Participants:
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC202327S
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00:36 [clock ticking] 00:43 >> Welcome to It Is Written 00:45 Canada. 00:46 Thank you for joining us. 00:48 >> In some countries around the 00:49 world, sharing the gospel is 00:51 completely forbidden. 00:52 >> Practising Christianity in 00:54 these countries is illegal, 00:57 and participants could face 00:58 fines, imprisonment, 01:01 beatings, or even death. 01:02 >> Our special guest today is 01:04 Don MacLafferty, who knows from 01:06 personal experience how every 01:07 moment matters when you risk 01:09 your life to spend time 01:11 in these countries. 01:13 >> Yes, Don has witnessed 01:15 firsthand how the angel of the 01:17 Lord encamps around all those 01:20 who fear Him and rescues them. 01:23 >> Don, thank you for joining us 01:25 on It Is Written Canada today. 01:27 >> I'm excited to be here again. 01:29 [RENÉ] So, Don, God has called 01:31 you into countries where sharing 01:34 the gospel is prohibited. 01:36 [DON] Yes. 01:37 [RENÉ] You can't preach 01:38 about Jesus, you can't even 01:41 admit that you're a Christian 01:43 and no Bibles are allowed. 01:46 So can you tell us 01:47 how God lead you 01:49 into one of these 01:51 closed countries? 01:52 >> Absolutely. 01:53 While I was living in Canada, 01:55 actually, I got an invitation to 01:57 go to one of these countries. 01:59 And so my wife and I prayed 02:01 about it earnestly, because when 02:03 we heard that Bibles are 02:05 illegal, I thought, "Wow, 02:07 I can't even take my Bible 02:08 on this?" 02:09 And I had to be honest with my 02:10 wife and say, "If I'm caught... 02:14 ...making disciples for Jesus, 02:16 it won't go out with me. 02:17 It will be first to prison and 02:19 then probably a torture and then 02:21 probably, you know, lose my life 02:23 off with my head." 02:24 So, and that's not being 02:25 over dramatic, that's just 02:26 the truth. 02:27 So we really prayed as a couple 02:29 and could not deny the fact that 02:30 God was calling. 02:32 And so I sent off 02:35 the paperwork, necessary 02:36 paperwork to that embassy of 02:38 that country and waited 02:40 in Alberta, Canada, where we 02:42 lived at the time, and said, 02:44 "God, we need this visa." 02:46 And it didn't come, it didn't 02:47 come, and I thought, "Well, is 02:48 this an answer? 02:49 Maybe God is saying, don't go 02:50 after all," I was really kind 02:52 of baffled about the timing. 02:54 Finally, just maybe two weeks 02:56 before the trip, it comes. 02:57 Oh, I'm so excited. 02:58 I rip it open and I say, "April, 03:00 it came, it came!" 03:01 And I look at it and I, like, 03:04 my face just fell. 03:05 I was like, "I can't 03:06 believe this." 03:07 They have my name, not just 03:09 misspelled with a letter or two, 03:11 but it was so misspelled I 03:13 couldn't even recognize my name. 03:15 And I thought, "This is not 03:16 gonna work. 03:17 How can I get into to this 03:19 country with such a thing?" 03:20 Because they'll compare it with 03:21 my passport, of course, and 03:23 they'll say this is not a match. 03:25 So I told April, I said, "I'm 03:28 gonna go out into the forest." 03:29 And I said, "God," I said, 03:31 "Here's a situation. 03:32 You know it already, but I'm 03:33 presenting to You my case. 03:35 And the situation is You've 03:37 called me to go to this country 03:39 and we prayed as a couple and I 03:41 know You're calling me to go, 03:42 but this visa 03:43 is not gonna work." 03:45 And I waited on God, and I said, 03:47 "So what do I do?" 03:48 And that still, small voice of 03:50 God said to my mind and to my 03:52 heart, "Don, this visa 03:55 is not what's going to get you 03:56 into this country. 03:57 I'm going to get you into 03:59 this country." 04:00 And by the way, I kissed and 04:02 hugged my wife and held her so 04:04 tight before I went on this trip 04:05 and the same for the kids, 04:06 because I did not know 04:08 honestly, if I'd ever return. 04:10 And I landed into that country. 