October 29, 2011

I'm Glad I Missed That Bus - Bruce Atchison.

Why doesn't God do miracles today? That was what I often wondered throughout my childhood and early adult years. The Bible is filled with accounts of supernatural healings, storms being stopped, days being lengthened, armies routed, food being multiplied, and dead people being resurrected. Not until a few years ago did I learn of a special sort of miraculous process that occurs continually, yet we rarely acknowledge it.

As R. C. Sproul once explained on his Renewing Your Mind radio program, providence requires much more in the way of miraculous power than any straight-forward miracle would. So many factors have to line up perfectly for the providential act to take place. I experienced many of these, one of the most notable being the time I missed the last bus home after a meeting of shortwave enthusiasts.

When I told Don, the man in whose house the meeting was held, what happened, he graciously let me sleep on his couch. Since he didn't provide me with a disposable razor or tooth brush, I looked dishevelled the next morning when I reported to work at the airports branch of the federal government. I usually brought a bag lunch to work but as I hadn't been home to make one, I ate lunch at the cafeteria. While speaking to an acquaintance seated across from me, I mentioned that I needed a new place to live as my current apartment was too noisy. She said the main floor of her house was vacant and asked if I would be interested in seeing it. When I arrived there the next Sunday afternoon, I knew that the place would be much better than that hole in the wall I currently rented.

Because of one missed bus, I ended up renting a much better place where I had three years of peace. The embarrassment I felt about waiting on the wrong side of the street and having to beg a night's lodging from the president of the Canadian International DX Club was far outweighed by the years of quietude I enjoyed at my acquaintance's house.

My upcoming How I Was Razed: A Journey from Cultism to Christianity memoir contains many examples of God's kind providence. Even his letting me join a cultic house church has redounded to his glory in that I now know the truth. Because of being deceived, I feel a burning desire to defend the Word.

My previous books, When a Man Loves a Rabbit (Learning and Living With Bunnies) and Deliverance from Jericho (Six Years in a Blind School) also show the Lord's providence in my life, even though some experiences were far from enjoyable. Read more about them here. You're also welcome to write to me directly if you like.




3 comments:

  1. Bruce, No matter what happens to those who love him... He somehow causes ALL things to work together for good! And your story proves it yet again!

    And I was excited to hear of that burning desire as a result of some of those 'all things' that you now have to defend the Word.

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  2. Wonderful and circuitous providential story, Bruce. I must start watching for these in my own life. I hadn't thought of all the steps involved.

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  3. If only we could remember this the next time we think something is 'going' wrong. I'm sure many times we'll never know how much better off we are because of one of these 'missed buses' but on the other hand god often allows us to see it once in awhile just to remind us that He truly is in control...

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