Stories

Sometimes I come back to this place @belmontu just to remember God’s goodness.

I remember as an intern (for the legend Greg Nelson) stopping by to pick up something at the front desk of a major record label and I overheard a conversation where the lady at the desk was greeting an out of town songwriter who was making a regular trip back to Nashville to write…

I remember thinking “I just wanna be that guy someday… the songwriter who gets invited to Nashville to write.”

Lord, let me never forget that You hear every prayer…even the ones we don’t even know we’re praying…

At the time of this writing, I am 78 years old. I have been married to my wife for 57 years. In 2000, I learned that the company I managed was being sold back to the manufacturer, General Motors, and I was soon to be without a job. This is a place that I had never been. Interestingly, God had given me a scripture several years before that the Holy Spirit indelibly printed on my heart. The scripture was Hebrews 11:6, "But without faith, it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him. (Amplified Version) Each morning after losing my job, I would rise early to pray and ask God for direction. The prayers got more intense as we were running out of cash. It was during this trial that God showed up and showed out. I won't bore you with the details, but God began to take us step by step and answer prayers with great specificity. He showed me what and how to do what was needed. He supplied when the supply was running out, and the result was that He had established us in a new place with a new career and steady provision for over 20 years.

This testimony is not about reward or finances but God's faithfulness to do what He says He will do. He loves His children, not because we deserve it; he "rewarded our diligence in pursuing Him." That's the last part of Hebrews 11:6. He has been faithful to guide us when we ask and has proven His faithfulness even when we don't ask. We have found that He has established hope and a future for us, as Jeremiah 29:11 states. Our (yours and mine) ultimate reward is fellowship with God through the blood of His son, Jesus Christ. If you don't know Him, I earnestly hope you will come to know Him as we do. When we hear "Jesus is the answer," we believe it with all of our hearts. You see, our faith is rewarded by trusting in Him and no other.

T&M

At 86 years old I have had God answer many prayers. Yes! sometimes I did not get the answer I wanted but He always answers. However, one really stands out----- A number of years ago I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and told if I did nothing, I had 3-5 years to live. Therefore, I chose to have prostate removal surgery at a regional hospital. I was told to be there at 03:00 AM for the surgery. When we arrived for the surgery the waiting room was full of members of our Bible Call including a dear pastor and his wife who had all made the more than 1 hour drive at 2-3 in the morning. The prep nurse asked me who all those people were and when I told her, she smiled and told those around her about it. It was a great witness for what Christians friends really are. Knowing I had so many praying for me and cared enough to be there lifted my spirits and helped through a scary time. So here I am some 10 years later still thanking God and good friends for their love and support.

‍LM

Today, I was thinking of a friend and his precious wife. I thought about how special it would be if he would pray for me. And that is the honest truth. On that same afternoon I received a text from that friend who shared he had been praying for me all day. Thank You Jesus for hearing my heart’s desire and answering my prayer. Praise the Lord!‍

J

My mom was my biggest prayer warrior. God was listening and slowly, but surely began to heal me. As my health improved, I joined a Bible study, and eventually began leading it. Still being way too thin to successfully conceive, my husband and I went for almost 5 years without being able to have children. Visits to specialists confirmed basically what we knew, that having a child was going to be very challenging if even possible.

Well, one night at the end of Bible study I was taking prayer requests.  One of the older ladies in the group asked me, “Aren’t you and your husband trying to have children? “ I said, “Yes”, but really dismissed her question because I knew there was no way that was going to happen. She said, “Well shouldn’t we put it on the list?”  I just looked at her and kindly said, “Sure”.  It was as though faith wasn’t even part of the equation anymore for me, and she was full of faith.

Well, two days later, my menstrual cycle came. Although that doesn’t sound like good news, it was unbelievable news! I had not had my menstrual cycle in over five years. When I returned to class the following Monday, I shared my news and shared why it was good news. My friend who recommended that the request be put on the list had tears in her eyes. After class she came to me and said, do you know I was crying? And I said, “No, why?” And she said, “Because I wasn’t praying for you to get pregnant, I was praying for God to heal your body.”  Wow! Total answer prayer! Two months later, I was pregnant with my son.  God answers prayers and works things out in his perfect timing.  I was in no way ready to be a mother in those years leading up to the birth of my son. So, he took the time to heal my health and my heart so I could be the mother that he called me to be.

‍BC

The Lord miraculously provided the funds I needed to pay a bill that was coming due. I didn't know where I was going to get the funds. But I put my request before Him and a day or two later I received a refund from a piece of equipment I returned earlier. The funds arrived just in time to pay the bill.... PRAISE THE LORD!!!

JW