04:13 My heart was beating like this 04:15 and I thought, "I know what 04:16 they're gonna do 04:17 with my visa. 04:18 They always hold it up 04:19 and they compare it with my 04:20 passport and they look at my 04:21 face in between and see if it 04:22 all matches." 04:23 And so I waited in my long line 04:25 and went up and my heart is just 04:27 racing like this. 04:28 And the man behind the desk 04:29 says, "Next," and I come up 04:31 and, "Passport, visa," I hand it 04:34 to him and he does exactly what 04:35 I knew he was gonna do. 04:36 He holds it up just like this 04:38 and he's seeing my face, 04:39 you know, in the line 04:40 standing there, and he's going 04:41 like this back and forth. 04:43 Now he sees that visually 04:45 there's a match, so there's no 04:46 problem there. 04:47 But I know he's comparing 04:49 the terrible 04:51 name on the visa, 04:53 terribly misspelled 04:55 with my passport. 04:56 And he's going back and forth, 04:57 back and forth. 04:58 It seems like hours, but I know 04:59 it's only seconds. 05:00 And I'm waiting there. 05:01 And I try to give him the 05:02 biggest smile. 05:03 And then I know 05:05 God intervened 05:07 because there's no way 05:08 he should have said, you know, 05:10 you're fine. 05:10 He looks at me and he gives me 05:12 the biggest smile and he says, 05:13 "Welcome to our country," 05:15 like this. 05:16 And so I said, and I tried not 05:18 to be surprised, I said, "Well, 05:20 thank you so much. 05:21 That's wonderful. 05:22 I am happy to be here." 05:23 And I went marching right in. 05:26 [MIKE] So, God did take care of 05:27 that situation absolutely. 05:28 [DON] Yes, He got me in. 05:29 >> So there was another country 05:31 that, not the same country, 05:33 where it was also dangerous and 05:35 you were training God's people, 05:37 but your life was 05:39 at risk. 05:40 You wanna tell us about that? 05:42 [DON] Yes. 05:42 Yes, you know, 05:44 this is-- there's so many 05:45 countries that are restricted 05:47 against the gospel. 05:48 It's not just a few, it's many, 05:49 many, many countries. 05:51 So I had another invitation to 05:52 go to that country and... 05:56 ...I got into the country okay. 05:59 It wasn't anything too scary 06:00 other than that my contact 06:02 person never showed up for about 06:03 an hour, hour and a half. 06:05 And so I was trying to think 06:07 about what to do. 06:09 And the the police 06:11 in the airport 06:12 are watching for people 06:14 that are “strays,” you know, 06:15 the people that are not supposed 06:16 to be there. 06:18 And I can see they were coming 06:19 in closer and closer because I 06:22 wasn't moving and I was a 06:23 foreigner. 06:24 I didn't look like the people in 06:25 that country. 06:26 And they were coming closer and 06:27 closer and I said, "God, my 06:29 contact person hasn't come yet." 06:31 He was a believer that I had 06:33 seen before, I had been to this 06:34 country before. 06:36 And I watched the time. 06:38 A half an hour, an hour goes by. 06:40 And the police are literally, 06:41 you can watch them as their 06:42 suspicion rises. 06:44 They're closing in. 06:45 They have a ring of them. 06:47 And I said, "God, what do I do?" 06:49 This is all silent prayers, 06:50 of course. 06:50 And He told me what to do. 06:52 And I said, "Really, God? 06:54 That council seems too far out 06:56 of bounds for me." 06:57 Stronger He said, "Do what I've 06:58 told you to do." 06:59 So I got the biggest smile on my 07:02 face, marched up at His command, 07:05 at God's command, I marched 07:06 right up to the officer in 07:08 charge of all of those men 07:11 and I said, "Excuse me, sir." 07:13 I said, "I am so delighted to be 07:15 in your country. 07:16 I have a habit of wherever I go 07:18 around the world, I like to get 07:19 a postcard for my wife and for 07:22 my children and send them 07:23 postcards with a beautiful 07:24 picture of your country. 