Its Over Now, … Or Is It?
Luke15:24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.
The week of this writing is June 10, 2019, as I sat at the computer and began working on a thought that I had, it occurred to me that thirty years ago this week I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. It’s raining now here in Georgia and thirty years ago it was raining here then too.
As I recall about a year or maybe two years earlier, I saw my friend and then Sunday School teacher Snyder Turner. I hadn’t been in Sunday School in a while, and he asked if I would come back that I was surly missed. That made me feel good that I was missed. And I told him I would try if he would be kind enough to make me a tape of him singing. I love to hear people sing that know and believe what they are singing, and it also helps that they can sing. I believe that he knew and believed about who he was singing about, and it also helped that he could sing too. He was kind enough to make me the tape, and he sent word to me that I had to come and get it. The place I had to pick it up was at the Church, and the place was in Sunday School.
I sent word back to him that I will see him Sunday and if there was no tape there would be no DeWayne because, I would leave. I was somewhat a smart-aleck back then, but I’m doing much better now. So sure, enough I was there at 10:00am Sunday morning and sitting in his class waiting on him. As he walked in, he threw me the tape. I sat and listened to him teach and then went on in the sanctuary and listened to his D ad, Reverend Ben Turner preach, and then I didn’t return until I felt as if I had to.
The next day as I was on my way to work, I put the tape in the tape player in my truck and began to listen. Song after song played, some were convicting, some were picked me up songs, and some were just old fashion Church Hymns.
As the tape played on, this song came on, and I had heard it before but not quite like this, it was “It’s Over Now” and this is what Snyder sang:
“It’s over now. It’s over I’m going home.
It’s over now it won’t be long
The prisons of my past, couldn’t hold me I’m free at last.
My Father I see His arms reaching for me. It’s over now.
When I look back to yesterday, and upon the many years I wasted.
And I think about the many nights of hunger that I spent out in the cold.
I remember warming by the fire, at Father’s house, the food and how it tasted.
And knowing that the life I’m leading, is needing love and love’s at home.
It’s over now. It’s over I’m going home.
It’s over now it won’t be long,
The prisons of my past, couldn’t hold me I’m free at last.
My Father I see His arms reaching for me.
It’s over now”.
And then with the music still playing he said this in the middle of the song:
“That reminds me of a young boy that I knew one time that, as a teenager he stayed up all nights lots of nights, building God’s house because he loved the building, he loved the people, I never before seen a boy that age that dedicated to God. Then I looked around one day and all of a sudden, he was gone, nobody knew where he was, but all of his friends that knew him, and stayed around with him up all night, were praying that one of these days, one of these days, he’ll look around, and he’ll say, you know, I believe it was worth it, it’s all over for me now, I’m going back home”.
Then back to the song he went without missing a beat.
“I can hear my father saying, go kill the fated calf and spread the table.
Then go and tell the singers to prepare to sing the welcome Song.
Then bring the finest ring of gold, and with it, bring the finest robe of sable.
To place upon the cold and weary shoulders of my child, that’s coming home.
It’s over now. It’s over I’m going home. It’s over now it can’t be long
The prisons of my past, couldn’t hold me I’m free at last.
My Father I see His arms reaching for me. It’s over now.
My Father I see His arms reaching for me. It’s over now”.
That young boy was me, and if you paid close attention, he never said that I Loved God but that “he loved the building, he loved the people”, because I did, and still do love the building and the people of that time in our Church, but at that particular time I did not love God or even know Him or His dear Son Jesus.
The song brought tears to my eyes, and brought back some great memories of when we were building the Church and the lifelong friendship that I received from the men that were there that took me under their wings and showed Godly love for a young man that could have ended up running with the wrong people. If it were not for spending most of my free time working on that Church I don’t know where I would have ended up. I never drank, I never did any drugs, I didn’t run around trying to get in any trouble, I was way too busy building a house of worship.
I was working my way to heaven, at least I thought I was. It’s really difficult to win good people to the Lord, what did I need saving from, I was a pretty good guy, at least in my eyes I was. Could I be wrong, was I sure because I repeated words that the pastor’s wife told me to say when I was 6 years old, that I was covered, I hope so? And if you are not sure, that is not the right answer.
So, a few more months went past, and I was out of church again. I thought I was good to go, and again, I was wrong.
As I have stated I was raised in church and I sat under the word of God my whole life, I didn’t know the author, but I knew the words that were written, and I could use them to my advantage when I needed to. I used the Word of God as a weapon to attack people, just when I thought that they needed it, for my own good. Not a weapon as a sword against Satan, but as a club to beat people over the head, and in most cases I could hold my own in a battle of the Word and I would whip out the Bible verse to put people to shame when I needed it.
