"It Came Alive" My Supernatural Experience--Jerry Banfield Writing Contest

When it came alive, I came alive.

I grew up in a little town in Wisconsin and my family moved many times--about 30 times all together! I was always the new kid in school. We also grew up in a super-strict religion with rules upon rules. We were not allowed to celebrate birthdays or any of the holidays the other kids in school did.

But I always believed in God. However, I began to see Him as a tyrant at worst, and at best either disappointed or disinterested in me. In high school, I became more or less agnostic. But even though I either didn't believe in God, or ignored what I knew about Him, God came after me. I want to share with you three supernatural experiences I had, and then I'll tell you how "it" came alive.

Miracle #1

In my high school musical, I got the part of one of the brothers in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I was going to sing a solo in the song "Those Canaan Days." And then, just a couple days before the opening night--- wouldn't you know it--I caught a severe cold and laryngitis from my sister.

"You won't have a voice for about three weeks," the doctor said. "So I wouldn't plan on singing."

However, my mom was watching the 700 Club on TV. At the end of the broadcast, they pray for people in the audience, even those watching by television. My mom saw it and pulled me in the living room to watch.

"There's someone out there that has a has a scratchiness, a blockage in their throat," the lady on TV prayed. "God is healing that right now, in Jesus name."

"Matt, I want you to claim that," my mom urged.

'Claim that?' What does that even mean?

I hesitated. But my mom insisted.

"Okay," I whispered roughly. "I claim it."

Nothing happened. I still had no voice. Then several days later, the musical was on. I explained the situation to the director. I could only squawk, and that was about it. I lip-synced the rest of the parts, because my voice was so raspy.

Then, when my solo came up, I started to sing. And I got my voice back in full! "Do you remember those good years in Canaan?..."

No one could even tell that I had laryngitis.

Here is the song--recorded in 1995, when I was 17...

Miracle #2

The next year, when I was going to art school in Milwaukee, I was visiting a friend and had to catch a bus back home. I was lugging two heavy suitcases (old ones that didn't have wheels on them) and there was no way I could make it to the Greyhound station in time. I was on the north side of town and several miles away. ( I didn't have my driver's license yet)

I prayed.

"God, help!"

The next moment, I looked up, and there was a taxi cab. In a residential part of town. I hailed the cab, and I had my ride to the station, just like that.

God answered my prayer--no question about that.

Miracle #3

I had always been skinny. In high school I shot up to 6' 3" and was only 140 lbs. I was so emaciated, I could cup my hand around my upper arm, and get my fingers to touch.

I hated it.

"There's Ethiopian man!" the kids would tease.

It didn't matter how much I ate, I just couldn't gain a pound to save my life.

After coming back from art school, I lived with my parents for a while. One day, I was complaining about being so thin. My mom was tired of hearing it.

"If you hate being thin, why don't you just ask Jesus to heal you?"

"That's like praying to a brick wall, Mom. But fine. I'll do it for you."

I went upstairs to my bedroom and prayed. Nothing fancy. I just asked God to heal me of being skinny in Jesus' name. I didn't feel any different after praying. I didn't really believe anything would happen. Although in the back of my mind, there were some "What if...Maybe...He might just..." islands in the middle of a sea of doubts.

After praying, I walked back downstairs. My moms eyes were almost bulging.

"Matt, your face looks fuller!"

Yeah. Sure, Mom.

I touched my cheek, curious. It was fuller! I actually had some flesh on my cheeks! Amazing.

Excited, I ran over to the bathroom and hopped on the scale.

145 lbs.

145 pounds...I had never weighed that in my life! I had just gained five pounds. (You see, I was so self conscious about my weight, that I weighed myself almost every day.) So, I knew what I weighed that morning. I literally gained five pounds in an instant.

I gained another five pounds about a week later. And another five the following week.

After several months, I was up to almost 180 lbs, a respectable weight. (Today, I'm at 210.)

I don't know what God did, but He miraculously caused me to gain weight. But even then, I forgot about how good God was to me. I pulled Jesus out of my pocket when I needed Him. But when I was partying, I stuffed Him back in and told Him to be quiet.

The Real Miracle...and How it Came Alive

I kept on sinning--lying, getting drunk, having sex before marriage, living selfishly for a couple more years. One night, after driving home to from Madison to Eau Claire, WI after visiting my girlfriend, I knew I was on my way to hell. It scared me. I could hit a deer, roll my car, and lights out. I would be in hell for my sins. The thought terrified me.

"God, please. I don't want to go to hell. I really sinned this time. Please forgive me!" Tears were rolling down my face. Yet the weight of my sins remained. Did God hear?

Life went on. I was going to UW-Eau Claire to take an art class. I had just moved there.

One Friday night my roommates were out of town. I didn't feel like going out. I had the apartment to myself. For some reason, I saw my dusty Bible on my bookshelf.

Why not open it up?

I opened it up, paging through for something interesting to read. My eyes fell upon some interesting words in the New Testament Gospel of John, in Chapter 17. Here's some of what I read...

"After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you."

In this passage, I recognized Jesus was praying, the night before He was crucified. Do you remember the Passion of the Christ movie? This is what was going on.

"For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

I continued to read how Jesus prayed for His disciples to stay true to the faith. And then He prayed this:

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me..."

Amazing. He is praying for ME right now.

I could feel something happening. These words weren't just words on a page. No. I felt like Jesus was right there with me, praying these words for me. I felt His presence. If you've never felt it, I can't really describe it. If you have, you know what I'm talking about.

It's love. Pure love. And truth. Complete truth. Truth saturated in love.

And then this tipped me over the edge:

“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world."

Jesus, You want me to be with you in heaven? Really? Yes! Sign me up!

Tears of joy were flowing down my face. What did I have to do to be worthy of going to heaven?

Nothing. Only believe.

From my years of religion and church background, I knew the "nuts and bolts" of the gospel: Jesus died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and rose again in three days.

But now, I realized, He did it for me! His words came alive and suddenly I went from being a sinner to a saint in one moment. I was dead in my sins and now I was alive. I knew I was saved. No one had to tell me. I fell in love with God after that. I read the Bible for about five hours straight. Everything I read was different now. It spoke to me.

To cap off this story: as a new Christian, I felt right away that I should find a church to go to. I wanted to worship Jesus with other believers. I didn't know anyone in Eau Claire, so I looked up churches in the phone book. I found Bethel Church at the top of the list.

I went on a Sunday night. I was 23 years old.

My future wife introduced herself to me that night, on my way out the door. I thought, "Here's a cute girl and she's friendly. I think I'll ask her out on a date after a few weeks."

I did and then we both said, "I do."

This year, we will be celebrating our 15th anniversary. And it all started with some words out of a book.

Many thanks to @Jerrybanfield for putting on this supernatural contest!

Have a blessed day,

If you like this post, please comment, upvote, follow me ( @mattphilleo ) and resteem. I post regularly on art, tips on painting and drawing, and encouraging thoughts. You are helping me to do art full-time and support a family. Thank you so much!--Matt

See more of my artwork at: MattPhilleo.com

(Some images courtesy of Pexels.com)