07:26 But I don't speak the language 07:28 here in this airport, and I 07:29 don't know where these are. 07:31 And what can I do?" 07:33 And immediately, the man did 07:35 some kind of secret signal, 07:37 and immediately 07:38 I was surrounded in a tight 07:40 group with all of his officers. 07:43 I was thinking, "God, was this a 07:44 good idea?" 07:45 And he said, 07:48 "Men, this foreigner here 07:51 wants postcards." 07:53 And he went, [claps] "Please 07:55 quickly go out across the 07:57 airport and help this man find 07:59 his postcards." 08:00 And so he had all the officers 08:02 that were closing in on me 08:03 working to help me. 08:06 And so they did and they helped 08:07 me find postcards. 08:08 Just about then, as I found my 08:10 postcards, here comes my 08:11 contact person. 08:13 And he came in and he just 08:14 signaled with his eyes and let 08:16 me know that I need to follow 08:17 him at a distance and we got 08:19 into the country fine. 08:21 But that was a little heart 08:22 stopper there for a bit. 08:23 [MIKE] Oh, yes. 08:23 >> So we get into... 08:26 ...where the believers were 08:27 meeting and 08:30 they told me, they said, "Now, 08:31 things have changed 08:32 since you were last here. 08:34 The government has a 08:35 huge camera 08:37 that is mounted 08:38 on our gates 08:40 and it's pointing right down 08:42 to where anybody that enters in 08:44 where our little church is, 08:46 they can see who comes and goes. 08:48 They allow us to have a church 08:50 in this setting, but it is 08:51 highly monitored by the 08:53 government and they don't want 08:54 any new people coming, 08:56 and they certainly don't want 08:57 foreigners teaching us more." 09:00 And so they said, "Here is your 09:01 command and when you walk in 09:03 this time on your visit, you 09:05 cannot turn around. 09:07 They don't need to see your face 09:09 full on in the camera." 09:10 So I got out that way, got my 09:12 luggage, and the sun was just 09:13 going down. 09:14 Isn't that perfect timing? 09:15 So it's kind of a little bit 09:17 dark and I got into their church 09:20 and I began the training 09:21 the very next morning, 09:22 early in the morning, 6 a.m. 09:24 They were praying for the Holy 09:25 Spirit and they were packed 09:27 into that room. 09:28 And then after praying for the 09:30 Holy Spirit to fill our hearts 09:32 and to give us the love of 09:33 Jesus, for believers, 09:36 for unbelievers, everything went 09:38 well in the training as I 09:39 trained them to disciple their 09:41 children for Jesus. 09:42 Day one went fine, two, three, 09:44 four, several days went fine. 09:45 And then one morning I was right 09:47 in the middle of the training 09:48 when someone came in, "Waahhh!" 09:50 like this, just shouting at the 09:51 top of their lungs. 09:52 And I saw total chaos 09:54 in this peaceful setting. 09:56 And I noticed that the older 09:58 people in the room, some of them 10:00 immediately got to their knees 10:02 and started weeping before God 10:04 because of the announcement. 10:06 And I said, "Someone tell me 10:08 what was announced!" 10:09 And they said, "Right now, right 10:11 below our room where we're 10:12 meeting with you, where you're 10:13 training us, is our kitchen. 10:16 And right now, two secret police 10:19 are there and they're 10:20 questioning the cooks. 10:22 'Why all this food? 10:23 Why do you need this food 10:25 in the middle of this week?' 10:27 And they're being questioned 10:28 right now. 10:30 And furthermore, 10:32 someone has tipped them off 10:34 that you are here." 10:36 And so I said, 10:37 "So what do I do?" 10:38 And he said, "Everybody 10:39 must pray. 10:40 We need to intercede right now 10:41 that God intervenes." 10:42 And then after a little bit, 10:45 that same man came in a little 10:47 bit more calmly and he said, 10:49 "They're gone." 10:50 I said, "Oh, good. 10:51 Everything's fine?" 10:53 This is all through a 10:53 translator. 10:54 "Well, not exactly. 10:56 They said, 'We know that you 10:58 have someone illegally teaching 11:00 you more about Jesus here. 11:02 We know it. 11:03 But because we're such a kind 11:05 government and so magnanimous to 11:07 our people, we're going to give 11:10 you a generous offer. 