In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Ruah Elohim was hovering upon the face of the waters. Genesis 1:1-2.
Has God ever spoken directly to you? It’s a transforming experience.
Here is my story about the time God talked to me.
I spent my career doing cancer research. It’s a vocation I gravitated to after my sister died from glioma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. About 2 years ago the company I worked for ran out of money and it looked like it might go out of business. For the last 20 years my colleagues and I have been working on a technology that harnesses the body’s immune system to fight cancer.
For me, this was more than a job, it was the continuation of work I had been doing for 20 years. For those 20 years, my life’s goal had been focused on developing a highly effective treatment for cancer; a treatment that our tests suggest would triple the life expectancy of patients with lung cancer and has no side effects, unlike all of the current treatments. In fact, as I thought this through and prayed on it, I discerned that this wasn’t just a job or a career, but that I was actively engaged in a ministry of healing.
So, when the company was in financial trouble and there was a possibility that the company would close in the middle of the final clinical trial that was needed before the treatment would be approved, it was difficult for me to handle. I had outstanding support, especially from my wife and rector, but the anxiety and stress levels were really high and I was having trouble coping with them.
It is my practice to take one or two short prayer breaks at work every day. I simply stop what I am doing, go outside, and walk around the building while talking to God about what is happening. More importantly, I try to listen to what God has to say. It takes only five minutes and it helps keep me focused on what is important.
On this particular day after some weeks of stress and uncertainty, I had given up on asking God to fix the problem and was simply praying to God for comfort.
In the midst of this prayer I suddenly felt a strong, warm breeze blowing over me. Now the Hebrew word for Spirit, which is ruah, is also the word for wind or breeze. Through this ruah I immediately felt God’s comfort permeating me. As I realized God was actually talking to me the wind grew stronger and more intense. I was being hugged by God and it felt like it lasted forever, although I’m sure it lasted only a half a minute or so.
God told me that everything was in His hands and that I didn’t have to worry. After the encounter, I was able to let go of my stress and anxiety. I focused my energy on positive action and not on worry. Whether the company survived (which it did) or not was not important. What was important was the God directly told me that he had a plan for me and that I didn’t have to worry about it, I just had to follow the plan.
When we still our hearts and listen intently, God will talk to us and we will hear the word of God. And just as ruah hovering over the face of the waters transformed the darkness into light we will be transformed from darkness into light.
Has God ever spoken directly to you?
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