How God Miraculously Answered Me!

I first became aware of Church of God publications in mid-1962. It was then being advertised in The Philippines Free Press, of which my father was a subscriber and occasional writer. Being a second year college student then in Zamboanga City, I did not have as much time to seriously read those publications, unlike the rest of my family residing then in Kabasalan, Zamboanga del Sur. But the things I heard from my father back home seemed to make good solid sense.

While in college, I was then very active in the leadership position of the Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. Having been born and raised as Evangelical Protestants, we were taught to be careful about publications that contradicted its teachings. Thus, I found an inner struggle trying to reconcile what I was beginning to learn as truth with what I had been previously taught. An even greater problem loomed in my mind with the possibility of making drastic changes in my life—including a change in my religious affiliation. The idea was becoming quite scary then.

After graduation from college in 1965, I determined to settle nagging doctrinal questions once and for all. I then seriously devoted study into these teachings almost daily and deep into the night for months. Hungering and thirsting for truth, I tried to read every possible publication which shed light into those questions—wanting to know for myself and to my full and complete satisfaction the real truths on those topics, and their support with irrefutable proofs.

Eventually, I came to the point where even if I wanted to stay in my previous religious comfort zone and maintain the status quo of my long-established Protestant affiliation, I simply cannot in good conscience refute the validity and solid Scriptural accuracy of what I was studying in the Church of God publications. It now became a conscience issue to me. It came to the point where I either have to believe man and its corrupted popular teachings, or the plain teachings of the Bible (which of course, I cannot reject).

But it was not easy to make such decision at that time because of the emotional baggage that was firmly attached to it: What about my friends, relatives, associates, and our good reputation and standing as pillars in our church congregation? What will they all say? Have I gone crazy?

Then, there was the intellectual baggage as well. This Church of God under the leadership of Herbert W. Armstrong has no known ministers, missionaries, congregations, or Bible School even in all of Mindanao that I knew of then. The Protestant group we were affiliated with then had all of those. Since there was no Church of God congregation or even a minister in our community, how are we going to attend services? How can we be spiritually nourished? It appeared that our family were the only ones seeking to affiliate with the then Radio Church of God in our whole province. It was like jumping off a cliff, or into the unknown and an uncertain future. To a normal-minded man, that idea was plain risky, if not crazy!

But from a biblical and spiritual perspective, I wondered if it was like the call of the patriarch Abraham who had to leave his own comfort zone at age 75, from the notable city of Ur in the land of the Chaldees, to go to a very far, relatively unknown, and seemingly uncharted territory unnamed yet by God at that time of his call? (It was later revealed that the destination was Canaan, Genesis 12:5.)

That’s possible, but in this case, who am I to know? And how can I be sure it is really so? Nobody then can tell me what this possible move was all about, and what its future consequences will be? There has been no precedent at all in our community or anywhere else that I knew of then. Am I just assuming in my own mind that this is indeed the call of God? It was very hard to say, and I could irrevocably and regrettably be very wrong in the end.

Thus, to give me help in making that crucial decision, I decided to ask God for a sign. Taking a clue from a biblical account, I recalled the story of Gideon in the Book of Judges, who was also not sure whether God was sending him on such a mission or not. So, he asked for a definite sign from God, and in his case, asked for the reversed counterpart of that sign the following night to be doubly sure. That particular part of the story of Gideon’s call is found in Judges 6:36-40.

In my case, I thought of asking for a sign which cannot be explained in any other physical way—except by a direct act of God alone. If I just ask that a certain object be moved to a certain place, that could possibly be explained by someone unknowingly but coincidentally moving it, or perhaps even an animal transferring it by instinct. So, I rejected that idea.

Since I had at that time a very long standing skin disease (it had been my affliction for years), which was perhaps part of my skin allergy which simply won’t get healed by most known remedies, I decided to make that as a sign from God. In my mind, this was like hitting two birds with one stone. I will have a sign from God, and I will also finally be healed, IF God so decides. But I also fully recognized that what I was asking for was something impossible—unless God really does a personal miraculous act for me. Well, it was up to Him to decide.

After much intensive Bible study late into the night one Sabbath in 1965, I decided that this was the time I will ask God for a sign. Anyway, He already knew my personal spiritual struggles. So, I fervently and earnestly pleaded in prayer on my knees that night saying, that if indeed He is calling me out from my former religious (Protestant) affiliation, and wants me now to be called into the Church of God, and become one of His begotten sons, then He makes this very clear by a special sign. I asked that if by early tomorrow morning, when I wake up, all the skin diseases are cleared and gone, then, I know that He has definitely answered me in that regard.

I went to sleep soundly that night. Early the next morning, I remembered my prayer, and when I looked and examined, it was all gone and cleared as if nothing ever happened by way of skin disease before! I could hardly believe what I witnessed! It was impossible, unless God really did it miraculously! Right there and then, I knew that the Ever-living God has clearly and definitely answered me in a very special way, and possibly has other plans for me.

That miracle has strengthened my faith in God and made me steadfast in my calling since then, even in the face of doubts and uncertainties. Obviously, God has through the years taken care of all my questions and concerns at that time, and I have no regrets to this day. Rather, I feel most blessed and fulfilled in the work God has given me, and in all the truths He has revealed to me and ordained me to preach and proclaim as well.

My dad, Edmond Macaraeg, is a minister of the United Church of God in the Philippines, where he pastors 18 active congregations in the island of Mindanao. This article was published yesterday in the Davao Sabbath Bulletin, the weekly announcement bulletin and newsletter of the Davao City congregation of the United Church of God.