Words to Grow On

February 6, 2006

 “I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children” (Isaiah 49:25 NIV).

             The phone rang.  It was Father’s Day, and our youngest son, Dale, was calling long distance to wish his dad a happy Father’s Day!  This would be an unforgettable Father’s Day.  He wanted to tell us that he had accepted Christ as his Savior.  We were thrilled beyond words, for we had prayed for his salvation for 10 years and God had brought Dale “home!”

              He is our third son, the middle child of five, all born in the span of five and one-half years.  He was a very loving child and possibly needed more attention than we were able to give him.  We know that we did our best and that is in God’s hands.  At a very early age, we dedicated all of our children to God, realizing how much we needed His guidance and strength to raise them for Him.  They were taught Christian principles and we went to church as a family from the beginning.  They were involved in the activities of the church from early childhood and through their teen years. 

           Dale began making wrong choices at an early age.  There were the usual childhood conflicts, but in his teen years he began to drink and smoke marijuana.  By the time Dale was in high school, things were nearly unbearable. I never went to sleep at night until he was home.  We prayed continually that God would keep him safe.  He tells us stories of not knowing how he got home and testifies that he was sure he arrived home safely because we had prayed.

              During those years we were often at the end of our strength and understanding, but faith in God gave us courage to keep going.  We impressed upon Dale that though we were crushed and disappointed by his lifestyle, we would always love him, and that God loved him too!  He was admonished that if he got into trouble that involved the police or jail, we would not bail him out.

              He was arrested for driving under the influence, plus fleeing to avoid arrest, and speeding and spent one night in jail.  We did appear with him in court to show our love and support, but the hardest thing we ever had to do was to leave him in jail that day.  He tells us now that it was good for him.

              After high school graduation, he moved to an apartment with friends so that he could enjoy the lifestyle he had chosen without our rules.  Shortly after that, we felt God leading us to a new job, 200 miles away.  We had to leave our son in God’s hands, knowing we had done all we could with our influence.  We continued to pray and tried our best to keep communication lines open.

               We prayed that God would send someone across his path that would have a real impact on his life and be able to win him to Christ.   John 6:44 became a refuge for us:  “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.” That was our only hope!

              Following a series of circumstances, including my healing from cancer, Dale indicated that he was “thinking” of becoming a Christian.  We answered his many questions and kept praying.  That year, he was laid off from work and with time on his hands, he decided to take guitar lessons.  As a boy he had sung in the City Boys’ Choir and had a beautiful voice.  Of course, the devil taunted us with the idea that Dale would get involved in a rock group, but we held on to God’s promise and kept praying.

              During the next few months, his guitar teacher, who was also on drugs, became a Christian and began to witness to Dale.  Our son saw his teacher’s life changed and watched as God worked miracles to save his marriage.  Dale began to think of how rotten his own life was.  By this time, he had a lovely wife, a nice home, two cars, and money in the bank, but he was miserable!

              At the same time our second son, Bob, who lived nearby had been praying and fasting for Dale, along with trying to spend extra time with him.  He was a big influence in the change that ultimately took place in Dale’s life.  One night, on the way home from his brother’s home, Dale began to reflect on his past life and present condition.  He thought of his oldest brother, who had just taken his first pastoral assignment, who never had much of this world’s goods throughout the years of his college training, and yet, was always happy.  By the time Dale reached home, he went directly to his bedroom, dropped to his knees, and asked God for forgiveness and was wonderfully saved!  God delivered him from all his bad habits.  God does hear and answer prayer!