The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.  (Revelation 19:10) Once we hear, acknowledge and believe one, it powerfully influences our own perception of Who our God is, how great He is, how willing and able He is, all because we are deeply loved, awesomely cared for and unlimitlessly thought of by Him.

“How precious to me are your thoughts, God!  How vast is the sum of them!  Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand– when I awake, I am still with You.”  (Psalm 139:17-18)

When I heard about the recent 7.5 magnitude earthquake that hit Palu, Indonesia, one thing that enlarged my heart was the very thought of how many testimonies of God’s goodness would birth from it.  Yes, I am deeply saddened by the damage and loss that happened in which I join all the prayer warriors to pray for the welfare and comfort of our affected brothers and sisters, but what keeps my hopes high is the cornerstone of our belief that what the devil meant for evil, God shall turn it to good.  We have a good, good Father Who is unceasingly committed to our good!  Jesus Who is the HOPE of glory already came, died and rose again that we may overcome.

Here is the one of those powerful testimonies that I read and heard.  It is one that would encourage us to press in to BE STILL and KNOW what He is speaking at a given time and immediately act on it.

On September 28, 2018, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit Palu, Indonesia, taking hundreds of lives and wreaking considerable damage to the region.   However, in the midst of this heartbreak, one pilot testified to a miracle that saved his passengers’ lives when he heard God’s audible voice.

Captain Ricosetta Mafella of Batik Air revealed why his plane took off three minutes earlier than its scheduled flight time from Palu Airport.

According to the reports, from what he shared with a church congregation in Jakarta, Captain Mafella had been feeling uneasy all day long. He felt so disturbed that he sang worship songs the whole flight from Ujung Pandang to Palu. His Muslim Co-Pilot even jestingly suggested he could make a CD of worship songs.

“Usually I only hum, but that day I wanted to praise the Lord as best I could,” he said.

When they arrived in the skies above Palu Airport, he heard a voice in his heart telling him to circle again before landing.  The airport is surrounded by two mountain ranges, and pilots have to be extra careful while landing.  For this reason, he was reminded of Psalm 23:4 that says, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Fortunately, they safely landed at Palu airport, but he had this feeling that he needed to hurry.  So he led the crew to take a 20 minute break and depart for Jakarta via Ujung Pandang again.  He felt an urgency inside that he even requested to leave 3 minutes ahead of schedule.

After the air controller from the Control Tower (Anthonius Gunawan Agung who sadly lost his life) granted him permission for an early take-off, they immediately set the pace. He confessed that he broke the flight procedures and took over the co-pilot’s role just to speed up the plane in the process of take-off.  

He wondered why, but his hand kept on holding on to the lever. His co-pilot looked fearful when he brazenly did this as the plane’s body was strangely swaying left and right. Right then, unbeknownst to them, an earthquake had hit Palu.

Captain Mafella tried to communicate to the Control Tower several minutes later, but he received no response.  To his shock, a peculiar phenomenon was happening below as he looked down.  The sea water on the coast was forming a huge hole and the foundation of the seabed could be seen!

When the plane arrived at Ujung Pandang, he heard the news that a tsunami had hit Palu.  Moreover, the official in the control tower who he spoke to, had died shortly after he had made sure that the last plane had taken off safely before the earthquake hit.

Our prayers go out to the families

Captain Mafella emphasized how crucial it is to be sensitive to the voice of God. According to his testimony, if he hadn’t taken off three minutes earlier, he would not have been able to save the 140 passengers, because the asphalt on the landing strip was moving up and down like a curtain blowing in the wind.

He concluded his testimony with a vital lesson.  He says that whatever happens we must be calm and avoid panic so that we can clearly hear God’s instructions coming to us through the Holy Spirit.

In the midst of this chaos in Palu, Indonesia, we can learn a great lesson from the testimony of Captain Mafella.  Also, our prayers go out to the families of the victims. We pray that the Holy Spirit would comfort them in their grief and that God would provide for all who have lost their homes.

Source: The Elijah Challenge

The Lord our God is always on a lookout to whom and how He can pour Himself to us.  He waits for our invitation at the same time woos us to witness His goodness that will cause our hearts to yearn for more of Him.  “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9)

A small-scale gesture of turning our affection and attention towards Him allows all of heaven to zero in into our thirsty and hungry souls.  He comes to manifest at our slightest whisper for He is so close to us, living inside of us in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

I love what Bill Johnson said.  “What power is there that can block the fellowship of the Holy Spirit in you and the Father in Heaven?  None!”

When He comes, He speaks.  But are we hearing and listening?  This testimony indeed is prophesying to all of us that  …. “TODAY if we hear HIS voice, harden not our hearts …”  (Hebrews 3:15)”

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank You, for giving us Your Son, Jesus Christ, Who came to powerfully save us from the intruder of sin, that we may have the liberty and boldness to come to Your throne anytime, anywhere, and hear Your whisper as You lead us every step that we take by Your Spirit.  Truly, whom the Son sets free is free indeed.  And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.  It is the freedom to intimately commune with You without limits and graced to do what we are called to do every time, not by might nor by power, but by the Spirit of God that is the key!  Amen!