A
Gallon of Milk


A young man had been to Wednesday night Bible Study. The Pastor
had shared about listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice.
The young man couldn't help but wonder, "Does God still speak
to people?" After service he went out with some friends for
coffee and pie and they discussed the message. Several different
ones talked about how God had led them in different ways.
It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home.
Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, "God ... If you
still speak to people speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best
to obey." As he drove down the main street of his town, he
had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook
his head and said out loud, God is that you?" He didn't get
a reply and started on toward home. But again, the thought, buy
a gallon of milk.
The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn't recognize the
voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli. "Okay, God,
in case that is you, I will buy the milk." It didn't seem like
too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped
and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home. As
he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, "Turn down
that street."
"This is crazy," he thought, and drove on past the intersection.
Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street. At the next
intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh. Half jokingly,
he said out loud, "Okay, God, I will". He drove several
blocks when suddenly he felt like he should stop. He pulled over
to the curb and looked around. He was in semicommercial area of
town. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods
either. The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked
dark like the people were already in bed.
Again, he sensed something, "Go and give the milk to the people
in the house across the street." The young man looked at the
house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone
or they were already asleep. He started to open the door and then
sat back in the car seat. "Lord, this is insane. Those people
are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I
will look stupid." Again, he felt like he should go and give
the milk.
Finally, he opened the door, "Okay God, if this is you, I will
go to the door and I will give them the milk If you want me to look
like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will
count for something but if they don't answer right away, I am out
of here."
He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some
noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, "Who is it? What do
you want?" Then the door opened before the young man could
get away. The man was standing there in his jeans and t-shirt. He
looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his
face and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger standing
on his doorstep. "What is it?" The young man thrust out
the gallon of milk, "Here, I brought this to you."
The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway speaking loudly
in Spanish. Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk
toward the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The
baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face. The
man began speaking and half crying, "We were just praying.
We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't
have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to
show me how to get some milk." His wife in the kitchen yelled
out, "I asked Him to send an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?"
The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money
he had on him and put in the man's hand. He turned and walked back
toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face. He knew
that God still answers prayers.
