Was that God, or is my imagination running wild?

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runandsew

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I thought it would be nice of people wrote about the times in their life when God has somehow spoken to them. Please do not respond by any negative comments to what people write, since it is their spiritual life.
I have two items I would like to write about.
First, We had a new ordained Priest in our parish, and in one homily he had told us about his call to the Priesthood.
Father was engaged to be married, in his mid 20’s and working as a ticket agent for an airlines. He was really struggling about becoming a Priest or not. Well one day on the job, an elderly Priest come up to get his ticket, and this got Father again thinking about the priesthood. Father told us that on each ticket were a random 6 digit alphanumeric code. When this Priest bought his ticket, and Father was struggling about what decision to make, the random code came up “TRYGOD”. He took that as a message from God, and made up his mind to become a Priest.

My story is not as obvious, but at the time I knew that god had somehow spoken to me.
I serviced copiers in downtown Portland Oregon at the time, I use to carry McDonalds gift certificates to hand out to people who were begging on the street.; I didn’t always give them something, but every so often, I felt the desire to give them something. Better for them to die of heart disease from a greasy burger, than an alcohol or drug death if I had given them money instead of the gift certificate. Anyway, one day I gave a man the certificate, he said thank you, I then went to repair the copier, when I was returning to my car, I saw him eating a burger, he again said thank you, I told him your welcome. I had a warm feeling because I new that he was getting something to eat. I was thinking about the Bible verses about caring for the needy, and feeding the hungry, when I approached the parking garage. As I walked up to the elevator door, it open up, and I said thank you Lord, and entered the elevator. I at the time felt that the door had opened like that because God was acknowledging a work of mercy. I have many times walked up the elevators, pushed the button because it was on the first floor, I have walked up the elevator and had the door open because people were getting off. But this time there was no one on it, and I didn’t push the button, it just opened as I walked up to it, I didn’t miss a step, it was as if someone opened a door for me. I realized that It was probably because someone had pushed the ground floor button, but had gotten off before they reached it, but I really at the time had a strong feeling that it was God responding to me.
God Bless
 
What a great thread! Here is mine:

We had just gotten home from a vacation. Husband was unloading the car. I put the baby down on the living room floor and flipped on the ceiling fan to get the air moving. I started to go outside to help my husband but then changed my mind & decided to get the baby ready for bed instead. I picked her up, carried her upstairs and then I heard an enormous CRASH! I ran back downstairs to see what had happened? The ceiling fan and light had fallen OFF the ceiling. It had landed in the exact spot my precious baby had been just 10 seconds before - glass, broken wood and the heavy motor no doubt would’ve killed her. It actually made a big dent in our floor.

I don’t wonder if it was God. I know it was. :gopray2: (thank you Lord!)
 
I have several, but one will do for now.😉

Several years ago a friend (and co-worker, who had just become a Christian a few months earlier) and I were leaving work one evening and as was our usual routine, I would follow her car up I95 until my exit after the Ft. McHenry Tunnel and wave her onward.

For some reason, she decided she was going to be a speed demon that evening and I just wasn’t in the mood for a ticket so I let her fly ahead. Within moments I had this horrible, I mean horrible feeling that something terrible was going to happen to her. I was exploding inside and I just started praying. I mean I was really praying, tears were rolling down my face, it’s a wonder I didn’t crash.

About 10 minutes later as I was coming out of the tunnel and waiting in the toll line, my cell phone rang and it was my friend. She was in tears. She had just been in the tunnel a few minutes ahead of me and had been cruising alongside an 18 wheeler when he started moving into her lane. He didn’t see her, she was in his blind spot and there was no where for her to go as there is no shoulder lane in the tunnel. She had cars in front and behind her. She said she screamed and cried out to Jesus. In the blink of an eye, she was in front of this 18 wheeler and didn’t know how she got there. He had kept on coming over and instead of crushing her small little sports car, she was suddenly in front of him, safe. She said she knew the Lord had saved her life in that moment.

So when I told her that the Lord had pressed upon me this urgency and I knew to pray for her at that moment, we were both stunned and praised the Lord all the way home. He was merciful to show us that He is with us at all times and nothing escapes his notice!
 
All these stories are simply wonderful!

I was once blindfolder and holding the shoulders of the person in front of me in line for a secular training/teambuilding sort of thing. Anyways, as I had my eye closed “trusting” the person in front of me, I sorta in the back of my mind had these feeling like “you know, faith in God is kinda like this… you don’t know where you are headed but you have faith”

Well a few minutes later I removed my hand from the person in front of me and felt 2! hands on my shoulders. It was a nice feeling and thought it might have been Jesus/God/angel giving me a special grace. I put my hand on my shoulders and there was nothing there but I felt it, clear as day. 2 hands on my shoulders giving my comfort. It was very wonderful!!
 
