A Confession Of Doubt And Frustration, Part 2

It is not often that I break a post into two parts. Occasionally, I will do a series of multiple posts, but even then each one is usually self-contained for the most part. However, my last post was not that way. It was clearly only part one of a two part story about doubt and frustration. If you have not read the last post, you must first go and do it now (click here). Trust me, it is necessary if you want to understand this post.

Doubt From Last Post

I ended my last post with several questions.

How do we get out of the quicksand?

How do we regain our footing?

How do we get back to the truth?

The Rest Of The Story

Well, here is the VERY cool part of my story. If I had not witnessed it myself, I would not believe it. I promise you I am pretty skeptical. However, I promise you what happened next is real and actually happened. No joke.

At the end of the second day of this meeting, I was sitting in my hotel room working on my notes and trying to formulate action plans for improving our performance. I had ordered room service because the weather outside was not that great.

When the knock on the door came, signaling that my food had arrived, I let the waiter into my room. He was smiling and very friendly. I helped him bring the cart to the side of the desk where I had been working. As I helped get the cart in place, he spoke.

Out Of The Blue!

“I have been trying to memorize Psalm number 40,” he said in broken English (he was Hispanic). I processed the words, but I did not immediately realize what he said. It took my mind a split second or two to respond.

“I am sorry…what did you say?” I asked.

“Uh, Psalm number 40…you know, from the Bible? I am trying to memorize it!” he replied. As he said this, he pulled out a very worn piece of paper and began unfolding it. He held it out so I could see it.

I Didn’t Know What To Think

Dumbfounded, I asked to hold it. The page was filled with fairly rough handwriting, in Spanish. I could not read it, but it was obviously laid out in verses on front and back. I handed it back to him.

He asked if I was familiar with Psalm 40. I knew in the back of my mind that I had read it before and remembered it to be a familiar Psalm, but I could not recall the theme. I asked him what it said to him. I wanted to know both what it was about and what it meant to him.

He said he did not really know how to describe it in English. I then realized my laptop was on and the Bible online already open because I was planning to come up with ideas for some posts after lunch. I typed in Psalm 40 and began to read. Here are the first 5 verses:

Psalm 40:1-5

I waited patiently for the Lord,
and He turned to me and heard my cry for help.
He brought me up from a desolate pit,
out of the muddy clay,
and set my feet on a rock,
making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the Lord.

How happy is the man
who has put his trust in the Lord
and has not turned to the proud
or to those who run after lies!
Lord my God, You have done many things—
Your wonderful works and Your plans for us;
none can compare with You.
If I were to report and speak of them,
they are more than can be told.

I Could Not Believe It!

Folks, I don’t know about you, but that was simply incredible to me! I quickly looked around the room to see if there had been anything that would have caused him to start that conversation. There was nothing. Even the Bible website had been minimized at the bottom of my laptop screen. This truly came out of the blue without natural explanation.

As I read the verses, it was clear to me that God had used this man to speak directly to my heart. He wanted me to know that honoring Him with my business was more important than the success. While I can certainly improve in areas, God is more concerned with my trust being in Him. He really touched me.

We talked for the next several minutes about God and how awesome He is. I thanked him for sharing with me. We really did not communicate through language that well, but our eyes made real contact. I know I will see him again one day, that is for sure!

Take Aways

So what do I take from this encounter?

Well, for starters, God has not forgotten me. When I needed it, He sent me a word that changed my outlook! He sent me a direct message that brought my focus right back to where it is supposed to be.

He literally brought me and my attitude out of the pit and put me on solid ground again. He put a new song in my mouth and He showed me where to place my trust – in Him, not in those who run after lies.

I have more to say on this encounter, but I will save it for another post. Let’s just say that I think this encounter will teach me more than what I gathered at first glance.

What would you take away from this experience?

Have you experienced anything like this?

Did the experience have an impact on you?

Photo by DragonImages/iStock