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Seven Weeks of Rain

At the time of my first visit to Water of Life, I was managing a restaurant in north Dallas. The restaurant was sponsoring a softball team. This was typical of our company and was supposedly to boost morale. I had been to church just a couple times and knew that something was different about Water of Life. I was still trying to figure out what I was going to do. My previous experience with other churches had been quite bad. Religious people killed Jesus and they did their best to hurt me. I didn't want any part of that again. Water of Life (Doyle) was different. God had changed my heart about this place. I was still intent on continuing to go to church. It was a different place for me, and I knew something was going on inside of me. I just wasn't sure what was happening.

There was a weekday service at this time that was on the night I played softball. My boss was pushing me to be a part of the team so that everyone would love working with me. That's called sorcery. One evening Kathie and I were talking and I told her that if our game was rained out, I would go to church. Now you probably understand the reason for the title.

Immediately after this comment, our first game was rained out. I ended up going to church in my uniform. That night, Doyle was speaking and stopped and said that if anyone needed prayer, to come up front. I had never done this before and didn't know what to expect. I was also quite self conscience because I was wearing my softball uniform. I went up front anyway.

As Doyle prayed, I felt a strong presence that I did not recognize. It was God. Things started to happen inside of me. The devil kept telling me that I shouldn't wear a softball uniform to church. That my uniform would upset the others. God didn't seem to care what I was wearing. He delivered me.

In the beginning, I would sit in the extreme back of the church. I was embarrassed because of my uniform and to be frank, was still torn between the world and following God. One evening, Doyle motioned me to move to the front. When I did, God began delivering me from doubt, rebellion, religion (witchcraft). That night rocked my boat. After the power of God (Gospel) does something like that for you, you have to make a decision. Do you acknowledge God or not? Only pride and doubt prevents us from admitting the truth.

As the season went on, game after game was canceled. They would be rescheduled only to be canceled again. It would rain primarily on our game days. Each night, I would go to church. There God would deliver me. He was changing my heart. After seven weeks, the season was shot. There were not enough days to reschedule the missed games. They finally canceled the season. God will go to such great lengths to deliver us. He ruined the cities softball league just for me. That may sound like pride but it is not. You may think that He wouldn't do this for one person. He did something far greater than that for you. He was willing to send His only son to earth, to have him walk as a man without his heavenly ability. He was put on a cross, bearing our sin, sickness, poverty. He sent Him to hell for three days, just for us. He raised Him from the dead, healed Him, and seated Him at His right hand in heaven. Now you should see that ruining a softball league is a small thing for God. God would have sent His son for just one person. Abraham settled that when he asked Jesus if He would judge the righteous with the wicked.

I don't care what your situation is. Where you work. Believe the gospel, ask God to help you, and He will. He'll change a whole company for one person. Go to Exodus 34:6-7, See the nature of God. Merciful, gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. Keeping mercy for thousands.... God has not abandoned you. He desires to show Himself in your life.

Believe the gospel. Rely on the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. It will bring salvation to your life.