I have a feeling God spoke to me though JPII.

I had my reversion experience the day John Paul II died. I was watching tv in tears, feeling regret about not being active in the church… not doing well in the religion classes…(this was my senior year of high school)…not being a good Catholic… Several people surrounding the pontiff told him that there were a remarkable number of young people outside praying in St. Peter’s square. I had JUST made up my mind to vear back to the right path… several seconds later, the newscaster announced what ended up being JPII’s last words.

“I have looked for you, you have come to me, and I thank you for it.”

I was sold.
 
I had a thread asking if there was any official Church stance on this kind of thing. Here is one of several of my experiences. This one was one of the first in a series that eventually brought me back to the Church:

… in college I wandered down a pretty dark path of philosophy and atheism (i realize now I was depressed over my parents divorce, etc) but eventually I turned away from this and one night I was trying to say the Lord’s prayer for the first time in probably 6 years but (like a dum-dum) could not remember it and had no Bible at the time. I really wanted to pray but could not. The very next day, in a Shakespeare class of all things, a class that has really nothing to do with religion, especially in such a liberal school like San Francisco State, for some “unknown” reason, the professor passed around a replica of a 16th century print and on this print written in old english style font was THE LORD’S PRAYER!!! I just felt like this was God or an angel that sent this to me via this professor. Some may say it was just a coincidence and I was reading into it but I feel otherwise – I then of course was able to get the words to the prayer that I was missing and started to pray again.

The professor even mentioned the church he goes to and where it was down the road – I tried to find it the next Sunday but ended up running out of time and stopped into the first church I came to – which was not so much a mystical experience as it was sort of an odd church.
 
The Lord was laying on my heart that I should start attending daily mass, but it was at 8 am(:rolleyes:). I was laughing to myself, and shrugging off the idea. I said out loud “Now why on Earth would I do that?(:p)” I then heard (actually HEARD) a voice say:

** “It would please me.”**

(:eek:) I was stunned (needless to say), and started going to daily mass the next day. That was the beggining of my journey to a true understanding of my Catholic faith.(👍)
 
As with many of you, I have had numerous encounters with God. The one that sticks to my mind the most was when I lost my second child during pregnancy. I was losing a lot of blood and eventually my child’s heart stopped beating at 4 and a half months. The doctor said it would be better to wait for a natural delivery, so I still carried the child in my womb for three more days.

When I was in the hospital room after delivering him, I remember that I was reading a magazine article about the secular author - nothing special, just trying to pass the time. That night I dreamt of Our Lady, dressed in such a sparkling white dress holding my little baby boy and I knew she would be taking care of him. I can’t remember our Lady’s face, but remember distinctly the beautiful lace hem of her garment.

All this happened during a time when I had left the church and was not praying at all.
 
My college mate invited me to religious semina (CLP-Christian Life Program)conducted by catholic community called couples for Christ(CFC) in 2001, i gave lot of excuse like busy etc. i had lot of problems in my office (gossiping)by that time and i used to pray by myself. He invited me to same semina in 2002, thanks God i attended ansd after the semina was chosen to serve Singles For Christ(SFC) and Youth For Christ(YFC) ministries.
After being in that family i asked my fellow members to pray for my job. I did not see any change and decided to resign. I left home with the intetntion of talking to my boss(a british man) that i can not work with him anymore. I listed down all my reasons. God is so great, deapite of asking my brothers and sisters to pray for me, still i wanted to resign.

I found the office closed and trying to press the bell button without success, i sat down and apologize to God for not listening to him, and give thanks fornot finding the boss there. God talked to me thru this community but i did no realize by then. I am still working in that office PEACEFULLY and still serving SFC and YFC in our community. I am very happy to be in this community, im very close to Jesus now. Thank God, Thank Jesus, Thank Holly Spirit

AMEN:)

Mary
 
I have had a few times when I thought the Lord was trying to get my attention. Once I was going to bring a bible to a friend that was in jail. He was young, made a mistake and needed some guidance. So I bought a bible and brought it to my Priest to be blessed. While I was there I went to confession, feeling if I was going to be a witness , I had better straighten myself out first. This was the first time I had done anything like this and was excited and nervous about how I would introduce the subject to my friend. On the way to the jail I saw the most vivid rainbow I have ever seen. From then on I knew I was doing the right thing. The next sunday, our Priest was doing his homily and mentioned how when he was deciding to be a Priest, he had seen a rainbow and that had urged him to do it. I was floored. All I could say to the Priest while leaving church was “nice homily, especially about the rainbow”. A couple of weeks ago , my 5 y.o. son told the same Priest he could make rainbows. The Priest replied jokingly " if you can do that , maybe you should be the one up at the alter". So my son took it upon himself to draw him a rainbow and give it to him the next week. I feel a real connection with our Priest and the Lord and I pray the Spirit guides him in instructing us. Tim
 
Earlier this year when I decided I wanted to return to the Church I was very nervous about attending Mass alone. I had not been in years and wasn’t sure what to do when I went.

