"THE TRUTH IS..." The Angel Of The Lord Encamps... Psalm 34:7: The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them." My practice has always been to confess a scripture over and over for as long as it takes for it to drop into my spirit like a quarter drops into a telephone coin box. When this happens, faith takes hold and the promise becomes real to me. About a dozen years ago, in the late 1980s, I had been confessing the above scripture daily and almost continually for about two weeks. I loved confessing it because it ministered to me the constant care of a loving Father. In those days my husband was still living and we lived in the suburbs of a northern Maryland town on a three and a half acre tract. Three of those acres had to be mowed every week of every summer and I helped by doing as much as I could during the day while my husband was at work. We used an International Cadet with a 48 inch sweep which my husband kept in good shape and always ready to use. We had a trailer we could hitch onto the back for hauling supplies (or grandchildren) but this sat on the sidelines unless needed. On the day of this particular story, I was in a hurry. We had set up swings in the backyard for the grandchildren who visited often, and normally I would shut the tractor down, tie the swings up and then mow between the posts. But on this day I chose to take a short-cut. I would just push the swings to the side as I breezed through. Please, do not ever try this! One of the swing chains caught the front end of the tractor, wheeled it around, and the next thing I knew it was climbing one of the iron poles that supported the swings. I turned off the ignition but it was too late. There I was, lying on the ground on my back with this massive hunk of tonnage standing on it's end and towering over me. Apparently the gas cap had not been screwed down all the way for it dislodged, fell off and gasoline poured out all over me. I couldn't move. Everytime I lifted a foot to get off, the tractor wobbled. I was still clutching the steering wheel, pushing against it, my feet pushing against the running boards as though these feeble attempts could hold that tractor up. I glanced around, hoping to see a neighbor. I saw no one. Our houses were approximately 100-200 yards apart but the views were open and we could always see when someone was in trouble. But on this hot summer day, the neighbors were in their air-conditioned home. I cried, "Help" so quietly a gnat could not have heard me. I was concerned that a loud outcry would relax my push or somehow upset the balance, and I doubt anyone would have heard me anyway. I was in one whale of a predicament, one that could soon end with that tractor tumbling down. Strangely enough, I was helpless, but I was not afraid. Peace that passes all understanding had blessed me with a clear mind and a rational disposition but there seemed to be nothing at all that I could do on my own. I knew somehow I would get out of this but everytime I tried to let go, the tractor wobbled and I had to resume my feeble push. After a reasonable evaluation of my circumstances I said, "Well, Lord." (and these were my exact words) "it's just you and me and I can't do anything." Immediately, a very powerful force pushed the tractor back against the pole and held it there. I could feel it jerk back and I could feel the heavy pressure against it, holding it there. The tractor was immovable! Then a voice said to me, "Let go, roll over three times then stand up and run." I knew that voice... Carefully, obediently, I lifted my feet slowly and released my grip on the steering wheel. The tractor did not wobble. Throwing my left leg over the steering wheel I made a dive to the ground, rolled over three times, stood up and ran about twenty feet. I turned to look back. The tractor hit the ground so hard, upside down and on it's steering wheel, that it bounced high in the air, flipped over and landed on it's side. Since I had been told to run I had expected it to explode. It didn't, and of course it couldn't. All the gasoline had spilled out over me. Then I saw why I was told to run. It was laying on the same spot where I had sprang to my feet after the three rolls on the ground. I waited there a few more minutes but everything was quiet - countryside quiet for no one had heard the crash. Everything in the small world of my immediate view seemed strangely fixed and completely undisturbed by this moment. It was almost as if time itself was standing still. In awe, I listened to the quietness and realized it was the calm that came with the presence of the Lord. Then the moment was gone and I was walking around the swings... I was drenched with gasoline from my hair to my feet, otherwise I did not have a scratch on me. I ran into the house and showered and showered and showered. I still smelled of gasoline! Freshened however, I telephoned my husband and told him about the tractor. I was so excited about my "deliverance" I didn't realize how bizarre my story sounded. My husband listened to my excited ramblings, paused before answering, then, "Are you okay? I don't care about the tractor, are you okay??? I assured him, I was fine. I told the story many times to anyone who would listen. I had expected my listeners to rejoice with me but most of them just returned blank stares and silence. Only the believers believed and rejoiced. The precious thing to me was that in my soul I KNEW! And no doubting Thomas or mocker could ever take that away from me. My husband believed me, oh how he believed! We both knew without any doubt whatsoever that the angel of the Lord had been encamping round about me and had delivered me. And every time I related the story, the Father was Glorified. God did not cause this accident to test my faith - please do not tempt the Lord with such nonsense. This accident was the result of my own stupidity. I was in too much of a hurry to take five minutes to make my pathway clear. Rebelling against the odds of accomplishing what I "thought" to do, I plunged, and even in that foolish circumstance, He placed me in the miracle zone where the angel of the Lord waited. It was because the angel was encamping and because I had acknowledged I could do nothing without Him, that He moved on my behalf. I shall never forget it as long as I live and someday I want to personally thank that angel that held the tractor up until I was safely out of harm's way. Now, my friends in the faith, start choosing your own confessions of God's Holy Word. Don't be foolish as I was, but trust Him to confirm it in His own time and in His own way. When faith in a particular Word becomes so real it becomes a part of you, He may test you to see if you really believe it, but don't force His hand, you will pass or fail the test soon enough. He will always find a time and a place and a way to manifest it's living truth to you. He really does hear and answer instantly when we cry out for He really does care about every detail of our lives. And those confessions are mini-prayers of praise. He will never fail to uphold His own Word when it is uttered with praise, thanksgiving and trust. He has said that His Word will never pass away. It will stand forever as the absolute truth, God's truth, and when we believe Him and agree with Him, miracles happen... Shalom and God Bless, Joan Krempel
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