"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matt
19:26b, NIV2)
Something strange happened to my computer on a Wednesday evening, 2 weeks ago.
My screen turned deadly black, and no matter how many times I tried to reboot
it, I was met with that lugubrious blackness.
The next day, Thursday, I tackled my dead computer head on. Using my wife's
computer, I searched online for how to fix this bugger. Unfortunately, none of
the online advice made any difference. Next I decided to call the computer's
manufacturer for help. After paying them a tidy sum, two technicians worked on
my computer for over two hours. Unfortunately, there were still no positive
results. The phone call ended with a promise that a "more experienced"
technician would contact me on Monday.
Just a day before this deadly black screen, my mom, who has advanced
Alzheimer's, was admitted to hospital in Belgium. During the night she was found
drenched in sweat with a heartrate of over 200 beats per minute. Everyone
suspected a cardiac anomaly. My mom was very weak, and we were warned to prepare
for the inevitable. Our prayers were two-fold: That she would not panic, as she
was prone to do so when in unfamiliar locations; and that we might be granted
one wish: To see her alive again.
While thinking about all of this, I realized that there are no coincidences in
life. Two attacks on different fronts over a 2-day period must have originated
from the evil one. As far as my computer was concerned, I had fallen into the
trap of trying to fix things on my own strength. The result was that I, along
with two frustrated technicians, were left wanting. And as far as my mom was
concerned, there was absolutely nothing I could do. Only One could come through:
my Heavenly Father who confirmed: "With man this is impossible, but with God all
things are possible." (Matt 19:26b, NIV2)
I spent time during the weekend with my Father. I relished this time with Him,
and Saturday afternoon, as I was enjoying His presence, I fell asleep. My wife
later on told me my dog had bumped my seat several times, and my cat had jumped
up on my lap twice, meowing loudly. Normally little bumps or tiny noises wake me
up, but not this time; and while I slept, I received a dream that made me aware
that God is in control. He confirmed for me that indeed, what happened to my mom
and my computer were attacks from the evil one. He then promised that I would
experience Matt 11:28 that weekend: "Come to me, all you who are weary and
burdened, and I will give you rest."
When I awoke, I remembered that God had indeed shown me His healing power in the
past. Although I had never heard praise reports of healed computers, If He heals
people, then why not my computer as well? After all, God is not limited. In
faith, I approached our Father, leaving my mom, as well as my ministry computer,
in His hands.
My mom began improving, and last Monday, she was discharged from the hospital.
According to reports, she didn't panic while in that strange location.
Right after my dream, I turned on my computer and miracle of miracles, it began
repairing itself. The black screen was not on! An hour later, however, we
noticed that it was stuck on 18% of the repairs. The next morning it was still
stuck at 18%. I had no choice but to turn it off. I decided to leave it in God's
hands. Why worry when He is in control? The evil one will do anything to make us
doubt God; but I, for one, wasn't going to fall into his traps.
After church, I decided to turn my computer on again. I didn't pay any attention
to it, as I was using my wife's computer. When I was finished, I looked up at my
computer monitor to find the login screen! Excited, I told my son: "My computer
works!" Sure enough, once I had logged in, the computer worked perfectly.
Indeed, my Heavenly Father had come through, as always. We can always trust Him:
"Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."
(Ps 50:15, NIV2)
The next day the computer technician called to help me repair my computer. He
became completely confused when I told him it was fixed. "That's not possible!"
He stated.
Why not? I wished he had asked me how it had been repaired. I would have told
him: "I prayed, turned on my computer and it was fixed!"
What a testimony. After all, if God heals, He can do anything that is impossible
to men, even resolving a deadly black screen. And the best part is, He does this
all for free! Now I wonder why I didn't just leave my computer in His hands
rather than in those of the technician…
Do you have computer problems? I have the solution: Trust our Father and He will
come through for you.
Rob Chaffart
Written on Thursday Feb 11, 2016
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