from Daniel and Elen Jolly
May be an image of road, nature and sky
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More from the cowboy’s wisdom.

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 9, 2021
More from the cowboy’s wisdom.
 
Cody was again up before dawn—and heard the bugler on the military side of things playing reveille to roust all the soldiers out.
 
After reading his Bible and praying, he went to see the Captain, but had to wait until the first formation and inspection of the day were completed. Then the Captain took him into his office and called in a soldier.
 
“Corporal,” he said, “bring us some breakfast, and make sure the coffee is hot!” Then turning to his guest, he said, “Have a seat, Cody Smith. I’ve given the matter some thought.”
 
Cody broke in, “Before you tell me your decision, let me add some information I gleaned last night from Dodge’s men in the saloon. He gave a thorough description of the conversation, ending with the threat of killing John and his family.
 
The Captain leaned back in his chair. “Well, that reinforces my decision to take a detachment of soldiers and make a visit, first to John and then to Dodge.” He smiled, “And I’ll try to make it for the right motive, to make and keep peace for all.”
 
There was a knock on the door and the corporal, along with another soldier, brought in two trays of a good smelling breakfast. Cody certainly was hungry and ready to eat. But first he turned to the Captain and asked permission to pray, which was given.
 
“Heavenly Father,” he said, “you are the Lord of the harvest and have brought us sustenance from your riches. We thank you for this meal. Amen.”
 
“And thank the US Army, too!” put in the Captain with a smile.
They made their plans to leave in early afternoon with a detachment of forty soldiers, and the Captain went to give his orders.
 
Cody went down to the general store and looked around, keeping his ears open. He picked out a few things: more ammunition, a new canteen, coffee, sugar and salt. While paying for them, he heard some people enter the store. He did not turn around but leaned his elbows on the counter and waited.
 
One man said, “Let’s get us a bunch more ammunition. We’re going to need it when we smoke that varmint out.” It was one of Dodge’s men.
Cody turned to look at the men and enjoyed the shock their faces registered when they recognized him. They quickly got over it and sneered at him. “Well, if it isn’t the sod busters’ angel. I hope you have enough sense to stay away from them or you’ll get busted, too.”
 
Cody said nothing, just tipped his hat to them and walked out, and there, sitting on her horse was the girl. He tipped his hat to her also.
 
“So, you’re the trouble maker,” she said. “I hope you don’t get in my father’s way!”
 
“Yes, ma’am, I intend to stay out of your father’s way. Along with that I will try to show him a peaceable way. My desire is to see him well established for the rest of his life.”
 
The girl looked surprised; Cody turned and ambled down the street.
 
At 1 pm he was at the military buildings, mounted and ready to go. The Captain came out, stepped into his stirrups, waved his hand to the soldiers sitting ready in their saddles, and the detachment moved out, their banner waving from its pole held by one of the soldiers.
 
It was a hot afternoon as they first rode east. This way the sun was not in their eyes. Cody led them down and across the river, then turned north toward John’s ranch. They camped that night in a good spot Cody found for them. It was at the base of a steep cliff with a small pool and cotton wood trees around it. It would be hard for anyone to approach them without being heard or seen. The watch had an easy night of it.
 
They were off right at first light and by mid-afternoon arrived at John’s house without sighting Indians or any other trouble.
John and his family came out of their cabin, amazed at the sight before them: forty-two men dismounting in their yard.
 
“How will we ever feed them?” asked Amanda.
 
“I hope they’ve brought their own food and feed for the horses,” answered John.
 
Cody and the Captain walked up to the cabin and greeted John and his family. “Well,” said the Captain, “I’m sure this is a surprise. We are here to help you with your relationship with your neighbors.”
 
John looked at Cody and then to the Captain. “I suppose Cody has told you about Heavenly Wisdom,” he said.
 
“Yes, he has, and more than that. We are embarking on this duty following the principles of Heavenly Wisdom, acting from the right motives, wanting it to be a peaceful win-win outcome for all involved.
 
“Part of this, in being peace-loving by letting Dodge know that you aren’t alone, and that if he decides to move against you, he will have to answer to me.
 
“We will try to be sweetly reasonable in our approach and words, hoping that Dodge will be approachable and submissive to the law of the state.”
 
John’s boy spoke up, “Wow, did you learn all that from
Cody?”
 