11:12 You take care of him 11:14 over the weekend 11:15 and then when we come back, 11:17 we're going to search 11:18 all your premises. 11:20 We'd advise you that he should 11:21 not be anywhere on your premises 11:23 ever again.'" 11:26 The secret police gave the 11:28 believers a big smile, like 11:29 we're so generous, and they 11:30 walked away. 11:32 I said, "Well, 11:33 do you want me to leave? 11:34 Obviously, I'm causing you 11:35 a risk." 11:36 "Oh," they said, "we have come 11:37 at great cost 11:40 in every way, 11:40 financially and risk and 11:42 everything. 11:42 We are desperate to learn how to 11:45 disciple our children for 11:46 Jesus Christ. 11:47 You must continue to train us." 11:49 "Well, when are they 11:50 coming back?" 11:51 "We think, as we prayed about 11:53 it, we think that they will not 11:55 come back until Monday morning." 11:57 "Really?" 11:58 "Well, they could also surprise 11:59 us at any time." 12:01 "Well, what should I do?" 12:02 I asked them. 12:03 "We want you to start early in 12:05 the morning and we'll pray for 12:06 the Holy Spirit every morning 12:07 as we're doing. 12:09 Then you must train us all 12:10 through the day, 12:11 and then you must train us 12:12 all through the night, 12:14 as long as you can until you 12:16 need to rest. 12:17 And we are going to pray for 12:18 your strength." 12:19 And so all day Friday and all 12:21 day Saturday, Sabbath, we 12:23 trained all through the time, 12:26 all day Sunday. 12:28 So we literally, we trained 12:29 early in the morning 12:31 till supper time. 12:32 We broke for meals and then as 12:35 long as I could go into the 12:36 night, I would preach. 12:38 And God gave us power and 12:40 strength to do it. 12:41 So finally it was Monday morning 12:44 and the believers gathered and 12:45 met me once again and they said, 12:47 "We're quite sure as we've 12:49 prayed about this, that they're 12:50 going to come and inspect our 12:52 property this morning." 12:54 I said, "Oh, should we not have 12:56 the early morning prayer time? 12:57 Do you want me just 12:58 out of the way?" 12:59 They looked at me with shock. 13:02 "Stop the prayer time?" they 13:03 said through their own language. 13:05 And I said, "Well, did you want 13:07 me to go off site?" 13:09 "No!" 13:09 They said, "You lead us in 13:11 revival, call us to revival 13:13 with Jesus like every morning 13:15 and we'll tell you when you need 13:17 to leave." 13:18 So at 6:00 in the morning we had 13:20 that prayer time just like 13:21 any other day. 13:23 Now, I wanna ask you what would 13:24 you do if you knew that secret 13:25 police would be coming 13:26 any moment? 13:27 Wouldn't it be hard for you to 13:29 gather your friends and loved 13:31 ones and to pray? 13:32 [MIKE] Yeah. 13:33 There would be this sense of 13:34 urgency like you're hanging on 13:36 a string that's gonna be cut at 13:37 any moment. 13:38 [DON] Yes, yes. 13:39 And so we had that prayer time, 13:41 it was precious. 13:42 More precious than usual, 13:44 because we did not know 13:45 if we'd ever meet again. 13:46 We did not know what was about 13:47 to happen. 13:48 And then right before, I think 13:51 it was 7:00 or so, 13:53 the believers stood up 13:55 and came around me 13:57 and they prayed for me. 13:58 This was emotional to me because 14:01 they said, "We don't know what's 14:02 about to happen, but you need to 14:04 follow us now. 14:05 It is time for you to go." 14:07 So I started to walk out the 14:09 door and there's windows on this 14:12 corridor outside the door 14:13 where you can see down to the 14:15 street and they said, 14:16 [sighs] "We're so terri-- 14:18 We're horrified to tell you 14:19 this, but you need to get 14:20 down, down, down. 14:22 You need to crawl across the 14:24 floor because we don't want 14:25 anybody to see you out there." 14:27 And so I went down on my hands 14:29 and knees and they said, 14:29 "Lower," they said, "Crawl 14:31 across and we'll do the same. 14:32 We don't want anybody to see 14:34 even a wisp of a shadow or 14:36 anything going across." 