This story makes my heart leap inside my chest whenever I tell it. Being Jewish, it was miraculous enough that the Lord opened my eyes to Jesus, and helped me see Him with my heart. But what transpired a couple of weeks later was truly a gift from Him.
After the glorious night of my salvation all I wanted to do was read my Bible. I honestly forgot to eat meals sometimes because I was so absorbed in His Word. I wanted to please Him in every way. Almost instantly I knew that He wanted me to stop doing certain things. I had an aversion to off-color TV shows and movies. Soap operas were gone forever, and I had been addicted to them for years.
I saw the world differently. It was like He gave me new vision, like I was seeing people through His eyes. I wanted to stop every person I saw and ask them, “Do you know Jesus?” I was even able to discern people who loved Him. It was a certain look in their eyes. When I would finally ask if they knew Him, the answer was almost always, “Yes” and if not, it gave me an open door to tell them about Yeshua and His love for them.
My Jewish parents and siblings were not so thrilled. Well, perhaps that’s an understatement. They thought I was completely meshugana (crazy in Yiddish). But I quietly treasured in my heart that I knew the truth, and I prayed that my family would one day know it as well.
A week before my water baptism, I spoke to a lady at a Messianic congregation in Maryland – Beth Messiah. I was very excited to know other Jews who knew the truth about Messiah Yeshua. She was as excited as I was. She asked me if I had looked at Isaiah 53. I had not, but I told her that I would look after our conversation. She told me that she would mail to me literature about Beth Messiah.
Isaiah 53. OY! How did I miss that for so many years? It was an accurate description of Yeshua being led to Calvary to be slaughtered for the sins of the world. I read it over and over. I could not believe that such a picture of the Crucifixion was in my Old Testament that entire time.
I wanted to obey Him in all things. My friend told me about baptism, and how He wanted us all to be baptized after we were born-again. I told her that I wanted to be baptized—the sooner the better. Then the day of my baptism came.
As I came up from the water, I uttered some words which I did not understand. I felt that God wanted me to remember these words so I kept repeating them quietly to myself. The next day I received an envelope from Beth Messiah. There was a cover page which told about the congregation. I saw the first words which I had said “H’brit Chadashah” on this page.
My heart was beating so fast. Beside the words was the translation: “The New Testament.” I realized that I had spoken Hebrew! I was not Bat Mitzvah’d -only confirmed in my synagogue, so I did not learn Hebrew.”Then I saw the next word I had said “Yeshua” which means Jesus.
But the last word I had said was not there. It was “mannah” and I had to know what it meant. I called the home of my rabbi. His wife answered. I told her who I was and that I found a word and thought it was Hebrew. I told her it was “mannah.” She said, “Of course that is Hebrew. It is manna, the bread from heaven.”
Well, I almost passed out. I had said in Hebrew: “The New Testament of Jesus is the bread from heaven!” What a glorious gift to receive from Him; a confirmation that what I believed was TRUE, and given to me in Hebrew.
I told a Baptist minister this story. He told me that in 38 years of hearing “tongues” stories, mine was the first one he believed. He said that it was done in accordance with Scripture. He told me that he would never forget it.
All things are to glorify God and edify the Body of Christ!
Amen and Amen!
email: grandmageri422@gmail.com