Living the Abundant Life

By Mark Gardner

The first time I heard God’s voice was when I was living in Puerto Rico. As with most others who hear his voice, it comes to me as a quiet voice within my mind and heart, not audibly. But the first time was during a two-year quest to learn who God is. That adventure began while I was in the U.S. Navy serving aboard a ship in the Mediterranean Sea, and I related that story in my May 2007 Living the Abundant Life article. Entering the Navy, I was an agnostic, not convinced that God existed or had done me any good, but I retained a healthy skepticism regarding the divine. My experience on that ship changed that.

Then, in February 1978, the Navy transferred me to a base in the tropical paradise of Puerto Rico with orders that did not permit my wife, Christie, to accompany me. Because I only had 18 months left on my enlistment, to save the Navy money, my official orders to the base included prohibitions against the Navy paying for my wife’s airline ticket, providing on-base housing, and for shipping my car and furniture. Determined not to be split-up for a year and a half, we decided we would find off-base housing, buy a car there, and make it work. We trusted God would somehow take care of us, and asked him to do so.

The base housing office, in addition to “renting” on-base accommodations, also had lists of off-base apartments, so on my first day in paradise, I stopped by that office in my rental car. When I asked the woman behind the counter about off-base rentals, she told me that I could have a house on base. Pulling my orders out, I explained that they specifically prohibited that. She replied by telling me that this was the only U.S. Department of Defense installation in the world with “excess” housing (more than 100 vacant units), and the Secretary of Defense superseded the orders I had and authorized all personnel for on-base quarters.

The Director of Housing took me out to an impeccable neighborhood to look at empty homes from which to choose. Each had several coconut palms in the front yard, flowering bushes, and manicured lawns. After looking at the first two vacancies, I began thinking about how we might furnish a home. As the director opened the front door of the third house, he said if I wanted that one I would have to take it furnished. With so many empty houses, their warehouse was full of loaner furniture—stuff they loaned new people until their own things arrived—and there was nowhere to store this quarter’s things. So the dwelling was totally furnished, with refrigerator, stove, cooking utensils, plates, cups, and silverware. The only thing lacking was a TV, and linens. I couldn’t believe it. Once again, God had proven his love. I took it.

Back in the office, signing the needed forms, the clerk asked me if I’d like to ship my furniture and car. Once again, I explained my orders wouldn’t permit those, and once again, she explained that I could. It seems that the Navy would ship anything that could be packed in a box, so furniture couldn’t go, but the TV, linens, radio, books, lamps, stereo, and everything else we owned could be shipped. Also, if there was room on the ferry, we could ship our car from one of two east coast ports that included Charleston, SC, where we lived. And so, I had them arrange those for us.

Even though the U.S. Navy, had intended to keep me from having what we needed to live together, God had arranged to have all those orders over-ridden, and provided everything we required. I couldn’t wait to tell Christie what God had done. She too, was amazed, and God definitely had my total attention.

Even before we moved, I had decided to try Christianity to know God better. Having been an agnostic, not tied to any religion, I figured there must be 100 religions to from which to choose. Because I was raised Christian and knew it best, that was my logical starting place. If that didn’t work, there were 99 more to try. So I began reading my bible and going to Sunday chapel service.

By the time I reached Puerto Rico a couple of months later, I had decided the core question for Christianity was, “Who is Jesus Christ and why is he central to the religion bearing his name?” I asked God to show me somehow, and while at it, since Jesus claimed to be God and supposedly rose from the dead, I asked Jesus to reveal himself to me. If the claims of scripture were fact, then he was alive and had the power to do it.

I had a Christian working for me who was easily able to answer questions for me about Christianity, (e.g., “If Jesus was God, why did he cry out on the cross, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” Answer: “Read Psalm 22.”). As I came to understand that God’s expectation was that I believe that Jesus somehow died for my sins so that I could become one of God’s own children, and not just his creature, I wasn’t sure I wanted to believe that. Jesus made it clear in the gospels that following him meant we commit all of ourselves to him, and I’d already had a bad experience giving all of myself to the Navy.

In the summer of 1979, as I fervently prayed to personally know God, that still, small voice of God spoke to me a single sentence: “I am Jesus Christ, the God you have been praying to all along.” Those words touched the deepest reaches of my soul, and I was convinced of the reality of it. Interestingly, this didn’t assuage my fear, and it took God another amazing event (sorry I don’t have time for it, now) to convince me to tell him I did believe in Jesus Christ and his death on the cross for me and for everyone, and that I would commit myself to following him as Lord of my life. On July 4, 1979, I told him that. My life as been continually changing for the better ever since, and I have learned to hear his voice and converse with him whenever I want to. Communications between the divine and I had been opened.

Mark Gardner is a Christian Life Coach in Eaton, Ohio who specializes in helping people and churches experience The Extraordinary Life God promises us. Learn more and contact him at http://www.gardnercoaching.com/.