by: Denny

As I wrote in my previous blog post, “Just Do What He Tells You”, God came through for me when I needed a load in Las Vegas. However, I would’ve missed it altogether if I hadn’t taken the time to quiet myself and listen for His voice and directions. There are many situations when we desperately need a miracle, a healing, and an immediate answer to prayer, but do we ask for His guidance in simple everyday decisions that we take for granted without consulting Him.  That’s where the rubber meets the road when Jesus said, “Come follow me.” He cares about and wants to be involved in every aspect of your life, and nothing is either too small or too big for Him. I believe when we allow God to lead us in small ways it builds our faith to believe for the bigger things. Such was the case for me on January 22, 1984.

January 11, 1984 (Wednesday) I left home with a load of paper I had loaded two days earlier in Nekoosa, WI. It was going to Salem, OR with a drop in Logan, UT. I unloaded the first drop on Friday and continued driving to Salem. I couldn’t unload until Monday, so when I got to Pendleton, OR I called my cousin Judy and spent the weekend with her family. It had been ten years since I saw them when they lived in Salinas, CA. while I was laid over waiting to pick up a load of lettuce.

January 16, 1984 (Monday) I got my load off and was dispatched to Everette, WA to pick up a whole load of toilet paper going to Phoenix. I unloaded that load on Thursday, and headed for Nogales on the Mexican border to pick up a load of produce for St. Louis, MO.

January 22, 1984 (Sunday) Because produce is time sensitive, some grocery chains will even receive loads on Sunday, and such was the case with my load. I was empty by 7AM. I had made a point to go to church whenever possible while on the road if my schedule permitted. If I was laid over for a weekend, I would drop my trailer and find a church. If I was enroute and could find a church with nearby parking for my whole rig I would do that too. God had always been faithful to honor my desire and today was to be no exception. I was scheduled to pick up a load of meat at Monmouth, IL on Monday, so I wasn’t pressed for time. I planned my route crossing the Mississippi River at Alton, IL. and asked the Lord to guide me to a church. As I drove through several towns I spotted some churches, but the Lord hadn’t said anything, so I kept driving. I was getting anxious because the time most churches started would soon be past.  As I was driving through Greenfield, I noticed people entering a small church off the highway, but I was already past it and headed out of town. That’s when I heard the Lord say, “Turn around and go back.” That’s easy for a car, but not for an 18-wheeler on a two-lane highway. You may be asking, “Well if that was God, why didn’t He tell you before you got out of town?” My answer: Maybe He wanted to see if I thought turning around would be too much of a hassle, and whether I would obey or just keep driving. Often the Lord will tell you to do something that goes contrary to our natural reasoning. About two miles out of town there was a farm service center with plenty of room to make a U-turn. I headed back into town and found a side street close to the church with plenty of room to park. I was in time to attend the adult Sunday School class as well as the service. It was refreshing. After church my plan was to continue driving, but a couple invited me to their house for lunch. It turned out they lived on a farm just down the road from the farm service center, so I left my truck there. Their names were Larry and Kathy Mears and they had three daughters. Beth (12), Lisa (10), and Debbie (7). I thoroughly enjoyed a home-cooked meal, and the girls were wide-eyed with excitement as I talked about some of my adventures with the Lord on the road. I ended up spending the day and stayed the night. That was the beginning of a friendship that has lasted 38 years, and I’ve been back to visit them a couple times. What a blessing I would have missed if I had just kept driving.

Shortly after accepting Jesus Christ as my savior on September 30, 1983, I began to carry in my truck the King James Bible my Grandma Meyer gave me for confirmation. I had made it customary to take it with me into the truck stops and read it while I was eating. It was April 12, 1984, and I was headed for Denver with a load of apples that I had loaded in Brewster, WA. I had driven until 2AM and stopped at a small Husky Truck Stop in LaGrande, OR to grab a bite to eat and a cup of coffee. At that hour the restaurant was nearly empty, so I picked a booth and began reading my Bible while waiting for my food. I barely noticed the guy standing at my table until he exclaimed, “Praise God there’s another Christian truck driver and he’s even got his Bible.” His name was Joe Katancik and he drove for NW Freight Lines out of Denver. I invited him to join me, and we talked for quite some time. He was headed back home and when I told him I had to unload in Denver on Friday, He invited me to spend the weekend with him and his wife Midge. That began another friendship that has lasted for years. I spent many weekends with them when I was in Denver, and was baptized by immersion in their church, Aroura First Assembly of God, on Mother’s Day that May. That was an answer to a prayer and a desire I had to be baptized the way Jesus was. What a blessing I would have missed had I not taken my Bible into the restaurant.

Well, that old Bible got a lot of use, but the King James version can be difficult reading. On another trip I had again loaded some produce in WA going to Minneapolis. Somewhere east of Billings, MT on I-94 I picked up a Christian radio station from Glendive. They were playing a prerecorded segment introducing the New King James Study Bible. The more I listened I was convinced that I needed to buy one. The station was also promoting the local Christian bookstore located on the main street in Glendive as the place to get a copy. I’ve never been to Glendive, so I didn’t have a clue what I was getting into. However, as I pulled off the interstate, I asked the Lord to show me the way and provide a place to park. As it is with many small towns the business route will take you right downtown. I took that exit and followed the signs as it made several turns. The last left turn put me right in the middle of the business district, but where would I park? I spotted the sign for the bookstore a block ahead of me on my left. The street was set up with parallel parking on both sides with meters. As I approached, I could see three open spaces on my side directly across the street from the bookstore, but it wasn’t enough room for my truck. Suddenly a car pulled out from a spot which left four adjoining spaces, so I was able to swing in and take all the spaces. I put change in all the meters and walked across the street. I told the owner I wanted the New King James Bible I heard about on the radio, and a nice cover for it. He was amazed that I was able to get that many spaces for my semi. We talked a bit and come to find out he was from my hometown and had moved to Glendive several years ago. What a blessing I would have missed if I hadn’t trusted the Lord to guide me and provide a parking spot.

I’ve come to know that following Jesus and hearing His voice, isn’t some mystical unobtainable experience reserved for the religious elite or only those in ministry. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10;27) When Jesus stood on trial before Pilate (John 18:37) He said, “Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.” On many occasions when Jesus was teaching, He would say, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” God rarely speaks in a loud thundering voice, but it’s more of a whispering much like in 1 Kings 18:12 when He spoke to Elijah. The Bible is full of examples of how God spoke to men and women in various ways. Don’t think you have to be a Christian to hear God speaking, in fact He is constantly calling out for people to come to Him. The question is, will you hear and respond. Paul was yet to be converted when Jesus spoke to him. Paul’s response was, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” If you tell people God spoke to you, you may get some raised eyebrows and doubtful looks. However, for the believing Christian it should be a normal experience to hear God’s voice. There are many voices speaking today, but the only way to hear God’s voice is to know Him and His Word. So, the question remains to be answered; Are you hearing His voice? If not, it’s probably because you don’t have a revelation knowledge of His Word, or you’re not listening! It is God’s will that you hear for yourself what He’s telling you, otherwise how can you “Follow the Leader.”

I promised in my last blog I would write about 12/9/1986 and I’m building up to it so stay tuned and don’t change that channel.