lightning to my soul

hanifa · Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2004 5:53 pm Post subject: lightning to my soul

In 1985, my husband and I met some friends of friends. We had an interest in visiting with them because of the connection with the folks we mutually knew, but there was also some hesitancy because we had heard that they were "christians".

I did not have animosity toward "christians" but felt a little sorry for them as my experience with the "christian" world had been soured by the hypocrisy and insincerity I had seen in it. I had never met a real christian...that is to say, one who had the life of Christ.

The first evening of our visit, the man of the house asked if we would have worship with them. I was an earth worshipper at the time, complete with yoga and meditation, and I believed that the sun was god. I also imagined myself open minded and so agreed to sit in on their "worship".

The first words he read were, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy". I don't remember another word he said. At that moment, I was transported to another reality, so to speak. It was as if bells were going off in my head and a fire was blazing in my heart. Prior to this, I had never even heard of the Sabbath, except a distant, obscure reference one time to something the Jews were into but no real knowledge of what it was.

Not only was the orchestra in me celebrating that I KNEW the Sabbath was the Sabbath, (how the Spirit in me rejoiced while my human mind was dumbfounded in trying to take it all in), but I KNEW that I had heard the Voice of God in my soul and He assured me that His word was true. I did not need Bible studies or any doctrine to receive this truth.

Human words cannot express the connection with heaven I felt at hearing these few but precious words. My life was never the same.

I did not want to become a 7th day adventist but I did know that the 7th day was the 7th day because God told me Himself. I needed no other convincing.

When we returned from the trip, my husband discouraged me from seeking out fellowship at a local 7th day adventist church, to which I readily agreed, but I felt I did not know "how" to keep the Sabbath. As I look back to those days, of me sitting on my front porch with my children, simply reading to them from the Bible in my attempt to keep the Sabbath holy, my heart is touched with a great tenderness towards that young woman who was doing all she knew to follow after God.

Many changes have taken place since 1985 and each successive day has brought me closer to the heaven that touched my soul the day I was awakened to the Sabbath. Each day has brought me to experience the Sabbath more fully. The Sabbath, God's great rest for man, is about the very life of God lived in human flesh, so that the human may cease from all his labors, just as God did. I see that God did/does everything so excellently that all I can say is, "Very good. Well done Thou Good and Faithful Husband."