Rick Schneider
On Sunday, Jan. 29th when I got into the van after church and turned on my phone, I heard a beep indicating that I had a voice mail. It was from a childhood friend, asking me to call him back, not explaining why, but with a tone that assured me this was serious.
A little background: About one month ago I had attended a funeral for another childhood friend. I remember how the funeral message seemed so empty and devoid of a message of God's grace. I remember how I felt the sense of hopelessness that pervaded the room.
The friend that called me this day was at that funeral. He had alcohol on his breath that day by 10:30 in the morning, and as he tried to explain it away, the depth of his delusion and denial was painful to witness.
I called him back as soon as I got home from church and he began to tell me how last week he was listening to a broadcast of a Christian speaker named Charles Stanley who spoke about trusting God, and that it had touched him deeply.
He said he decided to place his trust in Jesus and not his religion. He said that all his life he had struggled with trust. He said he had never been able to trust anyone after some childhood experiences. He said that this prevented him from trusting the Lord. But he said "It is all about trusting God". He then said "So I trusted in God, and I am not sure what this means but I am going to run with it". He also tried to explain to me how wonderful he felt, but after several attempts he just failed to find the words to express himself fully.
I had thought a lot about him since the funeral, and I have prayed for him. But the amazing thing is that I had been thinking about him during the sermon this Sunday, so when he began to tell me these things I was speechless and moved to tears.
At one point I was trying to tell him how much his story meant to me, and I was so overcome with emotion that I could no longer finish a sentence. I tried several times until he, who was not at all emotional, said "I think we have a bad connection". Eventually he realized I was overcome with tears as I expressed my thanks for him and his new discovery.
I told him how I had thought of him a lot since the funeral and I had prayed for him. He said he had been thinking a lot about me since the funeral, and that he remembered how I had trusted Jesus decades ago.
So while I was sitting in church thinking about him, who I have had no contact with since the funeral, he was leaving me a voice mail to share with me his new faith. What a miracle!
He also said he has not had a drink in a week. We talked about the importance of connecting with other believers and helping him find a good place to worship. I have extended an invitation to come to Sunday school with us, and I am hoping and praying he will come, but he will need something closer to home for the long term and we are working to help him in this area.
Life has had a lot of pain for him, but he has now called upon the Lord. I know my God will heal and deliver him.
For myself, I struggle with worry. It is my besetting sin. So besides the amazing story of hearing God's grace imparted on a new believer, my take-away from this experience is that the Lord used it to say "Look Rick, I have this under control, and your life is in my hands too".
The Lord is good.
