Experience description:

4/24/2022, 9:50am

My wife and I were driving in silence to church on 4/24/2022 and I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. Since my 2016 divorce (after 20 years), I’d been struggling with my relationship with my kids and it had been causing me a lot of emotional stress and grief. My job was totally unsatisfactory and I felt worthless. As I drove, I prayed silently for God to please give me a break — please, and soon. I needed some kind of change — ANYTHING, whether with the job, or something with my kids, or whatever. I had prayed this before, maybe a few times a month on average for a number of years. 4/24 was no different, but this time, right after I said my brief prayer, I distinctly heard a response in my mind: “wait a little longer.” It was quiet, it was deep inside, and it was an unmistakable voice. I didn’t recognize it as anyone I knew, and I don’t even remember if it was male or female (I think male?). It was almost like those hearing tests you take when you’re a kid — where they put the headphones on you and you have to raise your hand or push a button when you hear the tone. The tone is very soft and it gets quieter, and quieter, and quieter. But when you hear it, it sounds like it’s coming from inside your head. That’s what this voice sounded like — very quiet and subtle, and from deep inside my head. It didn’t sound angry or frustrated, but almost patient. “wait a little longer.” My immediate silent response was “OK,” and I think I repeated “OK” about 9,000 times for the next few minutes. A weird thought flashed into my mind that if I had to spell out the phrase in text, it would be all lower case, typeface font, and with no punctuation or capital letters (“wait a little longer”). Then that brief image of text vaporized. I remember thinking again, “OK.” I will TRUST and I will BELIEVE. It was the most profound thing, but so subtle — almost even forgettable. I remember thinking, “I CANNOT forget this and when it happened.” Maybe I’m going crazy and hearing voices? Maybe my heart has ached so badly that it made my brain hear what it wanted to and it’s some sort of psychological thing? I tend to think it was real. Patience is something God has been trying teach me about myself for a long time, and the more I think about the experience, the more LOVED I feel, and the more hopeful and blessed. It’s amazing what we can see and hear when we listen.

UPDATE:

8/26/2022 (approximately)

I had interviewed for a high-salary job in May 2022 and again in July, and had had my hopes up that it would work out, but it didn’t. While I was waiting to hear back from them, I thought it would be smart to put some other irons in the fire, so I applied for an open job at a nearby university. I had taught undergraduates before and had significant leadership experience from a 20-year military career.  I interviewed but I did not get the job, however the faculty wanted me to teach two classes as an adjunct (which would only have paid a couple thousand $$$ a semester). I said thanks, but I couldn’t dedicate the time and give up a full time job. A couple days later, I got an email with a job description attached that was different than the first position I’d interviewed for, and the staff wanted to interview me. This one was centered around teaching leadership, participating in business development, and elevating the profile of the US military on campus (i.e. ROTC, establishment of a campus veterans’ center, etc.). I said YES, and later found out that the position description had been written by our dean using my resumé as source material — the resumé I’d sent them to apply for the first job. Furthermore, I had been hired during a period where the university was making some personnel cuts, not hiring new people. For me, being back in the classroom has been like drinking a tall glass of ice water on a hot day. Refreshing, exhilarating, and wonderful, because I’m back doing what I like to do, know how to do well, and I’m doing it with a new perspective. Students are responding to me, and I am doing things on campus that nobody’s tried in years, if it’s ever been done at all. During the first semester and up to this writing (Dec 2022) I can say I haven’t felt this much support, and this much potential in a job than I’ve felt in this one — even in the military. This job feels like an answered prayer. Maybe this is what I was supposed to wait a little longer for.

At the time of your experience was there an associated life-threatening event?   No 

Was the experience difficult to express in words?  Yes     It seems like many of the details were there and then quickly gone, and this is why I felt compelled to write it all down as soon as possible.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?      I was alert and fully conscious the whole time. I was just reciting a prayer in my head when I heard the response. At the time, I was driving a car.

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness?      Normal consciousness and alertness   Normal consciousness and alertness, aside from hearing a response to prayer in my head.

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience.   Normal vision.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience.   Normal hearing (other than hearing the verbal response in my head -- but I don't think I heard this with my ears).

Did you see or hear any earthly events that were occurring during a time that your consciousness / awareness was apart from your physical / earthly body?   Yes   Earthly events were occurring all around me, just like normal. I received the answer to my prayer in my head while I was driving a car. Shortly afterward, we parked in our church parking lot and went inside.

What emotions did you feel during the experience?   Boundless love for me (and this came gradually after the incident, as I started thinking about how much I must be loved to have received a message like this). I also felt a sense that all I had to do was trust and everything would be OK.  

Did you pass into or through a tunnel?   No  

Did you see an unearthly light?   No  

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice?   I heard a voice I could not identify
I heard a verbal response in my head that said, "wait a little longer." I believe it was a male voice, but I'm not sure. I didn't see anyone or anything when I heard this voice until I had a brief image of the words themselves in typeface font, no caps, and no punctuation. Then they quickly vaporized.

