Neil's Commentaries
Hearing From God
The boy was only 13 years old and already in trouble. He's been in trouble before, many times, but this time he's going to jail. This time he got caught. One night, while sitting in a cold jail cell, waiting for the transport bus to take him to his youth prison, God drew nigh to him and baptized him with the Holy Ghost. At the time, he didn't know what it was, only that it was an indescribable experience that completely overwhelmed him. He spoke in languages that he neither understood, nor had he ever heard before. Before him minds' eye, in an instant, he had a vision. For the rest of the night and into the morning, he went over again and again what the Lord had shown him. First he seen a campus that stretched so far that he couldn't see the property lines. Then, suddenly, he knew how to build each building and excavate all the landscaping. But never-mind the vision, right now he had to deal with his emotions. He had a very strong fear for what he was facing and a deep sorrow for what he had lost.
Before the police found the boy, he ran off to work at a carnival. Nobody asked any questions about his age or where his family was at. They put him to work operating a ride for children. He met his true love there. She fell in love with him. He quit the carnival and rode his bicycle to her house, some 25 miles away, every single day. They spent the summer holding hands, fishing, taking long walks, and sitting on the swing in the front yard, watching the sunset. It was an innocent love, a pure love. He learned to love God through her. A church moved into the building beside his house and just before he ran away, he went there so he could get out of the cold night. It was warm inside the church.
The pastor and his wife took a real liking to the boy, and sort of took him under his wing. I wonder how much they worried when he ran away. They didn't know he broke the law and was running from the law. They only knew that he loved to sing. Next time the boy seen that pastor, he was visiting him in jail. The pastor was able to convince the judge to sentence the boy to a minimum security prison for the youth. They all said it would be like summer camp, and it would only be 6 months, maximum. The boy could go home early if he done well enough.
The boy worried night and day for his girlfriend. She was his first love, and one day the letters stopped coming. She had died. She was killed in a car accident. The pastor was able to convince the Department of Youth Services that she was his sister, so that he could go to the funeral. He had to go wearing shackles and handcuffs. He was devastated. His worries made him sick, so sick that he had to stay in bed a lot. This made his progress slow, and he didn't get much of an early release.
Every inmate was required to work. The boy could not work because he was so sick all the time. The chaplain came to visit him almost every day. Soon, the boy was able to hang out with the chaplain for hours at a time. Eventually, they considered that his job and made him the very first Chaplain Assistant. He was able to join the choir and travel around the state, singing for local churches. He took care of all the equipment and he even ironed all of the choir robes each weekend. He was growing close to God and nothing hindered it at all.
When he was finally allowed to go home, almost 6 full months later, the pastor and his wife adopted the boy and took him to finish raising. For the next 20 to 25 years the boy grew into a man, working with every kind of ministry there is. He went to nursing homes and sang to them. He went to adult prisons with the pastor. He went all over several states, singing and telling his testimony. When he was 15 or 16 years old, the pastor, along with the church overseers offered him an ordination to minister to the youth. All he had to do is preach one time, and keep on doing what he had done all along, sharing his testimony and singing. He helped out wherever he could and he began to learn all about church ministry.
Years went by and the boy still hadn't thought much about that night in the jail cell, when he was baptized in the Holy Ghost and had the vision. He was old enough to be employed and he got a job. He learned all about construction over the next 20 years, and even then he thought little about that special night. His troubles weren’t over yet, either. He still had that mean streak. He still had little regard for the law. He still went to jail from time to time.
I see that little boy from time to time. He still loves God with all his heart. You can tell it by looking at him and listening to him for even a minute or two. He still has that stubborn streak, too. Never had I known a man or a boy quite like him. He is easily and most often misunderstood. Only his mother truly knows him for who he really is. He is not at all what most people think he is, even after they've known him for a while. He does get along well now, as a man. He does adapt very well to any and all situations. He makes the most of what he has and he excels in it. I have seen him go to the top so many times, my neck hurts to stare too long. Always, there is something that brings him back down again. Sometimes it's for a very good reason, and sometimes it's because of that stubborn streak.
He had become so very resourceful that he has never had any lack. He don't have to be dishonest for clothing, shelter or food. He is not a burden to anyone. He is an asset. If you knew him, you'd not likely know what all he is capable of; what he can accomplish. I've seen some very impressive things come from that boys' talents. He had started some pretty impressive ministries and put them in the hands of capable and willing people. As far as I know, every single one of them are still active and blessing people, both near and far. God sure had His hand on that boys life. There is no way that boy could have come so far with so little by the world's standards. He don't have much education outside of high school, but he knows people so well. He was even able to give a little girl a second chance in life. She was going to kill herself. Something the two of them talked about seemed to really take hold on that girl. She grew up to be a nurse, helping other people stay alive.
That big campus the boy seen in his vision hasn't been built yet, but he has extensive experience in every facet of the project. You see, God was training him for his entire life. There were times so hard, the boy wondered if God hated him. This only proved to make the boy stronger and stronger. Strong enough, in fact, to never give thought to quitting. Most people I know would never be able to endure some of that boys' hardships. Most people would just as soon give it up and try something different. This boy had never given up. Sure, he messed up, but he never gave up. Everything he put his hand to had prospered. I'm glad to have known that boy. I was blessed to watch him grow up. He used everything he learned along the way. He got it right enough times for me to say, “it's worth it all”.
To think, it all started with that one night in jail, hearing for God. Maybe he didn't think he ever heard from God after that, but God speaks to him so loudly, I hear God in him. I see the mighty hand of the Lord working through that boy, now a man, and he probably don't even realize it most of the time. He does what his heart tells him to do and God leads his every step. Even if he don't know it, he is hearing from God.
By G. Neil Armstrong
Tuesday, October 12, 2010 – 9:00 PM
