By Evangelist John BJ Hall
There is a place that is dear to my heart. It is a place where I have heard God’s voice and answered His call. It is a place where thousands of people of all ages have come to faith in Christ. It is a place where more people have surrendered to the call of missionary and pastor than any other place on Earth. It happens to be the largest Christian youth camp in the world. Where is this special place? Falls Creek Baptist Assembly near Davis, Oklahoma is the only place that fits the description.
I began attending camp there in 1954. Back then there were no air conditioners, hot showers, indoor toilets, etc. The cabin my parents and I stayed in was just inside the main gate and on the other side of Falls Creek. I learned at an early age that the convenience of riding in a car was a luxury. You had to walk about a city block from where Daddy parked the car, to the front door of our little cabin. Of course at camp, you walked everywhere.
The shower consisted of a 50-gallon drum on a stand behind the cabin. Water from a spring ran into the drum all day long. You didn’t want to take your shower in the morning. The water would be ice cold from the spring. But in the evening, just before bed, you could go out and enjoy the fact that the water had been warmed by the sun.
That shower calls to mind the way the Holy Spirit works in our lives. John recorded Jesus words in chapter fourteen verses sixteen and seventeen. “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
The Psalmist had said, “Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.” Psalm 69:20 (KJV)
The cold spring water is the cold, harsh world we live in. The Psalmist was prophesying concerning the death of our Lord. But it also applies to us. If you try to take it on your own as it comes out of the side of the mountain it chills and literally makes you hurt. There doesn’t seem that there is anything that could warm the water. No one cared enough to even try
But when the Holy Spirit works in our lives, He takes away the harsh chill that threatens us. He heals the broken heart and lifts up the heaviness. He looks on us with more than pity. He gives us His love and a comforter that will take away the chill.
If you have trusted in Christ as your Lord and Savior, then the Holy Spirit dwells in you. It’s a package deal. Allow Him the freedom to work in your life and let Him be your Comforter.
Falls Creek
We thank our Lord and Savior,
For forming these old hills.
Where cool clear water fills a pool,
And over fall does spill.
The setting is so beautiful,
Exciting yet serene.
In these hills there is power,
To move the soul within.
This place is given to the Lord,
His Spirit to control.
And as we come together now,
He speaks unto the soul.
Yes, Falls Creek is a special place,
Where sinners are set free.
A place that Jesus did provide,
A place for you and me.
Now would you stop and listen,
To what He has to say?
Then yield your heart and life to Him,
And bow to Him and pray.
© Copyright 1995 by Passages Ministries. All rights reserved.
For permission to use this poem contact Passages Ministries.