Did you encounter or become aware of any beings who previously lived on earth who are described by name in religions (for example: Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, etc.)?   No  

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings?   No  

Did you become aware of past events in your life during your experience?   No  

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world?   No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down?   No

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything?   No

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure?   No

Did you come to a border or point of no return?   No

Did scenes from the future come to you?  No 

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness suggesting that there either is (or is not) continued existence after earthly life (“life after death”)?   No  

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness that God or a supreme being either does (or does not) exist?   No  

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness that you either did (or did not) exist prior to this lifetime?   No  

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness that a mystical universal connection or unity/oneness either does (or does not) exist?   No  

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness regarding earthly life’s meaning or purpose?   No  

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness regarding earthly life’s difficulties, challenges, or hardships?   Yes   I was told "wait a little longer" when asking in prayer for God to bring me positive change in my life, whether with a job, or my kids. At the time, I was (and had been) depressed for a very long time. I am still depressed, but this experience has done a lot to gradually lift me out of my fog, because I feel like I have real purpose. I can look at my job and think, "God put me here." It's intensely comforting.

During your experience, did you encounter any specific information / awareness regarding love?   Yes   I felt "wait a little longer" meant that God was looking out for me, and that I didn't have to worry about anything. We can't understand why things happen the way they do, but I felt profoundly that God was getting something ready for me in HIS time, not mine. I wasn't sure whether it meant wait a couple more days, months, or years, but it did give me a sense of patience that carried me until the new job was available. The farther I get from the incident, the more I think that I received a message in the most pure love there is in the universe.

During your experience, did you encounter any other specific information / awareness that you have not shared in other questions that is relevant to living our earthly lives?   No  

Did you have a sense of knowing special knowledge or purpose?   Yes   I knew that something was gonna happen for me that would bring me some relief, and it did. But I wasn't sure when that event would happen until it did.

What occurred during your experience included:   Content that was entirely consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience  

How accurately do you remember the experience in comparison to other life events that occurred around the time of the experience?   I remember the experience less accurately than other life events that occurred around the time of the experience  

Discuss any changes that might have occurred in your life after your experience:   I feel like I've been very impatient in my life, and I have prayed to learn it, especially regarding my kids. I felt as if this experience increased my patience level -- not just with people and situations, but also with myself. I feel like I'm a more patient person now, maybe because I feel reassured that there is a being/creator who genuinely cares for each of us. What can go wrong if I feel like God's looking out for me? I feel intense gratitude for this answered prayer, and feel an obligation to help, mentor, and counsel others. Further, I feel STRONGLY that the job I was hired for was part of a divine plan, and that there's something I need to do for someone else (or many other people) while I'm here.

My experience directly resulted in:   Large changes in my life

Did you have any changes in your values or beliefs after the experience that occurred as a result of the experience?   No  

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience?   No  

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you?     The whole experience was profoundly meaningful to me.

Have you ever shared this experience with others?   Yes  I told my wife about it later that night, but didn't tell anyone else for weeks. I'm careful about who I share it with because I don't want folks to think I'm crazy, but it happened.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience?   Yes   The Case for Heaven (Strobel), God and the Afterlife (Long), Heaven (Alcorn)

I have since read Proof of Heaven (Alexander)

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened:   Experience was probably real   I think we always doubt, and I do doubt this -- just like anything supernatural. When something as unusual as this happens, it's hard to accept that it's real. But to me, it was out of the ordinary -- not common. Why would my depressed and anxious brain have gone there, when every other time, it just brought me to more negative thoughts and feelings? Why would this message have been followed four months later by a fulfilled promise in the form of a new job (i.e. what I was "waiting a little longer for")? Coupled with the new job, it's difficult for me not to believe the message I received in April wasn't real.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience at the current time:   Experience was probably real   I am glad I wrote everything down, because it's helped me remember it. I refer to the situation often (I keep the written account on my smart phone) to remind myself that I am loved. I still believe it was "probably" real.

Have your relationships changed specifically as a result of your experience?   Yes   More positive relationships; I've been more forgiving and patient.

Have your religious beliefs/spiritual practices changed specifically as a result of your experience?   Yes   Since the incident, I have prayed often -- much more than I used to. Not to try and hear another message per se, but to keep the line of communication open. I read scripture far more often than I did prior.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience?   Yes   7/22/2022, 12:30pm

I was sitting in our home office working, and anticipating my teenage daughter coming over that afternoon. I received a text from her and she asked if I could drop her off sooner (for a practice) than we had planned, which shortened our time together, and we hadn’t seen her in weeks. It depressed me that I’d see her even less than I’d thought I would that afternoon. Just then, I prayed silently “when is this gonna end? when will my kids appreciate me?” and a few other similar questions. I heard in a male voice “your time hasn’t come yet.” It wasn’t as clear as “wait a little longer” was in April. But I feel like I heard it, or at least felt it. I responded, “I should take what I can get right now, shouldn’t I?” or words to that effect, and I heard a very faint “yes” — even more faint than the first thing I heard.

~09/15/2022, evening

I was in the shower praying, as I often do in the shower. Sometimes when I pray, I stumble over my words, or have them interrupted by other thoughts. It disrupts my communication with God, but not always. In this case I’m not sure, but I flubbed my words pretty badly during a prayer in my head, and may even have uttered a curse. As I was trying to get my thoughts organized and was asking forgiveness for tripping over my words and cursing, a sudden image of Jesus appeared in my head — from the chest up, white clothing, long hair, and a beard, almost a cartoon image — a white guy, and he was laughing. It wasn’t mean like he was making fun of me, it was like he was genuinely tickled at my stumbling over my words because it was funny! Then the image dissipated and I remember thinking to myself, “that was YOU, wasn’t it, Lord.” I then finished praying. I don’t know why I saw the stereotypical image of Jesus — in all likelihood, Jesus looked Middle Eastern and not European. Perhaps that’s what I saw because that’s what I’m used to seeing from pop culture (?).

10/31/22, ~11:30pm