The latest segment of “Author’s Corner” in America Tonight with Kate Delaney features Judith Martin Alford, a retired Methodist missionary and author of the book The Hands of God: A Collection of Short Stories about God’s Intervention in Human Lives (Covenant Books; 2020).
The Hands of God is a collection of awe-inspiring, spiritually uplifting true stories that affirm and extol the miracles of God. The book tells the stories of God’s actions in the author’s life, as well as the lives of some of her friends and parishioners. “God is active today doing miracles, signs, and wonders in his world,” the author wrote in the back-cover blurb of her book.
Being called for ministry
How and when did Alford receive the calling to enter into ministry? She shared to her host Kate Delaney, “I first started with teaching school, and then I received the calling to go into ministry. My pastor first saw it. I gave a sermon on missions, and he listened to me. When I came out of the pulpit, he started calling me ‘Pastor Judy,’ and I thought it was funny.”
From academe to seminary and mission field
Alford was supposed to prepare herself for a career in education, but God had a greater for her. “I was going for a doctor’s degree to help the next generation of teachers. That was my goal, but all of a sudden, I got this call to go into ministry.
“I ended going back to the seminary to get my Master of Divinity and became a preacher in the South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. They assigned me to six different churches throughout the state. I looked at the map, and I was actually in the four corners of the state. It was all fun doing that.
“I learned a lot while I was preaching. I learned a lot from my pastor friends, colleagues, and wonderful parishioners. God has given me some incredible miracles, and He gave me a healing ministry, so it has really been interesting to see what has happened to me throughout the years.”
A chance encounter abroad the cruise ship
“My husband took me on a cruise. On the cruise ship, on Monday, they had an ecumenical worship service, so I said, ‘Let’s go to that.’ We showed up at the stateroom where they were gonna have the service.
“An old lady walked right up to me and said, ‘You’re gonna be preaching for God soon.’ I said, ‘Oh, that’s true. This next Sunday, I will be preaching at my first two churches.’
“I chatted with her, and she said, ‘Then watch for a few things before you start this ministry. You’re going to be praying for people to be healed.’
“At this point, the lady, who was fragile, wanted to sit down. So she sat down, and then she tapped me on one knee and she, ‘You had surgery on this knee and not on the other one.’ I had slacks on, and there’s no way she could know that.
“She said, ‘You’re gonna be praying for people for healing throughout your ministry. Remember always when you pray, you give God the credit for the healing and never take it.’
“That was really an important message that she had given me. That was the beginning of it all. I really had an anointing from that lady.”
Calling all Christians to step out in their faith
“I hope that this book will encourage Christians to step out and walk in their faith journey more. Too often, we have these things happen to us, and we stay quiet about them because they are kind of supernatural.
“This book has visions, which we can get when we are wide awake. It’s different than a dream. It starts out with a vision, and that’s the vision that God gave me. I’ve served in missionary work in Russia and Germany.
“I want people to be able to realize that God is wonderful today, and He still does miracles, signs, and wonders.”
Make sure to listen to the whole interview.
Be inspired to seek God’s work on earth with new insight and wisdom. Believe that God is performing signs and wonders today. Get a copy of Judith Martin Alford’s The Hands of God: A Collection of Short Stories about God’s Intervention in Human Lives on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Hands-God-Collection-Stories-Intervention/dp/1646708652