God Still Speaks And Answers Prayers

Tuhan Masih Berbicara Dan Menjawab Doa
Seorang pemuda baru saja mengikuti Pendalaman Alkitab Rabu Malam. Pendeta itu membagikan pesan tentang bagaimana mendengarkan dan menaati suara Tuhan. Anak muda itu terheran-heran, ”Apakah Tuhan masih berbicara kepada umat-Nya?” Setelah kebaktian itu, ia pergi bersama beberapa teman untuk minum kopi dan makan kue pai, dan mereka mendiskusikan pesan itu. Beberapa orang menceritakan bagaimana Tuhan telah menuntun mereka dengan cara yang berbeda-beda.
Kira-kira jam 10 malam pemuda itu pulang ke rumahnya. Sambil duduk di mobilnya ia mulai berdoa, "Ya, Tuhan, seandainya Engkau masih berbicara kepada orang-orang, berbicaralah kepadaku. Aku akan mendengarkan. Aku akan melakukan segala hal yang terbaik untuk taat." Begitu ia mengendarai mobil itu melewati jalan utama, ia mendapatkan pikiran yang paling aneh untuk menghentikan mobilnya dan membeli segalon susu. Ia menggelengkan kepalanya dan berteriak dengan keras, ”Ya, Tuhan! Apakah ini suara-Mu?” Ia tidak mendapatkan jawaban apa-apa dan ia mulai mengendarai mobilnya lagi.
Namun lagi-lagi ia memikirkan untuk membeli segalon susu. Pemuda itu berpikir tentang Samuel dan bagaimana Samuel tidak mengenali suara Tuhan, dan bagaimana Samuel yang kecil bertanya kepada Imam Eli.
”Baiklah, ya Tuhan, kalau ini benar Engkau, aku akan membeli susu.” Nampaknya ini tidak sulit diuji kebenarannya. Kalaupun keliru, ia dapat meminum susu itu. Ia berhenti dan membeli segalon susu dan mulai mengarahkan mobilnya pulang.
Ketika ia melewati Seventh Street, ia mulai merasakan dorongan lagi, ”Belok ke jalan itu.” Ini gila, pikirnya, dan ia terus saja melewati perempatan itu. Kembali ia merasa harus berbelok ke Seventh Street. Pada perempatan berikutnya, ia memutar arah dan berbelok ke Seventh Street. Dengan setengah bercanda, ia berteriak dengan lantang, ”Baiklah, ya Tuhan, aku mau taat!”
Ia maju beberapa blok, ketika tiba-tiba, ia merasa harus berhenti. Ia menepikan mobilnya dan melihat-lihat sekeliling. Ia berada di daerah perdagangan di kota itu. Daerah itu bukan daerah terbaik, namun juga bukan lingkungan terburuk. Toko-toko dan kantor di situ sudah tutup dan kebanyakan rumah di sekitar itu tampak gelap, sepertinya orang-orang itu sudah pada tidur.
Kembali lagi, ia merasakan sesuatu, “Pergilah dan berikan susu itu kepada orang yang ada di rumah di seberang jalan itu.” Pemuda itu memperhatikan rumah yang dimaksud. Rumahnya gelap dan tampaknya penghuni rumah sedang pergi atau sudah pergi tidur. Ia mulai membuka pintu mobilnya dan kemudian berbalik duduk lagi.
“Tuhan, ini gila. Orang-orang ini sudah tidur dan kalau aku membangunkan mereka, mereka akan marah kepadaku dan aku akan tampak bodoh.” Lagi-lagi, ia merasa harus pergi dan memberikan susu itu. Akhirnya, ia membuka pintu mobilnya dan berkata, ”Baiklah, ya Tuhan, jika ini Engkau, aku akan pergi ke rumah itu dan aku akan memberikan kepada mereka susu ini. Seandainya Engkau ingin aku tampak seperti orang gila, oke saja. Aku mau taat. Paling tidak aku akan tahu sesuatu. Kalau mereka tidak segera keluar, aku akan pergi dari sini.”
Ia berjalan menyeberangi jalan itu dan membunyikan bel. Ia dapat mendengar keributan di dalam rumah itu. Teriakan seorang pria terdengar, ”Siapa di luar? Mau apa?” Kemudian pintunya terbuka sebelum pemuda itu dapat melarikan diri.
Pria itu berdiri di hadapan pemuda itu, memakai jins dan kaos oblong. Ia tampaknya baru bangun dari ranjang. Wajahnya tampak heran dan tidak terlalu senang mendapatkan orang asing berdiri di pintu rumahnya. ”Ada apa?” Pemuda itu menyorongkan galon susu, ”Terimalah ini, aku membawanya untukmu” Pria itu segera mengambil susu dan bergegas masuk ke dalam rumah.
Kemudian dari dalam tampaklah seorang wanita membawa susu itu ke dapur. Pria itu mengikuti isterinya sambil menggendong seorang bayi. Bayi itu sedang menangis. Pria itu mencucurkan air mata. Ia mulai berkata dan setengah menangis, “Kami baru saja berdoa. Kami memiliki tagihan yang banyak dan kehabisan uang. Kami tidak memiliki uang untuk membeli susu bagi bayi kami. Aku baru saja berdoa dan meminta Tuhan untuk mendapatkan susu.” Isterinya dari dapur berteriak, ”Aku berdoa supaya Ia mengirimkan malaikat. Apakah engkau seorang malaikat?”
Pemuda itu merogoh dompetnya dan menarik semua uang yang ada dan memberikannya kepada pria itu. Ia berbalik dan berjalan menuju mobilnya, sementara airmatanya mengalir di wajahnya. Ia tahu bahwa Tuhan masih berbicara dan menjawab doa-doa.
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God Still Speaks and Answers Prayers
A young man had been to Wednesday Night Bible Study. The Pastor had shared about listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice. The young man couldn't help but wonder, "Does God still speak to people?" After service, he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and they discussed the message. Several different ones talked about how God had led them in different ways.
It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, "God...If You still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey." As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, "God! Is that You?" He didn't get a reply and started on toward home. But again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk. The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn't recognize the voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli.
"Okay, God, in case that is You, I will buy the milk." It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home.
As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, "Turn down that street." This is crazy, he thought, and drove on passed the intersection. Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street. At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh. Half jokingly, he said out loud, "Okay, God, I will."
He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi-commercial area of town. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods either. The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed.
Again, he sensed something, "Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street." The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep. He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat.
"Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid." Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk. Finally, he opened the door, "Okay God, if this is You, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If You want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something, but if they don't answer right away, I am out of here."
He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, "Who is it? What do you want?" Then the door opened before the young man could get away.
The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep. "What is it?" The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, "Here, I brought this to you." The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway.
Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face. The man began speaking and half crying, "We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk." His wife in the kitchen yelled out, "I ask Him to send an angel with some milk. Are you an angel?"
The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put in the man's hand. He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face. He knew that God still speaks and answers prayers.
Source: Pentas Kesaksian