I finally decided one Sundy to just go. As I was driving I started to chicken out, and began to put all sorts of conditions on whether or not I would actually go to Mass.

I told myself that if I could find a parking space nearby that I would go. I drove around looking for a parking space and there were none. My church is in an urban area and most of us park on the street.

I felt a little disappointed I couldn’t find a parking space, but somewhat relieved at the same time, and then I took a second look and there was one open space on the street 20 feet from the front door of the church.

Needless to say, I parked there and went to Mass.🙂
 
Don’t we all have awesome personal encounters with our Lord?

One of my latest experiences happened during this past Lent.
I was asking the Lord what I should give up for Lent.
The Lord impressed me not to give up any food, or anything,
instead, I should make efforts for daily Eucharist Adoration.

I have never done daily Eucharist Adoration before. It is an effort to make.
In order to be obedient, I went to church and prayed everyday after work. After 40 days of discipline, I could not stop. I just fall in love with it. I find myself falling in love with Jesus all over again.

One evening when I got out of the church in darkness, the huge parking lot was entirely empty. I said the Lord, “I must be crazy.” Immediately I heard “I like your craziness.” That sentence was definitely not from me or my imagination.

He is so real.
 
Well I guess its time to admit that God once spoke to me. i was in the depths of depression-everything was going wrong and as i walked out of my bedroom I said to myself “I cant handle all this”. at that monet i quite cleraly heard God say-“Exactly! But I can.”

As I walked into the living room my children asked me why I was “glowing” as they put it. That was also the birth of my sig line:)
 
Polish said:
…when I lost my second child during pregnancy. I was losing a lot of blood and eventually my child’s heart stopped beating at 4 and a half months. The doctor said it would be better to wait for a natural delivery, so I still carried the child in my womb for three more days.

… I dreamt of Our Lady, dressed in such a sparkling white dress holding my little baby boy and I knew she would be taking care of him. I can’t remember our Lady’s face, but remember distinctly the beautiful lace hem of her garment.
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This one really almost brought me to tears. Thanks for sharing 🙂

(My son was born very premature and was a very troubled pregnancy and we almost lost him and I thank God often that he made it – I often think of the many that did not – yours is both sad but very comforting as well.)
 
All your stories warmed my heart.🙂

I have one that floors me to this day. I was about 18 years old when this happened to me, I am now 21. Well, I had been sick all my senior year of highschool. I had terrible pains in my joints and my hair was falling out. Well, to make a long story short, I ended up in the hospital and had full blown lupus. My kidneys had shut down and I’d had several seizures. They kept me in a drug induced coma because I was so upset and because of the seizures. But, I had the most wonderful and beautiful experience of my life in ICU. I was walking through this huge white room filled with religious paintings that were alive. They didn’t move, but it was like they were breathing. One that really caught my attention was one of the Virgin Mary sitting beneath a tree holding the baby Jesus. I stared at it for I don’t know how long. Then I saw my dead Grandfather in front of a beautiful sunset and he just smiled at me. Then the next thing I know, I am just floating, lying there amid clouds and out of nowhere I see a man floating toward me with his finger extended. So I point my finger out and touch his. I wake up and it’s not till about a week or so later it dawns on me what I have seen. I have seen myself in Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam in the Sistine Chapel. I was litterly Adam (even though I’m a girl) and God was reaching towards me to give me the spark of life. I know I almost died I know it. And God gave me the spark of life to live again. I was not religious at this time at all. My belief in God was basically questionable. But after what I saw, I am now converting to Catholicism.

I’ve also had several dreams of the Virgin Mary since. I’m in a room with other worshippers and She appears and we all go to our knees. I don’t really know what everyone else is doing, but I am in total awe and all I can do is cry.
 
Hmm…

When I was praying the joyous mysteries I once decided to read in the bible about the presentation, because I did not remember the passage very well.

I pulled the bible open somewhere in the middle of the OT, but then I turned to the exact page I needed. I.e the passage I was searching for.

