Our world is filled with broken people—people who need a listening ear and someone who will usher them into the presence of God for a loving touch from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is my privilege to be there to provide a prayer, a word of encouragement, and a promise from Scripture.
Another busy week of taking calls was coming to a close. Again, my phone rang and I picked up the receiver for what would likely be my last call of the day.
“Hello, 3ABN pastoral prayer line, may I help you?”
There was a short silence, and then I heard a mild whimpering sound. I could tell a broken person was trying to force their words to be spoken aloud.
Speaking between gasps for air, he said, “My name is Durwood*, and I am a broken vessel. I truly am not worthy of asking God for help.”
“None of us deserve God’s grace, but He counts us worthy of His love,” I assured him. “But you are worth nothing less to Him than the price He paid to save you—the precious lifeblood of Jesus, as the Bible tells us in 1 Peter 1:18–19. Would you like to tell me more?”
He exhaled a slow and long sigh. “Yes, I would like to talk a little.”
Again, there was silence on the other end of the line. I knew Durwood was trying to compose himself. In my mind, I was calling upon the Holy Spirit for guidance. I needed His influence to speak the right words—the words God wanted him to hear.
He gasped for air, then began speaking gingerly. In a composed, but humble tone, he began to tell me of the pain in his aching heart, and said that he needed to get in touch with the one and only God above.
“I once walked in a close relationship with Jesus, but I slowly got distracted by the things of this world and started buying into Satan’s deceptions,” he began. “I became self-centered, and walked away from the Lord; but I woke up this morning feeling so empty and isolated. And then I realized I was alone in a mess of my own making.
“I turned my back on my heavenly Father, and I feel like the weight of my guilt is choking me. I am so troubled and ashamed. This is not the way I want to live my life. I miss the Lord’s presence in my life so much. Nothing brings me happiness but Him. I hate the downward spiral of my life, and I feel like I’m in a pit. I know I have wounded Him afresh. How can He ever forgive a worm like me?”
As he began to cry, I could sense he was trying to rein in his emotions, but the dam had burst, and they came out like a flood. He sobbed all the louder, but I didn’t interrupt this time of release for him because I knew it needed to spill out. Crying can be cathartic—it can help purge our emotional pain. I just remained attentive and prayed silently for us both. My heart was hurting for him. He didn’t need me to try to correct him. It was a special time between Durwood and his Lord, and after some time, I began to sense that God was comforting him.
Durwood had actually asked the Lord to help him share honestly with me. He didn’t want to sugarcoat his mistakes and his bad choices. He didn’t want to cloak his emotions. He was ready to unload his mess, and I sensed by what he continued to share that he had experienced an intimate relationship with the Lord before. He was really using this time to confess to God—not to me—and to seek the Lord’s forgiveness and power to turn around in repentance. He was like the prodigal son in the parable of Jesus, recorded in Luke 15:11–24. As Durwood turned his face to God and asked for forgiveness, the Lord ran to meet him.
I finally spoke, “Durwood, you know that 1 John 1:9 promises us, ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’”
And just that quick—in an instant—God restored Durwood’s relationship with Him. It was obvious that this grateful man accepted the gift of repentance, and felt secure in his Father’s love. He became calm, and spoke with a steady voice. Durwood knew the Lord received him again, and their relationship was restored.
Durwood has called me from time to time to let me know he has returned to church, and is doing well. He has rediscovered the true joy of being in God’s presence. He prays for God to use him to reach others, and shine God’s light into their darkness.
Are you like Durwood? Have you known the joy of the Lord in the past, but find you have backslidden? Have the circumstances of your life turned you away from our gracious God? Or perhaps, you have never accepted Him as Savior and Lord. Cry out to Him now. He hears. He will answer. He will forgive you and lead you in the path of His righteousness, where you can find true joy.
King David knew the joy of the Lord, and wrote, “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11.
*a pseudonym
