By Evangelist John BJ Hall
Pardon me a moment as I reminisce just a bit. I am sorry to say that as a child I listened more attentively to God than I sometimes do today. Let me give you a couple of examples.
When I was three and one-half years old, I came in from the sandbox, tugged on my mother’s apron, and told her, “God wants me to be a preacher but I have to be saved first.” To say that she was shocked would be an understatement. She dropped the dish she had in her hands and I can still hear it hitting the floor and shattering into a thousand pieces. I turned on my heels and ran back out to the sandbox.
About six months later my father and a couple of other men had started a little church in a dirt floor garage at what used to be called “eleven-mile corner.” The church has moved and was later known as Cass Heights Baptist Church near Midwest City, Oklahoma.
As a part of establishing the church, they had a revival meeting. There was one particular lady I remember. She was always prim and proper. She had been praying for her husband to be saved for many years. On Thursday night he came to the revival and accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior. The dear lady was so excited that she grabbed a broom from the corner and began sweeping that dirt floor as hard as she could. We all left the service that evening coughing and wheezing.
That night as my mother was getting me ready for bed I said, “Mama, I need to get saved tonight.” She tried to put me off, thinking that I was trying to keep from going to bed. I said, “No Mama, I need to get saved tonight!”
Mama said, “Now son we are late getting in bed because of the revival. Go to bed now and we will talk about it in the morning.”
I said, “Mama, didn’t the preacher say tonight that if you died and didn’t know Jesus you would get punished?”
She said, “Well, yes!”
I said, “Well if I die tonight and get punished, it will be your fault!”
She pointed to the door and said, “Go talk to your father!”
When I came through the bedroom door Daddy asked me what I needed. I said, “I need to get saved tonight.”
He said, “Well son there are some things you need to know before you can be saved.”
I asked, “Like what?”
He said, “You need to know what sin is.”
I said, “I know what sin is!”
“Okay smart little man, what is sin?”
“Sin is anything that makes Jesus unhappy.” was my reply.
“Well, I can’t beat that.” He continued, “Do you have anything like that in your life?”
I said, “I sure do! When I don’t do what you or Mama tell me to do, or when I fight with David, or when I break his toys, or…”
He broke in and said, “Okay, that will do. What do you think you need to do about that?”
“I need to ask Jesus to forgive me and make me a new boy!”
“When do you want to do that?” he asked.
“Right now!” We knelt down by the old iron post bed and I asked Jesus to forgive my sin and make me a new boy. And He did.
Skip forward seven years. Daddy was now the pastor of First Baptist Church Carmen, Oklahoma. We were in revival with Evangelist Paul Roe. He was preaching from Romans chapter ten.
Romans 10:8-15 (NASB) 8 But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART"—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."
14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!"
The whole evening all I heard over and over were the words, “How will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent?”
I prayed, “Lord why is Bro. Roe talking to me? Doesn’t he know that my best friend Coy is sitting right behind me? Doesn’t he now that my friend needs to be saved?”
What I didn’t know was that brother Roe only read the verses I heard one time. The message he was giving was one of a call to salvation. But I was hearing the Holy Spirit telling me that I needed to commit to His call on my life.
I went to the front and prayed with Daddy. While we were praying God brought into my mind what I told my mother when I was only three and one-half years old.
That night I walked home with Mama. I asked her if what I remembered was real. With tears streaming down her face she said, “I have held that as a secret in my heart. I never told anyone because I was afraid they might say something to make you do something that wasn’t His will.” She added, “I have prayed that if that was God talking to my little boy, that He would remind you of it in His time.”
Several years later my friend, Coy, was lead to faith in Christ in the kitchen of his parent’s home. In my mind, God answered the prayer of an eight-year-old kid that day.
I didn’t hear an audible voice. But, I heard His voice, a still small voice as He placed His calling in the heart of a three and one-half-year-old child. I heard His voice again when I accepted Christ into my heart at four years of age. I heard His voice again when I surrendered to His call at eight years of age.
Have you heard His voice? Is there too much of the world going on around you to hear? Then step aside. Get out of the noise. Hear His voice today.
The Joy Of Revival
To see a child as he comes to Christ,
Is a Christian’s greatest joy in life.
Yes, a child has many years to live,
For the One Who His own life did give.
Yet again I see another joy,
As an old man comes as though a boy,
And confesses of a life of sin,
So that a new life he can begin.
Now another joy comes clear to me,
Asa Christian bows upon the knee,
And rededicates his heart and life,
To bring an end to a way of strife.
Now this is what true revival is,
When we place our feeble hands in His.
And God speaks unto a weary soul,
Who then gives to God his life control.
Won’t you turn now from life's silly toys,
And join in all God’s wonderful joys?
Then you can feel the joy I have known,
As Jesus’ love to our world is shown.
© Copyright 1995 by Passages Ministries. All rights reserved.
For permission to use this poem contact Passages Ministries.