“Yes, I did. I’m not a Bible reading man, but Cody sure is. He has a lot memorized. He tells me that way he can think God’s thoughts instead of man’s thoughts. Certainly, the qualities of Heavenly Wisdom are different from my normal thinking–and,
I’m sure, from Dodge’s too.”
 
“Thank you so much for coming, Captain,” Amanda said. “We were feeling very much alone in this, even though I do have my shotgun!”
 
The Captain smiled. “With your permission we’ll camp here tonight and tomorrow go to meet with Dodge and see what sense we can talk into him. If you’ll excuse me.” He went off to his men who were already arranging things into an orderly camp, getting ready for supper and then sleep.
 
“Good thing we got plenty of water,” said Sam, “I’ll tell the Captain where the spring is,” and he ran off, eager to be in amongst the men.
 
Amanda turned to Cody, “Thank you for your help. Won’t you join us for supper. And come to think of it, bring the Captain with you!’
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Types of Prayer

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 8, 2021
  • The following prayers were written a good number of years ago in my worship journal while living in another country during an ugly conflict among the members of the church we attended.
 
Here are four types of prayer I used.
 
Praying Scripture:
 
1. I woke up several times in the night and found you there, Lord, leading me to pray for our church, using Psalm 86:1,16-17.
 
“We are poor and needy, Lord, hear us, have mercy on us, help us to lift our souls to you, to trust you. I cry out to you in the day of trouble that you will save us. I pray that you will grant us a token for good that those who hate you may see it and be ashamed.”
 
2. Praying God’s will:
 
“Bring revival, bring great conviction of sin, a vision of your holiness, a grasp of how much we have undeservedly been forgiven. Lord, only you can do this, I cry out to you for a working of power, a defeat of the enemy, a powerful overcoming of his plans and tactics with your great wisdom, power and love.”
 
3. Praying for the right motive:
 
“Shine on us, expose sin, bring repentance, deal with pride, clean house that this church may become again a beacon for you. I ask that you answer in power for the sake of your name, for the sake of your glory, for the sake of more worship in eternity.”
 
4. Praying in line with God’s character:
 
“Answer out of your great love, your mercy and grace. Sweep in in strength, transform in power, tear down in wisdom and build up in grace. I praise you now for what you will do. Work especially in the leadership, Lord, and bring to pass what will glorify your name.”
 
Epilogue: God did answer, although much more slowly than I wanted. He answered thoroughly, and carefully as far as all of us were willing to change. And years later, the church is doing well. He is faithful to His Word, and praying it is how we join Him in what He is doing.
Picture: light in the darkness
May be an image of nature and tree
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Faith or Feelings?

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 7, 2021
 
“Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me….Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight.”
Psalm 43:3a,4
 
Dawn comes and I awake to have my time with God. But there is no freshness, He seems far away. What is wrong? Is it sin? (I confess all the Spirit brings to mind.) Work overload? Tiredness? Probably some of each, but mainly it is my feelings.
 
Emotions are definitely the least reliable part of my being. When I allow them to rule, I end up feeling like this fellow here in the picture: out of touch with reality and at the mercy of whatever wind might blow.
 
To combat these negative feelings, I need to keep an ear open to the Spirit’s conviction and guidance, and to press on with what is right: worshiping, confessing, reading, praying, trusting that God is near as He promised.
 
This is a chance to live by faith, to believe God’s Word when I have no inner confirmation. It’s a chance to be weak, to live by faith, to praise Him for what I don’t like (feeling far away) and to go again to Scripture to remind myself of Truth.
Psalm 43:2 expresses my feelings well: “Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?” Then verse 3 gives me a good prayer to combat this: “Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me, let them bring me to your holy mountain, the place where you dwell.” God’s Word gives light, and I can affirm by faith that I am with Him who is “my joy and my delight, and I praise you, O God, my God.”
 
The advice in the last verse of Psalm 43 speaks strongly to me, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.” He is at work and is carrying me along whether I sense it or not! He will work all out, so I can praise Him ahead of time for and in all.
May be an illustration
All this brings to mind that beloved saying, “Knowing Jesus is enough for joy.” This is a chance for me to live it willfully by faith!
 
Prayer: “Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to believe and trust you when my feelings tell me the opposite. Help me to think Truth, to act on Truth, to praise according to Truth today. Amen.”
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More Autobio

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 6, 2021
More Autobiio
 
During the summer of 1980 Nat woke up every morning with the call to prayer, which came before 5 am, so I was up with him. It did help me get some more time in with the Lord, and I tried to look at it as an opportunity.
 