14:38 And so we're going like this 14:39 across and we got across 14:41 and they said, "Follow us." 14:43 And we went up, up, up in a maze 14:45 of hallways. 14:47 And they pushed me into a little 14:49 room and they gathered other 14:51 believers around me to pray with 14:53 me so I wouldn't be alone 14:54 while these secret police would 14:57 be coming. 14:58 And there we waited and we 14:59 prayed and we waited and prayed. 15:01 Now they said, "Don, at some 15:04 point, we're either gonna have 15:06 the secret police knock at this 15:07 door searching for you, 15:09 we know they're gonna be 15:09 looking for you. 15:10 Or believers could come 15:12 and say that the coast is clear, 15:14 you know, it's fine. 15:16 But because you don't know and 15:17 we don't know who's gonna be the 15:19 one knocking at the door, 15:20 do not go to the door 15:22 when there's a knock." 15:23 I thought that was a pretty 15:24 simple command. 15:26 But, you know, as the time, 15:27 stretched half an hour, hour, 15:29 hour and a half, two hours, 15:31 it's several hours in a little 15:32 tiny room with believers. 15:34 I was starting to get antsy to 15:35 move, and when there was a knock 15:37 at the door, I was so excited to 15:38 get out of there because I'm a 15:40 man that has to move, that I 15:42 went for the door and they 15:43 whispered, they hissed at me, 15:45 they-- and said, "Pastor Don, 15:47 get back here!" they said in 15:48 their own language. 15:49 And I said, "Oh, that's right." 15:51 So I tiptoed back and I said, 15:52 "What should I do?" 15:53 And the knocking was more 15:54 insistent, and my heart was 15:56 going like this. 15:57 And they said, "See this little 15:59 cubbyhole, you know, like a 16:01 little tiny door?" 16:02 And they said, "Here," and they 16:03 opened up and they stuff me in 16:04 there, I could barely fit, 16:06 like a little tiny room. 16:08 And they stood in front of it... 16:10 ...and they waited. 16:12 And then I heard footsteps and 16:14 the door opened and my heart is 16:15 racing like this. 16:16 And, Mike, I literally was 16:17 wondering if the next thing that 16:19 I would feel is a big hand that 16:21 would reach out and, you know, 16:22 grab me by the shoulder. 16:24 I mean, I didn't know what was 16:25 gonna happen. 16:26 And so I prayed and prayed and I 16:27 said, "God help me to be 16:28 faithful, even if I'm taken off 16:30 to prison, just help me 16:31 to be faithful." 16:32 I can't describe to you 16:34 two things, 16:35 that I can't describe to you 16:37 the heart racing moment, 16:40 but I also can't describe to you 16:42 how sweet is a presence of 16:43 Jesus, even in those times. 16:46 My natural humanness was, of 16:48 course, had fear, but then also 16:49 I could tell Jesus was with me. 16:51 And so I just, He just calmed me 16:53 down and I waited. 16:55 And pretty soon, the footsteps 16:57 came right to the door. 16:59 And then I 17:01 heard it turning and 17:03 the little door opened and a 17:05 hand came out and said, 17:07 "Don, come out." 17:09 I still don't know if this is 17:10 good or bad news. 17:10 I don't know if the believers 17:11 are just being used by the 17:13 police to get me. 17:14 I come out and I look at their 17:15 faces, I'm trying to see, you 17:16 know, can I get some hint? 17:18 Are we safe or not? 17:19 And they said, "It's okay now. 17:22 Follow us." 17:23 We went all the way back 17:24 down to the room 17:26 and again there was 17:28 just such an array of emotions. 17:31 Some of the older people were 17:33 weeping again, tears of joy 17:36 because they have lived through 17:38 these times many, many times. 17:39 They had known 17:40 how serious it was. 17:41 The young people 17:42 did not know 17:44 how serious it was. 17:46 And so some people were almost 17:47 dancing for joy. 17:49 Some people were weeping before 17:50 God, like, "Thank you, God, that 17:53 we are okay, not just only 17:54 Pastor Don, but that we're all 17:56 able to be here." 17:58 And I said, "What happened? 