Missing Heaven’s Nudge

Currently I am reading the latest book by Bruce Wilkinson titled, “You Were Born For This.” It has inspired many thoughts and examples in my own life in regard to partnering with God for miracles. I would like to share some of those thoughts, but first I want to outline the premise of Bruce’s book, (which I recommend highly).
The first premise follows the popular concept mentioned in Henry Blackaby’s book, “Experiencing God,” namely that God is always at work according to Jesus in John chapter 5. Bruce describes heaven’s agenda as constantly looking to work on the behalf of those whose heart is faithful toward Him (2 Chron 16:9). The belief is that God sees, God cares, and that God wants to answer in miraculous ways in the lives of those whom He loves. How many of have needs? How many of us question if God really cares? How many of us are trying to convince God to act on our behalf?
The second concept is that there are 3 ways in which God performs the miraculous: 1. God acts solely to perform the miracle (e.g., the creation). 2. God sends an angel or angels to provide the miracle (e.g., God’s answer to Daniel’s prayer). 3. God uses humans (us) to deliver the miracle to others (e.g., we lay hands on the sick and they recover – we are His body so I believe God's first desire is to "co-labor" with us. See 1 Cor 3:9 and 2 Cor 6:1).
There is another concept he teaches that I want to mention. That is that our good deeds or acts of service are necessary but NOT miraculous. Acts of service are more appropriately called ministry (to serve is at the heart of the meaning for the word “ministry). Our ministry added to God’s supernatural power results in miracles.
Understanding these things, recently I went through the passage in Numbers where God tells Moses to send heads from each of the tribes of Israel into the Promised Land to spy, or scout out the land. What Moses tells them to look for reminded me of our modern demographic reports when we look at an area we hope to possess for the Lord by planting a church. “Look the land over, see what it is like. Assess the people: Are they strong or weak? Are there few or many? Observe the land: Is it pleasant or harsh? Describe the towns where they live: Are they open camps or fortified with walls? And the soil: Is it fertile or barren? Are there forests? And try to bring back a sample of the produce that grows there — this is the season for the first ripe grapes."(Num 13:18-20 Message).
My paraphrased result of this assessment to the majority was, “We cannot do it. If we try we will fail miserably. It will result in much loss to our assembly (denomination), our families, and our witness.” Notice how the whole congregation missed God using them to perform the miraculous because they only looked naturally. This affirms in my mind the scripture that says, the world by human wisdom cannot know God (1 Cor 1:21). I think it would be fair to also say our wisdom prevents us from experiencing God at times. How many miracles do we miss because in our own logic we are afraid to step out and respond to God’s heart revealed in scripture, or heaven’s nudge upon our hearts?
The Bible teaches there is an exceeding great power that is available to work in us who believe it (Eph 1:19). What happens when we do not believe that God wants us to act? What happens to the prayers of those who have stepped out in faith when God wants to use someone and their ministry gifts to be used to answer that prayer but they doubt?
I think the interaction is similar to that found in the story of Ananias found in Acts chapter 9. God says, “Ananias I want you to go and pray for a man that is praying named Saul so that he can receive his sight.” Ananias responds, “I have heard about this man – he is a bad man who hurts your people and he has come here to do the same.” God again tells him, “Go!”
What if Ananias refused to go? What if God prompted others and they refused to go? What happens to Saul? What happens to his eternal soul? What happens to everyone he was meant to reach by his preaching? You may say, “I would never refuse God. I wouldn’t have even argued with God.” But…let me ask you … is that really so?
How many believe in reaching the world with the gospel? What have you done to accomplish that?
How many believe in church planting? Yet how many of you pastors actually initiate a church plant or support church plants within our fellowship?
How many people believe they have been gifted by God to serve? Yet, how have you used those gifts and resources that God has given you? (I have met many prophets, teachers, and leaders who are merely judges of what another person is doing for God).
How did Phillip feel the nudge of heaven to leave an existing work to minister to a culturally different man leaving his city in a chariot? What if he missed heaven’s nudge?
One morning as I was praying, I felt a nudge, “Go to George Webb’s (restaurant).” I don’t like George Webb’s for a number of reasons: the food, the cigarette smoke, the atmosphere, etc. So when I felt this nudge I pondered if it might be God. So I went to grab my things and continue my devotions at the restaurant. I felt another nudge, “Grab some tracts also, you are going to need them.”
I sat at a table and ordered a cup of coffee and began to read my Bible placed on the table in front of me. I kept my head in the book so to speak, in spite of seeing a man smoking a cigarette at the counter looking at me. He approached my table and declared, “That’s a Bible!” In a somewhat sarcastic tone I responded, “Good job. You’re right!” But then I felt heaven’s nudge again so I changed my tone and asked the man, “Have you any experience reading the Bible?” That opened up a long conversation which resulted in me leading the man in prayer to the Lord for forgiveness and salvation. This man agreed to be discipled and is still in the church today.
Recently I felt the nudge to plant a church in the Oconomowoc area so my wife and I began to reach out into the area. One minister offered to create signs for the church, as a result the signs sat unused during the week at our home just southwest of Oconomowoc. One day I felt the nudge to just stand them out in the yard for the traffic to see. As a result, a man stopped at the house and inquired about the church. He told us how his past experience with churches had made him bitter. But as he drove by going to work day by day, he felt prompted to stop and ask about the church. He was obviously hurting from the lack of concern showed to him by a previous church. We took the time to answer his questions in spite of him seeming antagonistic. We invited him to a study/worship time in our home and a meal afterward and now he is helping to get the word out about our church plant. He believes we are a miracle for his family.
There are many other stories that I have experienced since that time; many involve the church plant where I pastor now. But my question is not just, “what if I had missed heaven’s nudge?” rather, “how many other nudges have I missed?”