Am I crazy or did God just wink at me?


A man holding a flute, smiling warmly in a formal setting.

AM I CRAZY, OR DID GOD JUST WINK AT ME?
Sometimes God speaks to us in a small, still voice, or perhaps it is just a wink. It is not necessarily the same type of experience that Moses witnessed with the burning bush where God called out to him in an audible voice from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!â€. It is often times more subtle than that, and if you listen, you just might hear God speak to your inner spirit. In fact, I believe that many of us have been winked at by God, but have just not made the connection.

When God winks at us, it is His way of saying “everything is going to be okayâ€.
In the book “When God Winks at You†by Squire Rushnell it reads –
“You’ve had another one of those days. Everything seems uncertain. You think: Wouldn’t it be great to wake up one morning and have everything certain? Certain about your job? Certain about your future? Who could you talk to about this? Bigger question, who’d listen?
Tentatively your eyes drift skyward.
Hello?
Are You there, God?
Then your mind quickly assesses the immensity of your request. You want God to listen to you, right now. How ridiculous. There are six billion people on this planet. What if they’re all calling God at the same time?
You slump. Deeper into the dumps.
Then — something happens.â€

Something small happens, like you open your Bible and a verse jumps off the page at you. It speaks directly to you. You ask yourself, could God be speaking to me? Is this one of those Godincidences, a wink from God?

“And why shouldn’t God speak to me?â€, I thought.
The Bible is filled with examples of God speaking to man. Yet, my human nature tries to explain it away as coincidence as I try to make logical sense of it.

On one occasion, I started questioning whether or not my inner spirit had really heard from God. I needed reassurance.  Was God listening?
When I opened my email Inbox, my eyes scanned the page and found an email sent by my brother Jamie.  The email subject line was  “The Voice in My Head”.  “Uh oh”, I thought, without first reading the email, “I really am hearing voices in my head, aren’t I?â€

My brother is the CEO of EDC Communications. It is not a religious article, but it starts out “I hear a voice in my head. No, I am not crazy … Sometimes it’s so subtle that we†(and I will finish the sentence in my own words), fail to identify the source of it or just ignore it out of fear of what other people might think.  Perhaps that is what I was doing now, failing to identify the source of my messages as being from God.

That very same evening I felt led to turn on Daystar, a Christian broadcast station. At the very moment that I turned to the station, the Reverend Jesse Duplantis was speaking of hearing from God.
“What!?“, I thought.  “A message about hearing from God?”
The message couldn’t have been  more spot on.

Jesse was returning home from a ministry trip, and while just prior to boarding the airplane, God spoke to him and said “Jesse, do not board the plane as there will be trouble with it“.
Hoping that this was just self-talking, Jesse questioned God, and God repeated Himself.

If I were to surmise what was going on in Jesse’s head at that very moment after being on a speaking engagement road trip for 3 weeks, it most likely would have gone like this …
“Ahh, come on God, I am tired and worn out and just want to go home” 
“Reeeeeea-lly?”
“Please tell me it is not true”.
Then, if Jesse were not frustrated enough already, God spoke again.
“Go and tell the person in charge of boarding the airplane that I told you that there would be trouble with the plane and that it was advisable not to board; that you would not be boarding, and that you wanted to take the next flight”.  
I am sure that the person in charge of taking the boarding passes thought that Jesse was certifiably crazy.
Jesse did not board the plane as God had instructed him.
When the plane was taxiing on the runway, one of the engines exploded and everyone had to evacuate.

Every small miracle, every “Godincidence” or “God wink” that we try to explain away as coincidence may be God’s way of communicating with us, an answer to prayer, a word of encouragement or assurance. It is God’s way of reassuring us that He has everything under control, no matter how difficult the situation.

So when should you act on that voice, thought or feeling? Sometimes that decision will be easy, for it will be based on experience. Other times it might be when we are feeling the Spirit of God during worship or when we are rightly related to God and conversant with Him through prayer and praise.

Prayer: Lord, should You decide to wink at me, help me to discern when it is from You; and then once I am assured that it is from You, may I have the faith and courage to act upon it.

 

Copyright 2014 by Bill Hutzel

 

Coincidence or Godincidence?


