what He has done for me

I was recently asked an honest question. What proof do we have that God really can be trusted? That we can depend on Him? Not stories from other people we don't know, but what has happened to you?

So I wanted to share a few of the things He's done for me. I have shared one of these stories already, so those who read my blog each day, please forgive the repetition.

The examples I am going to share here are just the big ones. There are a million tiny examples throughout every day, when things go wrong, or I doubt myself, and I ask Him to help, and He's there for me. He reminds me of His presence and love in a million little things... tiny jokes that He places throughout my day to remind me that He's there. Little coincidences that would make no sense to anyone else, but connect things in an odd or humorous way that let me know He's watching over me.

One big way that He worked in my life was the day that I was about to die. I was in college, and was driving down the road one day when suddenly I couldn't breathe. I knew, in a way that I can't put into words, that I was going to die. I was at peace. I was happy about meeting God face to face. I started getting out of traffic so I wouldn't wreck when I died. But as I was doing that, I said to God, "I need to stay here a little longer. Too many people still need to hear about You." And as soon as I said that to Him, I could breathe again. I didn't swallow anything or cough. I could just breathe once more. Since that time I've felt like I'm on borrowed time.

Another way He worked in my life was the day I went on a mission trip and forgot my alarm clock. I didn't have a cell phone (this was before cell phones) and so I had no way of waking myself up in the morning. So I prayed, "God, You made the universe. You can do anything. Please wake me up at 7am tomorrow." And I went to sleep. The next morning, at exactly 7am, I woke up out of a deep sleep. I said thank you. And for the next week, He woke me up every morning at 7am.

When I got home from the mission trip, I picked up my alarm clock to set it. He said (in my mind, in my "heart"), "What? I can't wake you up anymore?" I said, "Well, You CAN... but..." and He said, "Trust Me." The next morning I woke up right on time. For the next fifteen years, He woke me up every morning, right on time.

In one of my college classes, I had skipped class the maximum number of times without failing the class. If I was late to class, the door was locked and it counted as an absence and I would fail the class. One morning, I woke up fifteen minutes after the class started. I said, "God! Why didn't you wake me up! Now I'm going to fail!" but I sensed He was doing something. I jumped up and put my shoes and a hat on and went to class in the shorts and t-shirt I was sleeping in. I went into the classroom, and all of the students were sitting there looking at me. Right after I came in, the professor came in behind me and closed the door, saying, "Sorry I'm late." God knew he would be late, and exactly how long it would take me to get ready and make it to class, and woke me up exactly at the right time. To someone who doesn't know Him, that might seem like a mean or strange thing to do... but when you know Him, you see it as another instance of Him showing me His love and care.

Another time, I was working at a camp, and a friend asked me to wake him up at 6am. As I went to bed, I said, "OK, God. You heard him. He needs to be up at 6." And I went to sleep. I didn't even have a watch or a clock, so I had no way of knowing what time it was, let alone an alarm to wake me up. In the morning, I woke up out of a deep sleep. I said, "Hey man. Time to wake up." He said, "Oh, OK." I said, "By the way, what time is it?" He looked at his watch and said, "6am, straight up."

There are lots of other examples I could tell, but the gist of the story is, God tells us in the Bible, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." That's what He's inviting you to do, today. If you know Him, come closer. He has more for you. When I was in the Jesuit novitiate, my director kept telling me to "get closer to Jesus" in my prayers. That's good advice for a lifetime.

 If you don't know Him, taste and see. Try Him out. Give Him a shot.

He won't disappoint you.

Seek Him, and you will find Him. Listen to Him, and your life will get better. It will be amazing.