UNBELIEVABLE OCCURRENCES
T. Wieland Allen
Sometimes it just takes your breath away. Sometimes even we, as people of faith, can't fully believe the things that happen, all orchestrated by God for those who love Him.
A little background is pertinent to this story. Many years ago, about 20 to 25 years in the past, a dear friend named Cathi told me that she had had a dream in which my husband Steve and I were the primary players, with Cathi and others kind of on the outskirts of the dream. In the dream there was a long table beautifully set with ornate silver, gorgeous china, crystal and elegant decorations. She related to me that Steve and I had prepared the table for her and others and they would be treated and served with special care. It seems that her interpretation of the dream was that God's blessings were flowing to everyone pictured in the dream. Steve and I were doing the distribution of the blessings because we were the elders in the group.
I loved hearing about the dream and enjoyed her repeating it several times throughout the years to me and to other members of our prayer group.
Thirty years ago Steve and I had moved from a large two story house into a ranch style house in a nicer neighborhood. Property values had instigated the move. Some of the furnishings from the two story house had been relegated to a large storage facility not far from our new abode. I had not even peaked inside the storage bin in 30 years, didn't know what was still in there.
Steve died last year and my adult children came to help clean out the storage bin. The adult children and several of their own children were helping with the cleanup. If they wanted some articles themselves, that was fine with me. I didn't want any of it, figuring if I did without it for 30 years I can do without it again for another 30 years.
However, my daughter brought back to my home a large picture which had hung in our dining room in the old house. When I saw the picture I knew that it needed to be given to Cathi, who had had the dream.
The picture shows a long table with elegant gold eating utensils, plates and gold candlesticks. The picture goes on and on, with no end to the settings. The gold frame on the picture sets off its elegance. There is a caption below the picture that says something to the effect of, "Come now. All things are ready."
Cathi had not been to our prayer meeting in eight or nine months for two reasons: one being that she had had a severe case of shingles from which it took her months and months to recover. She also had become the primary caregiver for her mother who has Alzheimer's. Even though we talked on the phone occasionally, she no longer had any free time to join with us every Tuesday for Bible study and prayers.
I took the cleaned up, beautiful picture with me to Bible study at Jane's house, who was hostessing the meeting that Tuesday. I left it in the car with the intention of dropping the picture by Cathi's house after the meeting.
I was the first lady to get to Jane's house, after running five errands on the way there. I sat down and was resting when the door opened and Cathi breezed in like a breath of fresh air. It was a definite miracle. We had not seen her in eight or nine months but the same day I had the beautiful picture for her, she shows up for Bible study and prayers. It was what we call a "God thing." Jane had the day before, as a result of a fleeting thought, phoned Cathi's number and left a message that we were meeting at her house. After seeing Cathi enter, I ran to my car and retrieved the picture for her. She was completely speechless.
The only difference in the scene in the dream Cathi had and the picture that I had brought to her was that there were silver place settings in her dream and there were gold table settings in the picture. Gold is the sign of royalty. Kings and queens eat off of gold table settings.
We ate our lunch and before we began to give our prayer requests and begin praying, Cathi announced that we should look at the plates on which our meals had been served. They had the same gold etchings along the outside of the plates that were on the plates in the picture. We were flabbergasted.
Jane disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a gold plate that matched the ones on which we ate. The plate is an exact replica of the plates in the picture. To say we were astounded puts our reaction to the miracle in a term which is far from adequate.
The first miracle was that the picture was saved, brought to my house, put in my car and taken with me to Jane's house Second miracle was that Cathi walked in, whom we had not seen for eight to nine months. After Cathi rejoiced about the picture, she noted the third miracle, that the china on which we ate our lunch had the same etchings as the plates in the picture. Then the fourth miracle was that Jane went to her cupboard and brought out an exact duplicate of the gold china plates in the picture.
When we consider the orchestration to which God went to prove His love to Cathi, there is no doubt that He works mighty wonders in our behalf.
Sometimes it's hard for the human mind to believe, even though we have seen it and lived in the occurrences of a miracle.
God is the best and most wonderful Father who loves to confirm His love to His children.
This is one of those times I didn't even ask God how He did the miracle. I just know He has His marvelous ways.
Cathi remarked that the picture said to her that God had prepared her blessings for her years ago and they were waiting for her to access them. I call it a faith picture, a confirmation of the dream she had years ago. Cathi can now relish the fact that her Heavenly Father considers her His royal child, the daughter of a king, of which He has prepared, just for her, more than she dare think or desire, according to the power in her. The power in her is faith, the gift of faith that's given by God's Holy Spirit.
It says, "Come now, Cathi, for all things are now ready."
