He really is Alive!

God is amazing. There, I've blogged it and no doubt any non Christian readers will be a bit uncomfortable with such a statement but it has to be said...and read!

I mean, why else would we be travelling half way round the world if it wasn't because God has called us to?

There seems to be some doubt, even amongst Christians, that God does speak today. Well, I can categorically say He does and if you really want to hear Him and are prepared to give Him the time and commitment He will speak to you, too.

How does He speak? Well He has spoken through dreams and visions and He has spoken to me really profoundly when I am reading His word. I know the cynic would say it's all coincidence but let me share my experience this morning.

I was praying and reading from Matthew and was feeling a bit like Peter after he had denied Jesus three times. I am full of concerns that I am not 'good enough' for the task God has called us to, and was expressing that, not very well as I prayed. I usually pray with my eyes closed, that seems to be the "right" thing to do, but this morning I opened my eyes and had a heart to heart, a good old chat with Him and told Him exactly how I was feeling.

Among other things I told Him how amazed I was that He would choose me to go to Cape Town. Amazed that 55 years ago, when I was in my mother's womb he had planned all the days of my life. This then made me think of Psalm 139, one of my favourite Psalms, (one that I want read at my funeral!)

He led me to read Isaiah 29 and I had previously highlighted verses 13 and 14, verses which speak of Christians who are only paying lip service to their faith and giving hollow worship.

At this I began to worry that He was now directing these words at me, but He led me to read on and immediately I was struck by verse 16:

"Shall what is formed say to him who formed it,

'He did not make me'?

Can the pot say of the potter,

'He knows nothing'?"

The note at the bottom of the page directed the reader to Psalm 139!

Reading again this Psalm the lines that stood out as if illuminated were verses 9 and 10:

"If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea

even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast."

I call that God's comfort to me in my time of struggle. I had spoken to Him about my fears and had talked to Him about Psalm 139 and he had heard and led me to read over a particular part.

Fanciful?

No, faith. This has happened on more occasions than I can count. God is faithful. He is real and He wants to speak to His people if only we will make time to listen.

As I said, for no other reason would we be going to "settle on the far side of the sea" if it were not for God leading us to.