A Lightning Example of Seeing God
The personal testimony of John
Brettschneider
 Over the years I have often said that I
never get messages from God on a lightning
bolt. Over the last 26 years, I have observed
that God normally chooses to speak softly,
never audibly, and most frequently through his
word. Exceptions to this are rare indeed,
but they do occasionally happen.
Well, anyway, to set the stage I need you
to know that Pat and I have thought of our
house (paid for in the country, with our
locked gate) as our refuge and hedge: a
protection from financial ruin and/or the
ravages of a society waxing worse and worse
every day. We have seen it as a safety net,
and all too often the focal point of our
affections. I have often referred to it as
our sanctuary. We have been trusting in
what we have built a little too much, and
for all the wrong reasons. In it we have
felt snug and secure, insulated from
many kinds of harm.
Well, at 11:00 PM, as the storm rolled thru,
a lightning bolt tore a gaping hole through
the roof, setting it briefly on fire. The
phone lines vaporized in the attic setting
the insulation on fire, also. The phone jacks
and junction boxes exploded leaving large
burns on the interior walls. The TV is toast,
the VCR gone. The answering machine exploded
sending parts and charred plastic everywhere.
We don't know about the Direct TV, as it is
difficult to ascertain damages without a television.
The heating and air conditioning are still out, and rain
continues to come thru the roof. The blast blew chunks
out of the rock work under the wood burning
stove in the living room when the bolt jumped
thru the rock work into the foundation, sending
debris everywhere with a deafening crash.
We had to drive three miles in the pouring
rain to reach a phone to call 911 for the
volunteer fire dept.
All in all a rather exhilarating experience,
as I was just a few feet from the bolt when it
tore thru the living room.
No one was injured, but we were both pretty
shook up.
It is important to note that this particular
lightning bolt ignored plenty of other
"sinners" on higher ground, as our home is in
a small valley with hills on three sides.
It ignored the steel barn and the utility pole
(also on higher ground). It also ignored a
three inch diameter steel lightning
rod sunk five feet into the soil at the other
end of the house, (a scant 35 feet away), and
against all logic, it crashed thru the roof and
chased inside the house directly to me, yet
without actually hurting me in any way. Ours
was apparently the only house in northern
Hays County to take so direct a hit in the
storm!
 Ok, so much for the statistics. Let me tell
you what really happened. God chose that day
and hour to tell us both that He alone wants
to be our hedge and security blanket. The job
is just a job. the toys are only toys, and
our precious home is only a house. None of
these things are of lasting value, and none
of them can satisfy. Seeing the house as our
shield, hedge or protection is idolatry plain
and simple; and we are both guilty of it.
Corrie Ten-Boom's words ring loud and clear
in my ears. "Don't hold on to things too
tightly, as it is painful when they are torn
from your grasp".
We are blessed indeed that God should in
his wisdom and mercy honor our home with a
new and deeper understanding of this obvious
truth. This was no accident! It is no
exaggeration when I say with absolute certainty
that this was a deliberate choice of God,
and that on this singular occasion, we did
literally get a message from the throne room
attached to a lightning bolt.
In days gone by God has usually chosen my
employment to get my attention. It's good to see
that He is creative and innovative in finding ways to
communicate directly with us. Pat and I are
firm in our conviction that this was a
planned event for our growth.
We now see with
new clarity that He alone is our
shield and protector. It is nice to know that he loves
us enough to bless us in this way on this
occasion.
It's only a house.
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