Peace and God Bless.
 

When I came to this country for studies in the year 2000. I stopped going to church (except if I go back to my hometown where my mum would drag me to church). June 2003, one night I dreamed that I bought a Rosary, which left me puzzled, coz I didn’t pray at all and not even thinking of church. I did a little research and found the churches around the country and the mass time. Since then, I started to make my way back to the church.​

Few months ago, I saw an ad about vocation recollection, but forgot abt it soon. the following week, for no reason I bought Catholic News in my church ( I only bought it once few years before that). When I took it, suddenly the supplement part fell on the floor, the title was “Vocation.” I searched (for about a week)for the ad I saw earlier on, but couldn’t find it. I checked my diocese website (where there are ad of events ard the country), I even e-mailed them to check whether they had the info, and they replied saying there was no such ad. One evening, I was on the bus home, I prayed to the Lord, “If this is Your will, I shall find the ad again.”

When I reached home, I checked my diocese website, it was on the homepage! It was a miracle, coz I checked the web for days and found nothing.​

During my vocation discernment, once I was so discouraged by my friends about my vocation discernment and wanted to quit. The next day, I went for daily mass and for the homily, the priest talked abt discouragement! There will be discouragement if we want to serve the Lord, especially from the people closest to us. He even gave example of a priest who left priesthood because he had suffered in the parish that he served and he could no longer bear the suffering.

It was like God was talking to me directly.
 
CatHicks said:
I have a feeling God spoke to me though JPII.

I had my reversion experience the day John Paul II died. I was watching tv in tears, feeling regret about not being active in the church… not doing well in the religion classes…(this was my senior year of high school)…not being a good Catholic… Several people surrounding the pontiff told him that there were a remarkable number of young people outside praying in St. Peter’s square. I had JUST made up my mind to vear back to the right path… several seconds later, the newscaster announced what ended up being JPII’s last words.

“I have looked for you, you have come to me, and I thank you for it.”

I was sold.
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DITTO!!! Me too!!! Exactly what I was thinking when I heard that!!!
 
My story takes place a few years ago, when I was in college, second semester of a vocal music program. As was the unfortunate norm for me at the time, I had been developing a somewhat unhealthy crush on a wonderful young lady in the choir. No, you don’t understand–she was REALLY awesome this time–beautiful, sweet, completely Catholic… I had to find a way to overcome my shyness and ask her out.

I really wanted her to say yes, so I began to whip up a really impressive way of asking her out, to show her I was serious. I won’t go into the enormous depth and detail of this plan, but it basically boiled down to an elaborate form of passing the question on a note under the guise of something else. An opportunity came up for me to give her the disguised note–but for reasons brought about by her inherent humility, she ended up refusing to take the object in question. That was the first part of the miracle. Had she taken the object and read the note, she would have been very embarrassed! In hindsight I am very glad that my plan failed. Her humility saved us both some major embarrassment.

But all was not lost, I thought. Another opportunity came up for me to ask her out. On one night at the end of the semester, she actually invited me to come watch movies with a crowd at a nearby communal campus house. This I really did not expect. However, I had also overheard that same night that she was about to enter a convent. My heart sank a bit, but who was I to argue with God? I took it as a chance to spend one last evening with her, as a friend of course, but still with a slightly aching heart.

We all watched movies until midnight. I kept wondering the whole time why God would allow me to go through all of this trouble for nothing? But of course, there is always so much more to His plan than meets the eye. The night had come to an end. I had to at least say something to her before I left.

Attempting to take it like a man in spite of my aching heart, I decided to turn my question into words of encouragement for her and her vocation. I told her that I thought she was a wonderful person, and that I was going to ask her out because I didn’t realize she was headed for a convent. I told her that I hoped she would do well in her newfound adventures and that she was made for that particular order. But she saw right through my words to my aching heart. At that moment she gave me a warm hug and said something that I will never forget: “Don’t worry. God has a plan for you.” I was sad, but happy all the same that she took it so well.

But something else had happened. I can only describe it as a gift of infused knowledge from God. All of a sudden, I knew His plan for marriage! I KNEW that our hormones were never meant for hopeless crushes but really for drawing a man and a woman together to love each other and help each other come closer to Jesus and get to heaven! I suddenly KNEW that the main focus in marriage is not on your spouse (although that is an extremely strong focus), but on Jesus. Keep in mind, no one had ever told me these things or even hinted at them. I just suddenly knew them! That’s the miracle–that a hormonally charged young male college student would suddenly and spontaneously learn God’s real plan for marriage. I think that young lady’s prayers for me had something to do with it.
 
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