17:59 What happened? 18:00 Did they not come at all? 18:01 Maybe it was just a 18:02 false scare?" 18:03 They said, "Oh, no, it wasn't a 18:04 false scare." 18:05 And then they told me through a 18:07 translator, they said, "Pastor 18:09 Don, you left just before 18:12 there was a knock at our door. 18:14 And two, those two secret police 18:16 bearing all the authority of 18:18 state came in, walking very 18:20 proudly, and they walked in. 18:23 And these are mighty men. 18:25 All they have to do is make one 18:26 little call and the place can be 18:27 swarming, you know, 18:28 with officers. 18:30 And they came in and they said, 18:32 "We had turned the room upside 18:34 down to make it look 18:37 not like 18:38 a training that you would do," 18:39 because I do interactive style 18:40 training, "but more like a 18:42 traditional style that we would 18:43 do in our country. 18:45 And we were trying to hold a 18:47 government meeting 18:50 and trying to do our best 18:52 to not cause suspicion. 18:54 And the two police came in and 18:56 they started looking 18:57 up and down the rows, 18:59 up and down." 19:00 And I broke into their 19:01 conversation, I said, "Were they 19:02 looking for me?" 19:03 They said, "Oh, yes, they were 19:04 obviously looking for you. 19:06 They are looking for one face 19:08 in the whole room, it's a large 19:09 room, that didn't fit in. 19:11 They were looking for you. 19:12 They had been tipped that a 19:14 foreigner from North America 19:17 was here somewhere. 19:18 So they looked up and down the 19:19 rows, up and down the rows, and 19:20 their eyes kept on going 19:22 further, further back in the 19:23 room, and they kept searching 19:24 intently, face by face. 19:27 And they got to the very back of 19:28 the room, they were looking like 19:29 this, and all of a sudden 19:30 [gasps] they went like this 19:31 and their faces turned white 19:32 and fear came across their faces 19:35 and they looked and then they 19:36 turned around, did about face, 19:38 and they marched right out of 19:39 the room. 19:40 And they never came back. 19:41 Never came back. 19:44 [MIKE] Hmm. 19:44 I wonder what they saw. 19:46 [DON] Mmm. 19:47 Who do you think they saw? 19:48 Let me ask you. 19:49 [MIKE] I'm thinking God's angels 19:51 were there, too. 19:52 [DON] Yeah, I believe that. 19:53 I believe that God's angels 19:54 were there. 19:55 And I believe someday when Jesus 19:57 comes again, we tell more 19:58 stories, I think He's gonna have 20:01 fun, great delight, telling 20:02 about how He loved hearing all 20:04 those believers pray so that He 20:06 could be invited to send those 20:08 angels right there at just the 20:11 perfect moment. 20:12 [MIKE] Mmm, praise the Lord. 20:13 [RENÉ] You know, Don, I'm just 20:15 in awe how God has 20:17 perfect timing. 20:18 His timing is perfect. 20:21 Can you tell us about another 20:23 time that God's timing 20:26 was perfect for you 20:28 and for the situation 20:30 while you were travelling 20:31 on an airplane? 20:32 >> Absolutely. 20:33 You know, it's so easy, and you 20:34 travel on the airplane a lot, 20:36 too, it's so easy to just travel 20:38 and kind of zone out, 20:40 you know what I mean, and just 20:41 think I'm in between mission. 20:43 And God continually reminds me, 20:45 "Don, you're not ever in between 20:46 mission, you're always on 20:47 mission." 20:48 So I was on this long flight 20:50 and I was praying and I said, 20:52 "God," I said, "Who's on this 20:54 plane that I need to share Jesus 20:56 with or-- and pray with?" 20:59 And God led me to 21:01 notice the flight attendants 21:04 and to care for them. 21:05 So I reached into my bag and 21:07 found some of my little books to 21:08 give as gifts. 21:09 And I went back and I was 21:12 praying for just the right time, 21:14 I went back to the middle of the 21:16 plane and it was a big centre 21:18 for them to gather. 