However, the combination of lack of sleep from all the bombs, the ongoing adjustment to culture, the surrounding violence and the pressures of language study made us more weary by the day.
 
I saw how tired I was when one night Barbara asked me to fill the diaper-laden washing machine with water. This wringer washer came with the apartment and was much better than having none, but had its interesting points.
 
We had to put water in it with a hose, and to complete a load required running all the clothes through the wringer twice, once after washing and again after rinsing. I would tape my Turkish word lists on the wall and work on them while running the many diapers through the wringer.
 
That evening I put the water hose into the washer, turned it on and watched carefully until it reached the proper level. Then I went to bed and fell asleep immediately.
 
After a while Barbara nudged me. “Hmph?” I mumbled groggily.
“Do you hear water running?” she asked.
 
“I’ll go check,” I said. I swung my feet out of bed and stepped into an inch of water! Then it hit me that I’d brought the water level in the washing machine to the right point, but failed to shut the faucet off! Now this whole end of our apartment was flooded and the rug in the bedroom was soaked.
 
We leaped out of bed and began to clean things up. I wanted to hang the soaking wet rug over the railing on our balcony, but fortunately Barbara first looked over the edge and saw the glow of our landlord’s cigarette as he sat in the dark on his balcony below us. We spread the rug out elsewhere to dry.
 
The next day Barbara found Nat lying on his stomach on the balcony, trying to swim in a puddle that was left from our night’s adventures.
 
One scary and seemingly significant event occurred during the time we lived in that apartment. While we were studying, we heard a yell from the boys’ room and ran to find our older boy lying flat on his back with a safety pin in each hand. He had stuck the pins into the 220 outlet to see what would happen.
 
Providentially God protected him; he didn’t even get any burns. But from then on he was actively interested in and amazingly competent with electronic devices. We wondered if maybe the shock had crystalized the chips in his blood stream!
 
That summer of 1980 we pressed on with language study and we also moved. One of the “old timers” who had been denied a new work permit was leaving and was selling all of his furniture. We bought it and moved right into his apartment—the easiest move we ever made!
 
This apartment was further up the hill, its location ensuring that we’d have better air quality. There was also a nice walled-in yard where the kids could ride their tricycles and play, and the neighbors were already used to foreigners.
 
I took two year old Nat with me to the new apartment to do some preparation before we moved with our meager belongings. After fixing some outlets, I went to check on Nat and found him with a box full of medicine bottles the previous tenants had left.
 
Nat had a bottle of pills in his hand with the cap off; the bottle was half empty. Had he swallowed some of them? How many? Were they dangerous? What should I do? I had no idea!
 
I scooped him up, along with the bottle, and ran to a nearby pharmacy. “No, these are not particularly dangerous,” said the druggist, “that is, he won’t die from them. Should you take him to a doctor? No, I don’t think that’s necessary.”
 
Relieved, I took him home and told Barbara about it. She was not so convinced that doing nothing was a good idea, especially when Nat began to act a bit tipsy. It was late on Saturday afternoon, so we decided to take him to a nearby hospital that served American servicemen.
 
When we got there, we were taken right in. The doctor looked at the bottle and said, “Yes, we should get this out of his stomach. I’ll give him something to make him throw up. That should take care of it.”
 
After Nat had taken the medicine, we sat in the waiting room with a bucket. Nat acted more and more like a drunk, staggering from side to side, laughing happily. As time went on he couldn’t stand any more, so he lay on the floor, his laughter increasing with his inability to walk.
 
The doctor was dealing with someone who had taken a drug overdose, so it was a while before he came back.
 
“No results? OK, we will have to pump his stomach. I’ll take him.” Nat laughed some more as the doctor picked him up and carried him away.
 
When they brought him back half an hour later, he was no longer laughing; he was very subdued.
 
“He’ll be ok now,” said the doctor. And he was. In fact he was much better. He had had diarrhea for the last three months, fortunately beginning shortly after he was potty trained, but nothing we’d tried had helped. We’d prayed, been to the doctor and kept him on a special diet, but the diarrhea just kept coming.
 
However, after having his stomach pumped, the diarrhea immediately disappeared. Maybe it was all the medicine he had swallowed, or the cleansing aspect of having his stomach pumped. At any rate, God answered our prayers, using a distressing situation to bless us. Another God sighting.
 
Picture: 1980
May be an image of child, sitting, standing and indoor
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