God gave me an early Easter treat this year. The wonderful surprise came ten days early. It was part of an answer to a prayer I had made at the beginning of this year. I asked God to give me souls. I asked God to enable me intentionally fish men for Him this year. I have been sharing God’s Word, but it has been quite a minute since I’d guided someone in praying for their salvation. I longed to do that this year and so I made a prayer. God heard me and sent people to me to begin to minister to and pray for. I wondered who among these, God would move first. He had a different idea.
On the fifth of April, my husband took me to hospital for a short doctor’s visit, and who should I chance upon? None other than one of my nephews who God had given me a chance to raise for some three amazing years before he went back to his family. He was there with his mom to see the doctor. As soon as he saw us, he was on full play mode with my husband’s arm serving as his favorite swing accessory. Fortunately the visit did not end with the all-feared jab and he was in high spirits as we all left together. A proper doctor’s visit for an eight year old can’t end without eating ‘out’! And he promptly suggested that we should all have chips and soda!
And so at a little café’ not far from the hospital, we had chips and soda! We also had question after question thrown at us to go with the chips and soda. His mom sat back and watched, quietly amused at the rigorous interrogation we were undergoing. He asked about school, planes (his favorite subject), friends, spaceships and then somehow we veered off to bible stories. And then he asked about heaven and hell and how they would be. We just about covered all the bible stories we had been through during our years together. Then he asked once again about heaven and what it would be like when we got there and how one got there. It took me back to my childhood. I remembered how my brother and I had always been fascinated by the scriptures on the visions of a new heaven and a new earth. We always planned that when we got there, the first thing we would do would be to take a ride on a lion!
Here we were again many years later and a description of the same visions held my young nephew in thrall, as we narrated them. We shared with him what it would take to have eternal life and he listened raptly. He stayed quiet for a few minutes after that. I got to take a bite of the sausage I’d been holding in my hand for some time. It was then that I felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit, to ask him if he wanted to accept Jesus as his Lord and savior. I hesitated a bit; was he ready? Did he really understand? But wasn’t I about the same age as he when God called me to Himself? Had he not preserved my faith and led me on the path of growth at a time when no one around me professed salvation? And now there were many more!
I asked the little man if he would consider giving his life to Jesus, and he said yes! Right there, we all held hands in the little café and helped him pray. Then my husband prayed that the Holy Spirit would guide and protect him on his new journey. He fell into a deep sleep in the car. It was as if something had lifted off his spirit. Jesus’ invitation had been taken this evening, and He had lifted the first burden from this young soul. I know he will be alright, because God has promised to faithfully complete the good work He has begun in him. And we will all be there to pray and walk with him. God is good, and this is my first testimony.
(John 3:16, Matthew 11:28-30, 1 Peter 5:7, Phil 1:6)
The race! 