“Saturdays are for Newspaper Articles”

                           “A Voice from the Past”

            On Saturday afternoon, I received a phone call that began this way: “Boyd, this is a voice from the past.”  I didn’t recognize the voice immediately.  But, as soon as he identified himself, a flood of memories kicked in quickly.

            Sadly, he was calling because of a death of a loved one.  It was a dear lady who I had known and pastored while here at Canyon Lake from the late 1970s to the early ‘80s.  That was difficult to hear, even though she was over 90 when she died.

            Related to that, I feel honored that I will be able to participate in the family memorial service.  So, the voice from the past and the memories will make a difference in remembering her life in the present and helping her family grieve their great loss.

            This incident has gotten me to thinking about this kind of “voice from the past” events in my life.  For example, several of the jobs I have held over the years, including my current position at Comal Country Church, have occurred because of “a voice from the past” thinking of me when there was an opening for which I was qualified.  Thus, a great deal of my career has been more or less directly dependent on someone calling me to mind at a particularly significant moment.

            Why did that happen—several times, in fact?  In the specific events that brought those things about, I do not know, other than to state clearly that I do not believe in luck.  I do, however, very much believe in God’s providential timing in our lives, which is what I fervently believe these instances in my life have been.

            Have you ever had something similar happen in your life?  Has “a voice from the past” ever called you up on the phone?  Or, have you ever received a letter or an email from someone who you may not have seen or talked to for years or even several decades?

            If you have, those aspects of the hurried combing of your memory to recall the person and the context in which you knew them are something you understand well.  And, when the memories do start to defrost and come together, it is as if those parts of the past are projected into your present experience in a very powerful way.  Sometimes the memories are almost entirely pleasant and sometimes there is great pain attached to them.  Either way, the unexpected “flooding” of the memories will have a strong effect on you.

            For many people around me today, I suspect that the mention of the name Jesus Christ is “a voice from the past” in their lives.  At some point, perhaps many years ago as a child, they attended Sunday school or church or perhaps a vacation Bible school.  When they did, they heard about Jesus dying on the Cross for their sins.  They heard that eternal life is available to anyone who will believe that Jesus paid for all their sins and that, through faith, they are forgiven completely.

            What happened to make Jesus “a voice from the past” in their lives?  One of two things: 1) They did not choose to believe in Jesus and become God’s child; or 2) Through getting too preoccupied with their own lives or so turned off by the angry or hypocritical behavior of some who call themselves Christians that they decided to walk away and never go back.

            But, what will they do if Jesus’ “voice from the past” enters their life again, especially if it is at a point when they are experiencing great difficulty or pain?  I hope they will remember that Jesus loves them unconditionally and trust Him to come in and tenderly renovate their lives. 

            What if this newspaper article is providentially intended by God to be Jesus “voice from the past in your life?”  If so, please listen to His voice.  It could be the most wonderful thing that ever happened to you.

 

Coming Tuesday: “A Deeper Look at 1 Corinthians 14:1-25″