Seeing struggles through the lens of the cross: Part 1
In 1972, Cal accompanied a military friend to Korea where he planned to visit a ministry there. He had plans to fly back home to the U.S. on a military stand-by flight. As anticipated, Cal attended the service of the Korean church very early in the morning. He described over 300 people there gathered and kneeling to pray on a cold cement floor with no heat in the building. After an hour, the pastor rang a bell and they stopped praying. Cal preached a message and was in awe of the power of the Holy Spirit among these believers. He was told they came every morning to pray before work.
As is often the case after very momentous experiences of the Lord’s presence, the devil will fight, accuse, and lie to a believer. Even Elijah in I Kings 18:38, who witnessed the fire from heaven consuming Baal’s sacrifice, was so low that he hid and wanted to die afterward.
My husband’s journey home was a battle. At that time, there were no cell phones and communication was difficult. My husband made his way to the military airstrip to wait for a flight. He was placed in a room after registering for a flight where there were straight-back chairs and he was told that the sergeant would call his name when there was space available on a flight. He was told that he should not leave the room and that all active-duty military men would be ahead of him on the flight.
After three days and nights, Cal was severely sleep-deprived and low and went into a depressed mindset. He asked the Sergeant to make a phone call home to me. My husband came on the line and explained his situation. He also told me how distressed he was, and how he planned to leave the ministry as well as our marriage. The enemy had convinced him he was not useful in ministry and lied to him saying that our marriage was doomed as well. He hung up and I didn’t hear from him for days.
I was in a state of distress and shock. I had three children under the age of 12 that I was caring for. I knew that it was urgent to fight this spiritual battle and to intercede for my husband. I called two ladies that I trusted to come to my house and aggressively pray for intervention in my situation.
Let me stop here and ask you this question...... Do you have people in your life that right now you could trust to come and intercede with you in prayer about a dire situation?
We prayed that someone would go pray with my husband to encourage him and that he would miraculously have favor and get a flight home. When my friends left, I turned to Hebrews 11 and meditated on this scripture and the definitions of faith. I confessed out loud Christ's resurrection power that lives in me. Filtering my pain through the lens of the cross has been key in giving me hope. I then made a list of all those listed in Hebrews that lived out their faith and received miracles. I went around the house saying their names and believing for a miracle.
A few days later, I received a phone call that Cal was at the local airport ready to be picked up. When I arrived to pick up Cal, he was excited to see me and back to his normal self. He was apologetic and explained the happenings at the airstrip after we talked. He told me that after our phone call, a very unexpected thing happened. A stranger in a uniform appeared and tapped him on the shoulder and said “Cal, can I pray for you?” My husband said, “Sure”.
That stranger left the room, and Cal said that his insignia had the name of “ANGEL”, and no one knew who he was or where he disappeared to. After my husband questioned where Sgt. Angel was, they called his name to get on a plane home.
Have there been times when you needed the resurrection power of Jesus over a situation in your life? If not yet, the time will come when you need this confession of that power and you need trusted prayer warriors to do battle with you.
