I hesitated to share this story out of concern for not drawing undue attention to any works the Lord has directed me to do. Yet I discerned that the details of this event hold such benefit in encouraging the saints of God to be listening intently to the voice of the Lord and acting upon His direction that it should be shared.
The Lord has brought me to have a very precious relationship with a sister in Christ who is truly as a sister to me. She is ten years older than myself, and she cares for her elderly mother. Because she must stay home with her mother most of the day she is only able to work part-time driving a school bus, and therefore has limited financial resources.
This sister has been seeking the Lord to know what preparation she might make for coming days. However, her resources have not allowed her to do anything. I began seeking the Lord concerning her welfare in coming days. I had a conversation with her one night last week and she said that for many years, as far back as the 1970's, she has wanted to get a school bus and convert it into a camper.
I had been checking www.craigsList.com for several days, thinking that the Lord would have me to purchase a pop-up trailer to pull behind my van. After speaking with this sister in Christ I checked Craigslist for the Atlanta area again, not even thinking about the conversation I had just had with this sister, when I noted that a Bus/Camper had just been listed the very hour that we had been speaking. I had not seen any buses in previous days on the list, and I was struck by the timing of this post.
Some saints had given me some money on my recent trip across the country and I had been seeking the Lord to know what He would have it used for. When I saw this bus/camper listed I immediately thought of this sister in Christ and the need she had. The Scriptures declare:
Philippians 2:3-4
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
God says that He especially looks out for the needs of widows and orphans and will supply all their need. This sister in Christ is devoted to caring for her widowed mother, and she is herself a widow. Upon seeing this listing for a bus/camper, I began asking the Lord if it was His will for me to acquire this for this sister. I sensed the Spirit directing in this way, so the next day I called my friend Randy Simmons to see if he would make the 2 hour ride with me to go look at the bus. He agreed to do so, and immediately after hanging up he called me back to say that as soon as we had finished speaking he had observed another image of a dove with a branch in its mouth.
The Lord has been using these images as a witness to us that He is directing His people to prepare an ark in this hour. Randy had himself seen such an image just prior to purchasing a motorhome recently, and he took this further encounter as an encouraging sign.
Randy and I drove to a small town east of Atlanta Saturday to look at the bus. Just short of our destination we stopped at a convenience store, and Randy told me to look at the window of the store right next to where I had parked. This is what we saw.
This was the very same image Randy had seen the moment after I had asked him to ride with me to look at this bus for this sister in Christ. We both were encouraged that the Spirit of Christ was going before us, and this was indeed His will.
The man who owned the bus told me it was a school bus that he used to go to Nascar events at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. When he showed me the bus I saw that it was actually a former church bus, and it had the symbol of the cross and flame that the Methodist church uses. This man had left this symbol on the bus even when he painted it.
These symbols are very significant in that the Spirit is testifying that in coming days a remnant of God’s people will be led through a wilderness experience where they will be purged, purified and refined. The flame is a symbol of purification. The word fire and the word pure both come from the same Greek root. The cross is also a symbol representing the end of the flesh, which is necessary in order that a spiritual creation might arise.
I sensed a great peace from the Father in considering making the man an offer for the bus/camper, and he accepted my suggested price of $1,200. I drove the bus home to Macon, a distance of some 110 miles, and it drove flawlessly. It is in very good mechanical shape, and is ready to be outfitted inside. Following is an inside view of this 30 foot long bus.
As I was driving the bus back to Macon I noted that it was manufactured by Carpenter Body Works. There is great symbolism in this name, for Christ was a carpenter by trade and He will perform a great work among His body in this hour.
Driving home in the bus I also went through a torrential rain, yet the bus handled very well in these adverse conditions. I was once more reminded of the symbolism of being inside an ark of safety when the judgments of God are upon the earth as they were in the days of Noah.
The Father gave me a further confirmation of His will in this matter. The sister for whom the Father is providing this bus had told me that the previous week she had thought the Spirit of Christ was directing her to buy a set of truck mirrors. She thought at the time she was buying them for me, but later realized I had new mirrors on my van. When I looked at the bus I noted that one of the mirrors was broken and the ones on it were inadequate. I was immediately mindful that this sister had a new set of mirrors that would work very well on the bus.
I share this as one more testimony of the Lord’s leading in this hour. I also share it that others who have the financial means might be encouraged to consider how they might be used of the Father to assist those who have needs. We should remember the many promises of the Father concerning those who give to the needs of the poor, the widow and the orphan. We will all need the compassion and care of our Father in coming days, and caring for the needs of others is an activity that does not escape our Father’s notice.
Consider the rich promises of the following Scriptures:
Proverbs 21:13
He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be answered.
Deuteronomy 15:7-11
"If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which Yahweh your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks. Beware that there is no base thought in your heart, saying, "The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,' and your eye is hostile toward your poor brother, and you give him nothing; then he may cry to Yahweh against you, and it will be a sin in you. You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing Yahweh your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings. For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, "You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.”
Proverbs 28:27
He who gives to the poor will never want, but he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.
Isaiah 58:6-9
Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth; and your righteousness will go before you; The glory of Yahweh will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and Yahweh will answer; You will cry, and He will say, “Here I am.”
Matthew 25:34-40
"Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him,’Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’”
James 2:13
For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
Matthew 10:41-42
"He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward."
Proverbs 19:17
One who is gracious to a poor man lends to Yahweh, and He will repay him for his good deed.
Galatians 6:10
So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.
Let us all seek the Lord daily to know what He might have us to do, for the Spirit is expressly testifying that days of great trouble lie ahead for the nations.
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
P.S. Please note that the Lord has me busy these days laboring in these physical preparations for the days ahead. I anticipate spending most of this week occupied with those preparations the Father is directing me to, and I anticipate driving the bus a thousand miles to deliver it and then catching a ride on Greyhound to return to Macon. Therefore, my time for e-mail is very limited and my responses may be delayed. I am trying to read my e-mails daily, but I do not have time at present to answer them all. Thank you for your understanding.
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
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