He’s Got Your Number

Posted on May 29, 2018 Topic : Inspirational/Devotional, Men's Christian Living
Posted by : Torry Martin

When I was living in a remote part of Alaska, I had no radio or TV reception. All I owned for entertainment was a small VCR/TV unit, but thankfully someone gave me a VHS copy of The Visual Bible: The Gospel of Matthew.

My buddy Rob and I kept the Visual Bible playing in the background continuously, and I thought the actor was amazing and his portrayal of Jesus was brilliant. It was also the first time I had ever seen a smiling Jesus in film. The actor was Bruce Marchiano, and I always hoped to meet him in person.

Twenty-one years later, my hopes became reality.

I recently spent two days at a film conference, where I finally met Bruce Marchiano, my Alaska-cabin Jesus, and we hit it off immediately! Bruce bought me dessert, and as we sat at the table talking, I remember thinking, “Jesus just bought me a milkshake. I guess man doesn’t live by bread alone.” (Wow. I LOVE that interpretation of the verse.)

Anyway, because I only knew Bruce from his portrayal of Jesus, at first I had trouble distinguishing between him and “Him.” Every time Bruce said “Torry,” I’d think, Jesus knows my name!

The most surreal moment was when Bruce said, “This is my last night at the conference, but I want to keep talking with you. Can I take you out to dinner?”

My jaw literally dropped for a moment before responding, “Did you just invite me to your last supper?”

Of course I asked Bruce to pray for dinner because there’s no way I’d be able to pray better than him/Him. I had no sooner opened my eyes after praying when a miracle had happened. The empty garlic roll basket was completely full again!

“Did you do that?” I asked him/Him.

“No, that was the waiter,” Bruce laughed. “He replaced it when we were praying.”

“Oh,” I said, feeling disappointed. “For a minute, it was just like the movie.”

We had such a great time talking over dinner that the next day Bruce asked me if I wanted to drive him to the airport so we could spend even more time together. What do you know, I thought, Jesus really DOES like spending time with me!

I was honored to drive Bruce to the airport, but if he was counting on me to make sure he arrived there on time, this Jesus was truly living by faith. If you read my new book, The Call of the Mild, you’d know the kinds of troubles I get into behind the steering wheel. Trust me, people, I can barely navigate a conversation much less an interstate. In both cases, no one goes unscathed.

It was only a 24-mile ride to the airport with Bruce, but in typical Torry fashion I somehow managed to get lost three or four times, and I had to keep turning my car around to correct myself.

“You’ve made so many U-turns, I think you just formed the Star of David,” Bruce observed.

“I did it in your honor.”

Bruce looked at me thoughtfully before responding, “Shalom.”

Finally, after 10 more minutes of my aimless driving, Bruce gently asked, “How about you pull over and let me get us there?”

“What, do I look like Carrie Underwood?” I snapped. “You’re not taking my wheel buddy. Get it out of your head.” I couldn’t believe he/He even suggested it. “Besides,” I continued, “Jesus only drove camels, and this is a Mustang.”

“Just get me to the plane in time,” he pleaded with sweat dripping from his brow.

“Stop worrying. They won’t leave without you,” I said reassuringly.“They can’t. You’re the co-pilot, remember? For heaven’s sake, read a bumper sticker.”

We actually arrived a little early, so Bruce had a few minutes to spare before he ascended… you know, in the plane. To make sure he wouldn’t forget me, I gave Bruce my business card and then said goodbye.

I was six wrong turns and 40 miles away from home when my cell phone suddenly dinged. It was a message from Bruce—my very first text message from Jesus. It said: “My new best friend! I look forward to hanging out again!”

I knew it was Bruce, but I couldn’t help thinking, Jesus just called me his best friend! And I’m in his cell phone! He has my number! But what really struck me was the sudden realization that Jesus—the real Jesus—sends us this same exact message every hour of every day. From the moment you meet Him, He’s your new best friend. Jesus loves spending time with you, and He looks forward to every opportunity to do so. He invites us to dine daily with Him, and He desires to be in daily communication (which thankfully doesn’t require a cellular signal).

The question isn’t if Jesus has our number. He has all of our numbers, each and every one of us, and He is calling you and me. The question is: Will you answer?