Parting the Red Sea PT 2

The flight attendent shut the door to the small commuter jet as I took my seat. I had made it! I never had time to call my brother to see if my dad was still with us. People were laughing and talking all around me as we took off. I looked out the window and silently prayed. Please God-I got this far. Let me say goodbye to my Dad.

The voice of the enemy was loud. "You'll never make it! Don't you remember the people you've known who tried this? Their parent died while they were stuck in some airport! You are a loser! Things like this never work for you! .....You don't have the money for this! .....What about the rental car-you can't afford it!!! ......And when you land there will be the rush hour traffic! THIS IS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA YOU FOOL!"

I shook myself and and silently repeated a verse I memorized years ago: Greater is He who is in you, than he who is in the world. But my stomach clenched as we approached the airport. I looked down from the plane at eastbound Interstate 10, the freeway I would have to take. It was a parking lot of course at 5:30 pm. I gritted my teeth and waited.

When I got into the airport I headed for the rental car desk. As I walked I called my brother on my cell, bracing for the news that my father was dead. "He's still with us Rob! " my brother said excitedly. "He knows your coming! The hospice people are amazed-he's waiting for you. But you know the traffic-you probably won't get here for almost 2 hours..."

I rented a car as fast as I could and headed for the freeway. As my vision blurred with tears as I imagined what was to come, I turned onto the onramp. Traffic slowed as I got on and then cleared up. As I sped up to 65mph I could see clear lanes ahead! Well, at least I had a little bit of fortune, but I knew it wouldn't last. How frustrating to be so close but so far! Up ahead, a cloud of dust rolled up into the sky as the traffic slowed to a crawl. "Here we go.." I groaned inwardly. "An accident. That's it then." My stomach churned. But suddenly the traffic cleared. It wasn't an accident and I was back up to speed. As mile after mile went by my hope and amazement grew.
The traffic disappeared! For the next 60 miles I sped along and made it in half the time! When I entered the room all heads turned in disbelief when they saw it was me.
"How in the world! I can't believe it....." blurted my sister-in-law. My brother hugged me as my mother cried out with joy. And my father...as I leaned over him to hug him I saw him try to smile and talk. I could see the happiness in his eyes . His mouth tried to move, probably to say something like "It's good to see you, old chum...."

My dad died a few hours later. But even as I cried, I thanked God for clearing the way, for sustaining him,.......for giving me a miracle.

Parting the Red Sea-in Southern California Pt. 1

If we are honest, all of us doubt God at times. When we read the incredible miracles of the Bible, such as the raising of Lazarus, Peter walking on water, etc., we often think "Wow-that would be incredible. If only....." I often think, without getting into theological issues here, that evangelism would be so much more fruitful if there were parting of the Red Sea-type events to illustrate the power and reality of God. In the day- to- day of ministry we can see fruit from hard work sometimes, but other times not much happens. We pray and pray -and where is God? After a while it's easy to begin to wonder-is he really there or am I just a wishful thinker? Can I point to any iron clad evidence He is truly at work in the here and now? After all, some things can be explained by coincidence or positive thinking (you could call it the" placebo effect" of faith).

But not this time.

God showed up this summer, more than once in a way that I think is impossible to explain away. The first time seems minor, but was still amazing. We were driving in our minivan on the way to Fort Collins for our staff training. In the middle of nowhere, nothing but sagebrush for 20 miles in either direction, the car suddenly died. With no warning the engine just quit.(It turned out to be vapor lock or something similar). It was nearly 100 degrees out, we were loaded down with stuff, little kids, a big dog and bikes hanging off the back. It was not a good moment. But it died right in front of a gas station. A little shack, basically. Now what are the odds of that? After a little while and more gas, we were on our way. Incredible-but God was only getting started.

When we went to Colorado, we knew my Dad didn't have long to live. The hospice people thought he would go into a coma once his kidneys shut down, and possibly be that way for weeks. So when the call came at 9 am one day telling me he probably wouldn't last the day I was suddenly in a crisis. I called the airlines-a flight from Denver would get me to So Calif by 5:45 pm. I would have to rent a car and drive during rush hour, putting me there probably around 8 pm. My brother and the hospice nurse really believed I would never make it-his vitals were so low he would be gone by the afternoon. He hadn't spoken for two days and was out of it from heavy pain medication. I asked if I could speak to him and they held the phone up to his ear. As I wept I told him I loved him and was trying to come to him but didn't know if I could. Suddenly his voice came over the line, telling me he loved me and understood. My brother got back on the line, stunned "Rob-he heard you! We can't believe it!"

Within the hour I decided to go for it. My brother told me Dad's eyes had new light in them when they told him I was coming. As Miriam drove me to the Denver airport, I prayed-please God, let me be with him. When I got to the airport I found my flight had been delayed-I would only have 15 minutes to connect with the flight in Salt Lake. When we landed , the connection was at the furthest possible gate from where I disembarked. Would I make it? Would they close the doors on me?

(To be continued.....)