A man holding a flute, smiling warmly in a formal setting.
Picture of me at the Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair

Do you believe that God can speak to you? Did you ever wonder why you opened to a particular passage in the Bible that was relevant, and wonder if it was because of divine intervention? Perhaps you are being divinely guided.

Looking back on the first day of the National Flute Association convention that I was exhibiting at in Chicago this August, I asked God to speak a special blessing to me. I was anxious, as is normal for a big show, and concerned that I might not recoup the cost of exhibiting, or of not making enough sales in a traditionally slow month to pay my bills at the end of the month. I own The Flute Loft, a musical instrument business.

So on day one, just before going down to the convention hall, I asked God to speak to me through His Word. I randomly opened my Bible and began reading. I opened to Psalm 150, a psalm of praise. Psalm 150:4 said “praise him with strings and flutesâ€. Was it purely by accident or coincidence that I opened to this passage? I don’t believe so.

For those of you that believe that I randomly opened to this verse was just coincidence, I will not convince you otherwise, but I believe God was trying to get my attention. The reference to the musical instrument flute,  was I believe, divine timing, and really got my attention being that I was exhibiting flutes at a flute convention. However, whether it was a flute or some other instrument really doesn’t matter. What God wanted me to know from His Word was to always remember to praise Him in all things, and to trust in Him for my success. And with praise comes trust in God and God’s abundant grace.

How do we praise God? We praise God with strong faith, with love for Him for which He is delighted, and with the confidence that He is in control. So then, what God was trying to get through to me was, “Don’t be anxious. Don’t worry about what tomorrow will bring, but live for the moment. Relax in My presence and trust me for your fortune and destiny, for I will always be by your side. Now just trust me and let go. And remember to praise Me always for I delight in it”.

Copyright 2014 by Bill Hutzel

Things Aren’t Always As They Appear


A man holding a flute, smiling warmly in a formal setting.No matter how obvious something seems, it just may not be what you think. There is an expression that says “If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duckâ€? And rarely, is what appears to be an obvious truth, not the truth.  This humorous phrase implies that a person can identify a subject, without closely examining it, by its appearance only. But what if that duck looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, but needs batteries? Is it a duck?

The following is a true story.
“A woman was flying from Melbourne to Brisbane …
Unexpectedly, the plane was diverted to Sydney.

The flight attendant explained that there would be a delay, and if the passengers wanted to get off the aircraft the plane would re-board in 50 minutes.

Everybody got off the plane except one lady who was blind.

A man had noticed her as he walked by and could tell the lady was blind because her Seeing Eye Dog lay quietly underneath the seats in front of her throughout the entire flight. He could also tell she had flown this very flight before because the pilot approached her, and calling her by name, said, ‘Kathy, we are in Sydney for almost an hour. Would you like to get off and stretch your legs?’

The blind lady replied, ‘No thanks, but maybe Max would Like to stretch his legs.’

When the pilot exited the plane with the lady’s Seeing Eye Dog, all the people in the gate area came to a complete standstill.
The pilot was even wearing sunglasses.
People scattered.
They not only tried to change planes, but they were trying to change airlines!

How many times have you jumped to a conclusion prematurely about something and were completely wrong? I would venture to say “a lotâ€.  Proverbs 25:8 says“Don’t jump to conclusions – there may be a perfectly good explanation for what you just saw.†– Proverbs 25:8 (MSG).

In the Book of Job, Job’s friends wrongly concluded that their friend Job suffered because he was being punished for sins he had committed, for they believed that God would not cause anyone to suffer innocently. But the Bible says that Job was a righteous man.

“Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly†(John 7:24,). Do not be quick to judge based solely by a book’s cover.

Origination of phrase:
The phrase,“when I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duckâ€, is thought to have been coined by an Indiana poet by the name of James Whitcomb Riley (1849–1916). The phrase is sometimes referred to as the “duck testâ€.

The more common wording of the phrase may have originated during a labor meeting of the United Auto Workers in 1946 accusing a person of being a communist:  “I can’t prove you are a Communist. But when I see a bird that quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, has feathers and webbed feet and associates with ducks—I’m certainly going to assume that he is a duck†(Sentinel, John, September 29, 1946, “Communist Expose The Case of the Duck”).

Source of story herein:
Tall Tales … — Bell Air R/C Flyers, www.bellairrcflyers.com/about/tall-tales-truisms/

Prayer: Lord, help me to not judge the worth or value of something or someone by its outward appearance only, but help me to look more closely before making judgment.