21:19 This is a large plane 21:20 and I think it was a 21:21 double-decker, too, and... 21:23 And anyway, I talked to the head 21:25 of all the flight attendants 21:27 and I said, "I have a gift 21:29 for all of your team. 21:31 Could I give my new book to 21:34 your team?" 21:35 And she was delighted. 21:37 And, of course, the flight 21:38 attendants had all kinds of 21:39 different faith backgrounds or 21:40 no faith at all. 21:42 But she gathered them and I gave 21:44 them the book. 21:45 And I was thinking, "Okay, 21:46 that's enough. 21:47 I don't wanna overdo it." 21:48 And I was getting ready to turn 21:49 back to my chair 21:51 and my seat and 21:52 the Holy Spirit said, 21:53 "Offer to pray with them." 21:54 And so I said, "May I pray 21:55 with you?" 21:56 They are very startled, and 21:57 pretty soon we had a prayer 21:58 meeting there on the plane. 22:00 Well, this happened in different 22:03 sectors of the plane. 22:04 This was a huge plane, so I had 22:06 this happen with different 22:08 people on the plane, the 22:09 passengers, with flight 22:10 attendants, and the flight had 22:12 been amazing that way. 22:14 Many, many, many divine 22:16 appointments. 22:16 So now the flight was nearing 22:18 home and I was settling back in 22:21 and that still, small voice 22:23 said, "Do you think everyone 22:26 here knows Jesus?" 22:28 And I thought, "No, not everyone 22:30 knows, but I sure have had a 22:31 wonderful time on this flight 22:33 sharing You." 22:34 And He said, "Why don't you ask 22:35 Me if there's one more?" 22:38 So I said, "Okay. 22:40 So God, is there one more that 22:41 You want me to pray with?” 22:43 And He said, "Yes, there is." 22:46 And I said, "Well, who would 22:48 that be?" 22:49 And He said, “Notice that flight 22:51 attendant coming towards you 22:53 that has served you.” 22:54 He was a very serious young man, 22:57 and he didn't seem to be very 22:58 friendly, but he was very 23:00 professional in what he did 23:02 and he was doing a fine job. 23:04 And He said, "Go and ask him 23:07 how you can pray for him 23:09 and let him know that 23:10 God loves him a lot." 23:12 I thought I have had no 23:14 indication from him that he 23:15 would be open to such a thing 23:17 at all, such a conversation. 23:19 He was not friendly, he was 23:20 not-- there was no openness. 23:21 You know, his face seemed closed 23:22 to me, you know what I mean? 23:23 Just closed to any such 23:24 conversation. 23:25 Stronger the Holy Spirit said, 23:28 "Go find him." 23:29 Right then over the loudspeaker 23:31 came the voice, "And now buckle 23:34 up and don't leave your seats 23:36 because we are soon going 23:37 to be landing." 23:38 And I said, "Well, Lord," 23:40 I said, "That's obviously not 23:41 the right time to go now. 23:43 I am so sorry." 23:44 And I was kind of settling back 23:45 in and I don't know if you've 23:47 ever done this, but I was 23:48 thinking maybe I'm off the hook. 23:51 And, because it was an 23:52 uncomfortable thing to do. 23:53 And God said, "Go now!" 23:56 And I said, "They just gave the 23:57 announcement, God. 23:59 How can I go now? 24:00 Everybody's gonna look at me 24:01 like a fool because we're 24:03 supposed to stay in our seats.” 24:05 And just as I was arguing with 24:07 God, stronger across the 24:10 loudspeaker, as people were 24:12 still standing, "Please, 24:14 passengers, everyone needs to be 24:16 in their seat." 24:18 "Oh," I thought, "it's the worst 24:19 time to stand up." 24:21 And finally, praise God, 24:24 I gave in to God 24:25 and I said, "Okay, I'll do it." 24:27 And I started walking towards 24:29 where I just saw up ahead the 24:31 young man had taken the curtain, 24:33 you know, and closed it. 24:35 And that's, of course, a signal 24:36 to passengers, don't disturb me, 24:38 I'm doing the final preparations 24:40 for landing, you know? 24:41 And so I went up there and I 24:43 opened the curtain like this and 24:45 everybody's like, [gasps] 24:46 "What's he doing?" 24:47 You know? 24:48 Was I about to cause trouble 24:50 on the plane? 24:50 Everybody was looking at me 24:52 suspiciously. 