We live in a culture in decay, losing faith in God and discarding His ways. This faith has been the force behind our American character! We inherited a national tradition that is ultimately spiritual in origin—faith in God, in ourselves, in our nation, and in our future (Stuart Miller, Understanding Europeans).
It was faith that carried us to national greatness. And it is faith that will enable us to connect to God and experience Him in our lives—like the following women did.
Appointment in the Black Forest
On a warm August afternoon my friend Nancy and I (both of us nurses) strolled the streets of Bad Herrenalb. During a short internship in a clinic nestled in the Black Forest of Germany, we had taken this afternoon off.
Walking into town, we planned to shop, have coffee, and enjoy this enchanting village with its renowned hot springs. Suddenly something changed.
Deep within I felt an urging, a stirring in my spirit, that we must return to the clinic at once. This made no sense, but I’d learned to respond to these promptings of the Holy Spirit. I said to Nancy, “I think we need to go back to the clinic at once.”
We quickly made our way back to the clinic. Then I wasn’t sure what to do. We wandered around a bit. As I chatted with the clinic chief for a few moments, I wondered, Is this why we had to come back? But the inner urging remained.
Not knowing what else to do, we crossed the street to a café. Outside on the deck, we enjoyed the dark forests and rushing streams as we sipped our coffee. While we lingered in the late afternoon sun, I noticed the urging in my spirit had quieted down—in fact it was gone.
Can you tell me if there is a God?
At length we finished our coffee and prepared to leave. Getting up from the table, I heard a voice speaking in English. Glancing around, I saw a woman looking at me. “Can I borrow your hairbrush?” she said.
Taken back for a moment, I hesitated. She looked worn, her hair tangled, her face tormented. But sensing a quickening in my spirit, I said, “Yes.” I handed her my brush.
Slowly she began to brush her hair. She looked up and asked, “Can I talk with you for a moment?”
I sat down and listened while she told me her story. As a result of living in a witches’ coven in Berlin for three years, she had become schizophrenic. Sent to this clinic, she’d run away. Now she was back to get her belongings; her parents would be arriving shortly to take her home.
Then with her eyes fixed on mine, she whispered, “Can you tell me if there is a God?”
“Yes, I can,” I answered. And for the next fifteen minutes I told her how I had experienced God when our child was dying. I shared how the love of God had enveloped me like a cloud. And I told her how God had healed my broken heart and transformed my life.
As I talked, I could see the presence of God touching her with His love. Then right in front of my eyes, I watched a miracle take place: the wild, haunted look disappeared and peace flooded her face. The torment in her eyes was gone.
Shortly, her parents arrived and she left, but with a new light shining in her eyes: faith had entered her heart.
Heart filled with light
And then there’s Marion, a twenty-year old alcoholic. Emotionally scarred from severe abuse and neglect, she’d never let anyone hold her—until one day, when I held her in my arms as I shared my God stories with the group. When I finished, she looked at me with wide eyes and said, “I felt something come from you to me when you were talking, Judy. Was it God?”
Later, she gave me a picture she’d painted: hands holding a heart containing light.
The power of faith
Faith is the most powerful force in the world. According to Jesus, it can move mountains and hurl obstacles aside. Faith crushes fear and transforms the weakest personalities.
Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘be taken up and cast into the sea’, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it shall be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received then, and they shall be granted you. And whenever you stand praying forgive, if you have anything against anyone … Mark 11:21-25 (NASB).
This faith is in Jesus Christ and what He did for us on the cross. With this faith, we can go boldly to the throne of God and experience Him even in life’s most difficult situations.
To learn more about faith, download my free study notes, “Using Your Faith” https://judithdoctor.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Using-Your-Faith.pdf