Christmas ­ tree candlelight flickered on the polished antique furniture, and Fiesta the sandy Collie stretched herself out on the dark red rug. I glanced across at *John Edward’s (*name changed) ample form as he sprawled in his chair. It didn’t seem very long ago that George, my husband, and he had been sitting on the platform in Hockley Church in Birmingham, England.

John had been the preacher that evening and when he wanted to stand up to preach, he found he was stuck in his chair! It was an old ­ fashioned one with curly arms and he was firmly wedged. George grabbed hold of the chair and John squeezed his way out, much to the amusement of the congregation. It was difficult to repress a smile at the memory!

John had travelled extensively in several countries, preaching the Gospel. I had often heard him preach, and when he wrote that he was passing through Switzerland and would like to visit us, we were very enthusiastic. Now John had arrived, and we all sat down to tea. It was Christmas, 1966. George had been co-­pastor in St. Gallen and its nine satellite churches for three and a half years. We had met and married during this time, and had moved to Basel to house­sit for a pastor and his wife, who were doing a tour of mission ­stations in Africa and taking a group to Israel, and we helped to run the church in his absence.

The originally ­planned six months were almost at an end, and a few days before, the elders in Basel had asked George if he would like to go on to another church, or if he would like to stay in Basel and take over the church when the pastor retired the following year. Switzerland had wound itself round George’s heart ­strings. He could not bear the thought of leaving and it had been a big wrench for him to leave St. Gallen. I felt the Lord was leading us back to England for a while, and wanted to change our ministry. We talked and argued back and forth, and seemed to receive no answer when we prayed.

We did not mention our need for guidance or anything about the matter, to John, when he arrived, and were sitting round the dining­ table for about an hour, when suddenly the presence of God filled the room. The air seemed full of electricity. John Edward’s voice cut through the silence: “What’s this the Lord’s telling me? You are to go back to England and go through a time of preparation for a new work. You must leave Switzerland!”

George gasped, for till that time, he had not often seen “a Word of Knowledge” (one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, 1 Cor. 12, 8) in action, although we had heard that John was often used by God in this way. John went on, “But you must not take my word alone, George and Helen. The Lord will speak in other ways, too. Probably through the Bible and perhaps a letter will come next week.”

On Sunday morning I was resting, being pregnant with our first child and not feeling too well. John stayed in his room and when George came home after the meeting, he asked, “Well, did the Lord speak to you? What did he say, George?” “Yes, he did, John. I was not preaching this morning and the text was: Take the young child and his mother and go!” Of course, this message had been to Joseph that he was to take Mary and the young baby Jesus, and flee the country to Egypt, for Herod wanted to slay the Child. I was a young wife and was expecting a ‘young child’. “Ha, ha!” John laughed. “That’s it! Now for the letter!”

The ‘letter’ arrived on Tuesday. It was an invitation for George to travel with and interpret for a Polish pastor. An itinerary had been arranged for several weeks in England. All expenses would be paid, also mine, if I wanted to come. God had even provided our fares! George now saw clearly that God was leading us away from Switzerland and he told the disappointed elders our decision. I travelled earlier to the UK because of my pregnancy, and George came on later, when he had finished his time in Switzerland.

One chapter of our life had now closed and we had no idea where we would live or what we were to do. However, we were to find out that God usually shows us only one step at a time, just as the headlights of a car do not show you ten miles up the road, but shine just a few feet or metres through the darkness. God asks for our trust and obedience, then he will show us more.

God speaks to his children in many ways. Sometimes it’s in a “still, small voice”, sometimes in a voice of thunder; sometimes through a text, a song, a person, or dramatically through the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, as I have described here.