24:53 It was not fun. 24:54 And the young man looked at me, 24:55 startled, and he said, "Sir, you 24:58 need to be back in your seat." 24:59 I said, "I know, I know, but I 25:01 need to tell you God loves you 25:03 so much, and how can I 25:05 pray for you?" 25:06 His face went white. 25:08 He was shocked. 25:10 And he said, "What? 25:12 I can't believe that you would 25:14 come and tell me that God loves 25:16 me and that you would ask me how 25:18 you can pray for me." 25:20 He said, "I used to believe in 25:21 God, I really did. 25:23 But bad things have happened in 25:24 my life, discouraging things 25:26 have happened and I've given up 25:28 on this living God. 25:29 I've given up on Him totally. 25:31 But I haven't had peace about 25:33 that at all. 25:34 And I was just literally praying 25:36 one more time, seconds ago, and 25:38 I was pleading with God, 'God, 25:40 if You're really there, do 25:41 something on this flight right 25:43 now to show me that You see me 25:46 and that You love me 25:48 and that You care.'" 25:50 And so I prayed with him, 25:52 and the young man was 25:53 shaken to his core, 25:55 as he should have been, 25:57 because the King of Kings and 25:59 Lord of Lords 26:00 did love him and does love him 26:02 and showed him just in the nick 26:04 of time before we landed 26:06 a message he needed to hear. 26:08 [RENÉ] He was obviously pleading 26:09 with God, show me that You're 26:12 real and that You are here. 26:14 And at that time that he was 26:16 pleading with God, God was 26:18 saying to you, "Now, go now." 26:20 [DON] Yes. 26:21 >> You know? 26:22 And even though it was the last 26:23 announcement, "Refrain from 26:24 using the washroom. 26:25 We're gonna land." 26:27 You listened 26:29 and you obeyed and God gave you 26:30 that opportunity. 26:31 [DON] Yes, amen. 26:33 [RENÉ] Wow! 26:33 >> Don, we've come to the end of 26:34 our time, but there are people 26:36 who are listening who need to 26:38 hear the same message. 26:39 And can you pray for them right 26:42 now that they will 26:44 hear Him telling them, 26:47 "You can believe, 26:48 you can trust Me. 26:49 I love you." 26:50 >> Yes. 26:51 Amen. 26:52 Dear God in heaven, 26:54 right now out there, there is 26:55 someone who also has silent 26:58 tears before Your throne 27:00 pleading with You, 27:01 "God, if You're out there, 27:03 please do something to show me 27:06 You love me, that You see my 27:07 tears, that You care about me." 27:09 Be with those that are silently 27:11 crying out to You right now. 27:14 And also 27:16 give us as believers, 27:18 the urgency of You, God, 27:21 to go when You send us 27:23 and to love the people 27:24 You call us to love 27:25 and to care for the people 27:26 You tell us to care for 27:28 and to pray with those You tell 27:29 us to pray with. 27:30 In Jesus' name, amen. 27:31 [MIKE & RENÉ] Amen. 27:34 >> We would like to offer you a 27:36 gift and it is Pastor Don 27:38 MacLafferty's book, God Still 27:39 Lives Even When You Wonder. 27:43 >> Don's true stories and 27:45 testimonies will encourage you 27:47 to trust God more fully 27:49 and completely. 27:51 >> We trust that our gift to 27:53 you, Pastor Don's book, God 27:55 Still Lives Even When You 27:56 Wonder, will inspire you to live 27:58 by faith and not 28:00 by sight alone. 28:01 [gentle piano music playing] 28:04 >> Before you go, we would like 28:06 to thank all of you who have 28:07 supported the ministry of It Is 28:09 Written Canada with your prayers 28:12 and financial contributions. 28:14 Without your support, 28:16 this television ministry could 28:18 not have reached so many people 28:20 for so many decades. 28:22 >> Yes, thank you. 28:23 And we would also like to invite 28:25 you to follow us on Instagram 28:26 and Facebook and subscribe to 28:28 our YouTube channel and also 28:30 listen to our podcasts. 28:31 And if you go to our website, 28:33 you can see our latest programs. 28:36 >> You, too, can experience the 28:38 fullness of life found in the 28:40 words of Jesus when He said... |
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