The Hands and Feet of Jesus

It was eight years ago that I experienced the realness of Jesus in a way that changed me forever. One summer morning the Lord woke me, actually He jolted me out of my sleep during an incredible dream.

I dreamed I was a princess and I was running through a beautiful castle, going from room to room in awe of all the beauty of it. Then suddenly for a really brief moment I became afraid and I hid. But as quickly as the fear came, it left.  I burst out of the hiding place and there I stood looking lovelier than ever in a long, flowing dress.

I awakened suddenly with an image in my mind of me standing there looking like Cinderella with a quizzical look on my face and my heart filled with a sense of wonder. When will my Prince rescue me? Then reality hit me. Oh, it was a dream. Hmmm...What exactly is God trying to speak to me through this dream? As the day went on I received the answer so clearly.

A few hours later the telephone rang. It was my sweet friend Lisa calling after unsuccessfully trying to reach me for several weeks. Lisa was a part of a neighborhood Bible study where I cared for the children of moms who met each week during the school year. It was during the summer break and I hadn’t spoken to her in three months.

That morning over the telephone Lisa asked me how things were going in my life and I shared that we were in the midst of a trial. My husband Michael was self-employed at the time and his business had almost come to a halt. He was delivering pizza to support our family. I was a stay-at-home mom earning money by babysitting and working other small jobs on the side. We were barely scraping by. Our refrigerator was nearly empty, we had no money to buy groceries, and some of our bills were overdue. I was teetering on a fence between fear and faith, but choosing to trust the Lord.

As Lisa and I talked, I told her about the question I heard the Lord asking me the night before.  In my heart, I heard the Lord’s still, small voice. Do you really trust me? At 6:00 a.m. that morning I had written down my answer. Yes I do, I have no reason not to... Jesus has been so good to me!

I asked Lisa to pray for the Lord to guide us and to provide the jobs Michael and

I needed. Lisa’s words were soothing to my soul. "Would you like to come over to help me clean out my big freezer? I'll give you the excess food in return for helping me." She cheerfully exclaimed.

My heart leapt with excitement over Lisa's words. I felt so encouraged and thanked her over and over. She said she would be waiting for me to come over later that evening. I was excited, but I had no idea what was in store for me through the divine appointment God was orchestrating that day.

Throughout the afternoon, many thoughts were racing through my mind. Will the Lord rescue me in time?  Will He pull me under His loving wings, just as He always has? For a really brief moment I hid in fear. Fearful thoughts swirled in my head. What if He doesn’t come through for me and all our needs aren’t met? But as suddenly as the fear came—it left. It was just like the dream I had been awakened from that morning. I knew without a doubt my Prince would rescue me in His way, in His time.

For the rest of the day I let peace fill my heart. During the early evening I headed over to Lisa’s neighborhood. As I drove closer to her house, I felt this indescribable emotion coming over me. I began weeping. The emotions intensified the closer I got to Lisa’s home. I turned the corner and I saw that Lisa’s driveway was full of cars. I knew immediately that something was going on. Lisa came out of her house with a huge smile.  She exclaimed, “You’re about to get your socks blessed off!”

She invited me in and the room was filled with an indescribable love as I noticed other special friends were there from the Bible study group, waiting with loving arms and just the right words for me. The floodgates opened to my heart and the tears came pouring out.

I sat down with my friends and Lisa began saying, "I have watched the Lord take you to the edge so many times and it amazes me to see how much you trust Him." I was breathing in God’s amazing love and taking in their uplifting words as they each prayed for me.

I will never forget the glow on Lisa's face that day. As we walked toward the kitchen, Lisa joyfully said, "Now it's time for the surprise!" I was overcome with intense emotions as I entered the room and saw the blessing awaiting me. I had never seen so many bags of groceries on a kitchen counter in my life. I couldn’t contain the joy. The tears kept coming and coming and coming. One of them said, “There is more.”  As the tears flowed, they handed me envelopes full of money and gift cards. I could hardly believe it. But still there was more. Lisa started bringing in bags of frozen meats from her freezer.

It was surreal as I listened to several of my friends saying, "This is from the Lord, Amy. He told us to do this for you." I thought of the Scripture the Lord had given to me as a promise for my life many years before.  

“Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” Ephesians 3: 20

I was standing there saying through tears, "This is like being on an Extreme Grocery Makeover show!" And they weren't even finished yet. There were more blessings that had been dropped off at my friend, Kathryn’s home. As I drove to her house, the tears were still flowing. There was a huge cooler full of premium food, more money, and more bags of food for my family.

That day Lisa had contacted my Bible study friends, and the response was simply amazing. On a moment’s notice these special ladies pulled together an awesome act of God. They had been dropping off loads of groceries for my family all day long. This was so far beyond anything I could have ever dreamed of.

I wept all the way home and still had waves of emotion for the rest of the night. When I finally came down a little from the emotional high, I counted 36 bags of groceries. The food that was provided to us was the best of the best—luxuries that we had never had in our home before. And I found out I had been given enough money and gift cards to feed our family for at least eight months and enough to pay our overdue bills.

My family and I had a dancing celebration of God’s goodness to us. We stayed up late into the night praising Him with singing, dancing, and laughter. After everyone went to bed, I stayed up all night overwhelmed by the way my Prince had arrived to rescue me through the love of my friends.

My friends literally became the hands and feet of Jesus to me. Only God knows the full impact that this act of love had on my life. They were the Body of Christ in action. I would have missed one of the greatest blessings of my life had I not been connected to a local Bible study group.

As a result of experiencing this act of love, my faith grew by leaps and bounds. My life changed drastically for the better when my husband returned to college and began a new career in 2010. He has an awesome job now that enables us to be the hands of Christ to others in the way my friends were to me all those years ago. I will spend the rest of my life looking for ways to be the hands and feet of Jesus to people who are lacking and desperately need to see His love.

 

Amy von Borstel is a wife and mother of two children. She attributes her twenty-eight year marriage and happy home to the love of her Lord. She knows the joy that comes from living a life of faith-filled prayer. She’s been a writer since she was a little girl, writing poetry and keeping journals as a way to find peace and rest in her soul. She is passionate about helping orphans and seeing people find abundance through an intimate relationship with Christ. Read her devotionals and faith stories athttp://www.liveabundantlynow.com.