‘I was a secular Jew, but then I turned to Jesus’

In the summer of 1985 I went to visit my family in Israel, I arrived to a crisis – my dad was in hospital and my sister embroiled in a quarrel. One night after trying to comfort my mum in her distress, I tried to settle to sleep.

My mother’s burden was heavy on my heart. It sat on my chest and crushed my spirit so I couldn’t breathe. I lay on our living room sofa trying to sleep, choked and overwhelmed. Then suddenly a thick luminous cross hovered over the length of my body for a few sweet moments and then disappeared. I felt a deep peace, and then fell asleep. I didn’t have much knowledge of what the cross symbolised, but I knew it was a Christian symbol.

I didn’t have much knowledge of what the cross symbolised, but I knew it was a Christian symbol.

Once back in the UK, I was in deep depression but internal conversations with God began, Spirit to spirit which helped. A Christian carpenter came to do a job in my house and he repeatedly mentioned that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah as well as the Saviour of the gentiles. At that time I was also surrounded by other Christian friends who spoke to me about their Christian faith.

As an Israeli, secular Jew, this was hard for me to accept, but I felt God was speaking to me. Finally, after a few months, I met the person of Jesus through receiving inner healing with a couple of Catholic prayer counsellors . They were ministering in their home under the covering of their church. They prayed for me several times and during that time I had Jesus appear to me in my memory. In one particular memory when I was five year old, I was really upset when my mother was cross with me and I went to another room in our home and hid my face in a pillow. I wept for a long time hoping mum would come to comfort me but she never did. Eventually, I got off the pillow and went back to the living room where my father greeted me lovingly but my mum could not face me. I stood before her in my memory and felt a sense of condemnation because she did not reach for me. At that point, I saw Jesus appear and he lifted me and placed me on my mother’s lap where I saw myself rocking back and forth. I immediately felt that sense of condemnation lift and I felt loved again.

I bought myself a Bible straight away and I followed a daily devotional which I used during my quiet time.

I bought myself a Bible straight away and I followed a daily devotional which I used during my quiet time. My conversations with God began with the devotional and with the full backing of regular Bible reading. Also, immediately I received those initial revelations of Christ, God took me to the Bible and opened it up for me, teaching me directly all about true and false prophets, and true and false religions.

God healed me of shame and a sense of condemnation, he taught me how to overcome depression daily, as I stayed close to him through prayer. We then moved to Brussels and I attended the Anglican church there. Back in the UK I went to Wycliffe church in Reading and then later the Vineyard church. I understood I needed to learn to apply myself daily to wait on him, read the Bible and pray. During quiet time he revealed to me two keys to remain intimate with him.

Sincerity - I needed to be open and honest with myself and with God at all times. God showed me, just reading the Bible would not do. An open heart was essential no matter the issue or wrong committed.

Walking and talking – He also showed me that a quiet time in the morning will not suffice. I needed to talk to God through the day at all times, through my routine and in times of crisis.

Applying these two keys unlocked for me the doors to God’s heart and provided me with solutions in every crisis, problem, or obstacle I faced, whether handling a stubborn child or amid a car accident. God was always there as I confessed to him my need and consulted him on a dilemma.

If you too, put to practice these two keys, I believe you will grow closer to God and find intimacy with him to be your ultimate solution.