Sunday Tidbit: Is This Really You, Lord? 

         It was an ordinary workday. That is, until a stray question popped into my mind, “What would you do if you saw a naked lady?” Surprised, I responded, “Well, that can’t be Jesus!” But the same question, like a boomerang, came back again, “What would you do if you saw a naked lady?” “Now, why would I be asked a question like that?” I wondered.

    I concluded the source had to be Satan, so I prepared for battle. When the thought returned, rising from within, I silently challenged my opponent. “Satan, in the name of Jesus, I command you to cease this assignment!” My spirit delivered a deadly blow to the invasive intruder. In a decisive victory, I finished the rest of my shift in peace. 

    After work, I began the long country drive home. Then the unexpected happened. To my utter amazement, in the car’s headlights, standing by the side of the road, was a naked lady. Her expression revealed her desperation for a ride. Dazed and somewhat confused, I continued driving. The scene was unreal. I asked myself, “Did I really see this?”

    Perplexed, I turned the car around to investigate. Like a mirage, she had vanished. I turned around again, and there she stood, slightly bent over, her hands clasped in front of her to cover herself. I stopped, and she quickly jumped in. Sitting beside me was a young lady. The unbelievable had now become very real. It appeared she had been raped.

    I asked her, “How are you?” Shaken but somewhat relieved, she said, “I am running from three men who are after me!” Suddenly, a car accelerated toward us from behind. Its headlights glared in my rearview mirror. Tailing my bumper, they followed us. Great! I thought, “Not only do I have a naked lady in my car, but now there are three men chasing us!” Eventually, the car passed us at high speed and disappeared into the dark night. 

    The question came to mind, “Now what do I do?” I decided to take her home so she could shower and get cleaned up. It then dawned on me that my wife might not appreciate my heroic rescue of bringing home a naked lady! “Where do you live?” I asked. “In Stockton,” she replied. I promptly turned the car around and headed into the city. 

     I shared my testimony with her, explaining how I grew up in a dysfunctional family. My father, an alcoholic, passed away when I was eleven. The following year, my mother married a man who turned out to be abusive. At eighteen, I left home, enlisted in the Marine Corps, and served on the battlefield in Vietnam. When I returned home, I was psychologically and emotionally pretty messed up. I joyfully shared the time I came to know Jesus Christ and the goodness of God. With sincerity, I revealed how God healed my heart and changed my life by the power of His love. My unsuspecting passenger listened in silence.

     Without further incident, we arrived at her home. To my dismay, she lived in a small rented storage unit. I waited in the car while she lifted the metal storage door. On the concrete floor, her baby lay, wrapped in a blanket. My heart ached with compassion. I debated whether to offer further assistance. In my moment of indecision, she turned and, with a grateful smile, waved goodbye. Released from any further intervention, I left and went home.

    Months later, a stranger came to our church. He didn’t stay for the service, but shared with me the story of a man who picked up a naked woman in distress. He also told how, through his act of kindness and his testimony to the life-changing power of God’s love, she accepted Jesus. He didn’t offer any details, and I didn’t ask. Just as quickly as he came, he left. Thinking back, I wonder if this visitor was perhaps an angel?

    The Holy Spirit is our teacher. Sometimes we learn lessons through bizarre situations. God authored this encounter. In preparation, He imparted a thought to my mind to prepare me for the unexpected. Since that day, I have learned many ways God communicates. As such, life is always an adventure, the Christian life, the way life is meant to be. 

      In His heart with love, Roy Roden

Eastgate Ministries. email roy@eastgateoffice.org