 

Copyright 2014 by Bill Hutzel

Time with God Cannot Be Hurried


A man holding a flute, smiling warmly in a formal setting.

Forgive the cliché, but in a “fast food world†and in an America where men would like their cars fast from 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds, I suppose many of us regard prayer in the same way. Fast is okay, we think. Let’s just get our prayer done and get the show on the road. Besides, God will understand. I am busy, and I will have fulfilled my daily prayer obligation.

How many of us actually think that way? I got up this morning, downed my cup of coffee, said a few prayers and was off to work. But hold on a minute! “I think I just blew past my exitâ€, or at least in the sense that I missed God’s exit. God says, “Time with Me cannot be hurried. When you are in a hurry your mind drifts aimlessly back and forth between Me and your tasks at handâ€.

I recognize that prayer is often times difficult, especially when our thoughts are not focused on God to start with. My mind is running a mile a minute when I get up in the morning. But even with our busy schedules, God would ask, “could you not carve out from your busy schedule some time to pray to Me?â€

Too many people I have spoken to, either because they are too busy or because they can’t focus, do not strive or persist at prayer and give up after 5 minutes. One person, I know, went to her pastor after trying to set aside a time to pray, and said to her pastor that it was too hard and that she was giving up. Here is what a mom was quoted as saying “Another race against the clock with only seconds to spare for a few “popcorn prayers†shot up to the Lord throughout one more busy day in the life of a mom†(2004, Welchel’s Busy Mom’s Guide to Prayer xii).  

How many of us compensate, for lack of unhurried prayer time, by having “popcorn prayer time†or “flash prayers†throughout our day as a substitute? Please do not take this the wrong way because I believe sporadic prayers throughout the day are all well and good, for we are instructed to pray morning, noon, and evening; but I also believe God wants us to find some time alone with Him to pray. When we do, we will be filled with His Presence, peace, and joy.

God wants more than anything for us, to spend quality time with Him. And when we take the time to seek His face, only then can we commune with Him and transcend both time and circumstances.

Prayer: Lord, in my busyness, help me to stop and pray to You. Help me to set aside a dedicated time to You that is unhurried, a time that I can sit and listen to Your still voice without the clutter of busy thoughts.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE TO READ – “Lest We Forget”

Copyright 2014 by Bill Hutzel, All Rights Reserved

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Ducklings remind us to never give up

My niece Tracy Hutzel and Jason David posted to YouTube a video of ducklings trying to climb stairs in order to be united with their mother who was just ahead of them at the top of the stairs. To them, the stairs were their Mt. Everest.  The video went viral and has over 3 million views.  You will enjoy this short video.

ABC News reported, “These little ducklings are the perfect reminder to never give up on your goals, big or small”.

Similarly, we too should never give up on our deepest desires, and our quest to be victorious in prayer. Sometimes, however, things just don’t come easy, and I too am challenged by the steps I need to ascend. For me, as an example, it might be when I pray for something and it seems that God does not hear my prayers. I am impatient. But God would encourage me to keep persisting, just as we are reminded in the video of the ducklings who never stopped trying until they achieved their goal of being re-united with their mother who stayed near, and who never abandoned them.

What do you strive for?  What is your Mt. Everest?  For me, God also reminds me to pray fervently and keep at it. But my mind flitters back and forth between Him and my tasks for the day, my concerns and worries. Sometimes I don’t know what to pray, and prayer is seemingly dry and unproductive. Be encouraged though, and don’t give up. Paul encourages us to “strive to pray” (Romans 15:30).  Whether you feel like it or not, just do it!  That is half of the battle won.  “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God for you” (I Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Many people I have spoken to, either because they are too busy or because they can’t focus, do not strive or persist at prayer, and give up too easily.  One person I know, went to her pastor after trying to set aside a time to pray, and said to her pastor that it was too hard to pray and that she was giving up; not like the ducklings who in the video persisted and persisted until they conquered their Mt. Everest.

Interestingly, the mother duck in the video waited just ahead of her flock of ducks until all were united before moving on.  She never abandoned them. God too is faithful and waits for us, for it says in Deuteronomy 31:8 that “the LORD is the One who will go before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged”.

Copyright 2014 by Bill Hutzel