Three chariots of praise

It was about forty miles from home to my place of work in those days. Living in the country is great but there's a drive if you have a city job. Mine was as an industrial designer in Little Rock.

I was driving in one morning when my car blew a fan belt causing it to quickly overheat. Nothing to do but pull over. I was still many miles from work and without a cell phone had no access to help. It had been a long time since I tried to hitch hike but it was my only option. After all I was nice and clean cut, standing by what was obviously my vehicle. Why drivers would be lining up to give this fine fellow a much needed lift! Wrong. After many minutes and hundreds of commuters zipping by not one had even slowed down. To me it looked like they sped up when they saw my arm with an extended thumb on it.

Resigning myself I headed north and began walking. I said aloud "OK Lord, I'm going to walk to work and praise you the whole way".

As I began my forced march I began to sing a praise song. It wasn't hard. I hadn't walked thirty feet when I heard behind me the sound of tires hitting the shoulder of the highway. Turning I saw that it was a pickup and so walked over and opened the door. The driver asked if I needed a ride so I hopped in and said "praise the Lord"! To which he replied "are you a Christian"? After I answered yes he said "I never pick up anyone on the road but when I saw you I just found myself pulling over"!

We talked a bit about Jesus as we rode then he had to let me out at the exit I needed to take. I felt an excitement about this mini-adventure and knew that Jesus was showing me something simple but oh so important. The lesson can be found in the fiftieth Psalm.


Psa 50:14 — Psa 50:15 (NKJV)
Offer to God thanksgiving,
And pay your vows to the Most High.
Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”

God was going to deliver me through the power of praise! I was going to praise myself to work! As I began to walk, praise and sing to God once more, I hadn't taken ten steps when again the sound of tires behind me told me my ride had arrived! Getting in and thanking the young man for stopping, we then conversed back and forth while we continued our northward journey. I turned the talk to Jesus and found that this fellow was a backslidden believer. He seemed genuinely touched by my ministry to him and expressed a desire to start coming to church again. The meeting was no accident and our heavenly appointment maker knew our schedules. He let me out at my next exit several miles from where we started and so I was afoot once more.

Beginning to sing praises one more time as I walked up the exit ramp, the now familiar tires on asphalt sound turned me around. The sight of my next divinely ordered ride was really emphasizing the Lord's lesson for me. Certainly there was no coincidence in the arrival of those much appreciated heavenly chariots.

This last ride placed me across the street from my office and as with the other two lifts I shared Jesus with the driver.

The Lord had given me three rides and taken me many miles to my destination. I had walked a total of perhaps forty feet and had gotten to share Jesus with three men. A pretty good outcome for a stranded traveller. Praising the Lord out of a fix. Not a bad way to travel! Truly these were three chariots of praise.

The principal of praising God for our deliverance is wonderful! The Bible is filled with such accounts like Paul and Silas praising their way out of prison. King Jehosaphat also used this to deliver the entire nation.


2 Chronicles 20:21-22 KJVS
And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord , and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord ; for his mercy endureth for ever.
[22] And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.


Psalms 50:23 (NKJV)
Whoever offers praise glorifies Me;
And to him who orders his conduct aright
I will show the salvation of God.”


Psa 107:30 — Psa 107:31 (NKJV)
Then they are glad because they are quiet;
So He guides them to their desired haven.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

This must be our way of life, not some kind of formula for deliverance. God is worthy of our highest praise and worship even if He never came to help us.

Watchman Nee was last heard by a fellow prisoner in a Chinese communist prison as Nee sang Psalms and worshipped God in his cell. That he died praising God is not a bad epitaph.
 
I remember back in 1973 a friend gave me a book called Prison to Praise by Merlin Caroethers, who had been in prison. The key idea was how his life changed after he began praising God on a regular basis and for everything every day. Before that in my mind Praise was something one usually did just in church with a congregation. That discovery ushered in a new beginning of daily praises to God and virtually changed my attitude and my life.
 
Are you baptized in the Holy Spirit? The Lord baptized me in His spirit about forty years ago just a week or two after He saved me at home outside of CHURCH. Acts chapter 19 is our guide.


Acts 19:2 KJVS
He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost SINCE ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

Yes we must praise Him at all times offering up the sacrifice of praise!
 
Are you baptized in the Holy Spirit?
Yes Sir !
Got Baptized at a church love feast at a brothers house.
We had three pastors at that time and with my past and background, well they wanted to get me baptized quickly.

All three Pastors were amazed at the things that were happening in and through me and stuck by me. Lol they had to see how this ended or rather my new beginning started.

So the time came and in the brothers pool we went. I am not sure what others saw before during and after but I came up praising God in the Spirit And No one and I mean no one would go swimming in the pool after words. They would just stare at the water and say, I wonder what is left in that pool. Lol

Blessings
FCJ
 
Are you baptized in the Holy Spirit? The Lord baptized me in His spirit about forty years ago just a week or two after He saved me at home outside of CHURCH. Acts chapter 19 is our guide.


Acts 19:2 KJVS
He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost SINCE ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

Yes we must praise Him at all times offering up the sacrifice of praise!


Yes, I am since June 30, 1973. when I was 36 years old. Our ten year old daughter, who is now 54, had just returned from summer bible camp a neighbor friend invited her to. She told us she had been baptized in the Holy Spirit . About that same time some friends who were part of a prayer group shared with me about their same experience and they gave me a couple of books to read one being the Prison to Praise book I mentioned. My response to them was not all that open but I did read the books. Then I began to notice the wonderful changes in my girl and I started to read the Word about it more and more and began to believe and seek. One thing led to another as we both read the Word even together and I received within a few weeks. That was the beginning of many changes although I had received the Lord way back at a Youth for Christ conference when I was in high school. She's 54 now and a fine wife, mom, has a career, and serves in ministries in her church as have I over the years. We both love the Lord~ Eventually our whole family was baptized in water by immersion except my husband who held back on that many years and finally was baptized on his birthday also by two pastors in an outdoor pool at a brother in Christ's house.
 
Last edited:
That is Sooo wonderful! So many I try to approach about the fullness of the Holy Spirit begin to attack me with denominational rhetoric. We were married 14 years without children but the Lord told us He was sending us a son. Two years later while praying in the spirit He gave me the interpretation that my wife was pregnant. Nine months later our so was born. He's a spirit filled minister.

Your child is blessed to have a mother close to God. We homeschooled ours until they reached high school age. They were fillled with love and God's word and we had no TV until they were about seven. We read to them, played games and generally poured ourselves into them. Our daughter is park interpreter for Prairie Grove battlefield state park and is a spirit filled Christian.

Your children will give back all you put in them and more. God help you and your family.

Frank + Martha Jennings
 
Us_0-360x640_zpsyqnacjfj.jpg


He seteth the solitary in families
 
Hello FrankLee:

What a wonderful testimony of faith, brother! Incredible. It could have easily turned out differently had you decided to resolve your broken fan belt on your own.

I can see Three Chariots of Praise riding down the mountain in victory, praising the Lord in a loud voice.

Thank you for sharing, FrankLee. God bless you and your family!
 
Back
Top