I was in our kitchen when the phone rang. Though the number was unfamiliar, I picked it up.
“Mommm,” cried the young adult male voice at the other end of the line.
I had seen segments on the news where swindlers would call unsuspecting persons, pretending to be a family member who is kidnapped and held for ransom. So often they would be scammed out of thousands of dollars. As someone who has never born a child, I suspected it was a scam rather than a wrong number.
“What’s wrong?” I asked with sincerity.
“I’ve been in an accident.”
“Oh no, are you hurt? Are you in the hospital?” I asked with great concern.
“No, but I’m in trouble.”
He went on to tell me he had been arrested and needed money for bail. My thoughts raced trying to come up with the right response that could have a positive impact on him.
“I’m so sorry,” he whined.
“That’s okay,” I replied sympathetically. “As long as you’re not hurt.”
He gave me the phone number of a lawyer and an account number for wiring the funds.
“Do you know Jesus?” were the only words that came out of my mouth.
“Everybody does,” he responded. Click!
I was expecting him to hang up, but not his verbal response. How sad he didn’t use his talent for good instead of evil.
There are so many people who fall for these fake callers. I’m surprised that some don’t recognize the voice isn’t that of their supposed family member. Perhaps they’re hard of hearing? Or perhaps they’re caught by the element of surprise? Or maybe they’re just naive?
It made me wonder how many of us recognize God’s voice when He speaks to us? I definitely know He’s spoken to me on several occasions.
One particular time was a few years after I became a Christian. I was watching “The 700 Club” tv show, and the guest speaker was sharing her testimony and a book she had written. At that moment, I thought, One day I’m going to be on this show, and I’m going to write a book. I was puzzled as to why I would think such a thing. I knew the thought had to come from God, even though it appeared to be from me. I had learned that our thoughts can sometimes come from God, or even from Satan, though they seem like our own.
About 16 years later I shared my testimony on “The 700 Club,” and 18 years after that I wrote my memoir, “The Road to Mercy.”
John 10:27 says, “My sheep hear my voice; and I know them, and they follow me.”
We would all do well to learn to recognize when God is putting a thought into our mind. When He speaks to us, He won’t be trying to swindle us, like that phone scammer. Quite the contrary. When He speaks to us, it will only be for our good.
Mary Therese Hutchinson 