And time went on.
Edger C. Whisenant released a book that was predicting that Jesus would return for the Rapture is September 11,12, or 13 of 1988 titled “88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988” over 4.5 million copies were sold, and the Churches were filled on Sunday, September 11, 1988. It didn’t hurt that the day he predicted was on a Sunday.
And there, about ten rows back in the end seat against the wall I sat, as I have said I heard the word preached enough for anyone for a lifetime I thought. And I thought wrong, but there I was to prove the guy wrong. Because does the Bible not say:
Matt 25:13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. NKJV
So, I just sat there and heard Reverend Ben Turner preach one of the best soul winning sermons that ever was preached, and then it was time for the invitation. As the song leader took the pulpit and the Church began to sing, I took a good hold of the pew in front of me and refused to let go. Ben told me latter that he could see my knuckles turning white from the grip I had on that pew. I think, no I know that was the day that I knew that I needed Jesus in my heart, and in my life and so did Brother Ben the pastor. But I was a good man.
At the age of six I had said what the preacher’s wife said to say, I was put in the baptistery and dunked under the Holy water. I had to be ready to go to heaven, I had done everything you are supposed to do right? And then again, I was wrong.
I never, not ever asked Jesus into my heart. I love what Andy Stanley says quite often,
“Following Jesus will make your life better and will make you better at life.”
I saw Snyder again in May 1989. He was being ordained and afterward he saw me, and said that he missed me and that he was praying for me. And then he said that one of these days God was going break me or do something to get my attention, and that when he did, he wanted to be there. He was somewhat a smart-aleck back then, but he too is doing much better now. And again, a little time went on.
That brings me back to the rainy week of June 12, 1989, my wife had gone to visit her mother in Spruce Pine Alabama. She left on the 7th and was going to return on the 14th. The night before she left, we had a big falling out, we didn’t have many but when we did, they were big. She started the falling out trying to justify her actions. She was setting me up to be the bad guy, and it worked, by saying what she was going to do.
Remember that I told you that I could beat up a person with the Bible, well that is what I did that night. I told her that she needed to submit to me and to do what I say and to do my will because that is what Paul taught. She said she didn’t know any woman that did that, and she was not going to do it either. She then told me that she didn’t love me anymore and if that wasn’t bad enough, she then added that she didn’t think she ever really loved me. Not only that, but she then said that she may not come back.
With that said, I picked up my Colt 357 magnum and was headed out the door. She asked where I was going, and I said boldly and proudly “To Hell” and kept walking, she asked and then pleaded with me not to go, she promised that we would work it all out when she got back next Wednesday.
I sometime later learned that “You cannot develop in your family what you do not possess yourself as in individual”. I couldn’t lead because I didn’t have what I needed to lead. What was missing was Jesus.
Next Wednesday arrived, and she didn’t. I took off early, grilled 2 T-bone steaks, just the way she liked them, fixed a salad and some baked beans and baked potatoes, and had an apple pie cooking in the oven and Breyers vanilla bean ice-cream in the freezer. I sat the table, and even put some candles on the table and waited. She should be home any moment I thought, and again, I was wrong.
I waited past the time she was going to arrive and then started making calls. I finally got a hold of her mother and was told that she came home that morning and got some more of her belongings and was coming back to Alabama. So, I put everything in the refrigerator, and made some calls and told my boss I would be late the next day and then made a call to my parents and told them that I was going to Alabama and was going to try to get my wife back.
My Dad tried to talk me out of going and said that there were tornado warnings in Alabama and headed to us here in Georgia, I didn’t care, I was going. As I pulled out of my road there stood my Dad in the road again trying to get me to stay home, I should have listened because when I got there, she made it clear that she was not coming home anytime soon she needed some time to think, it’s been over 30 years, I sometimes wonder how much more time she might need. I guess I still am a somewhat a smart-aleck, but I am doing some better now.
In 1989, I was one of the few people at that time that had a phone in their truck, so on my way back home the next morning I called my pastor and asked if I could see him later that evening, he said that he would be at the Church because they were having Vacation Bible School, and he would be there around 7:00.
As I arrived at the Church, I saw Snyder in the parking lot, and he yelled at me and said that this was Church, and ask what was I doing there? He was just joking with me. As he got closer, I said, remember when you said that one of these days God was going break me, or do something to get my attention, and that when He did, you wanted to be there? Well, here is that day, as a tear ran down my face. He said he was playing, and I said I know and told him what had happened and asked if he would come and pray with his Dad for her to come home. He said of course, and we went into the pastor’s study, and we meet up with Ben.
I needed someone to pray for her because I knew deep down that I couldn’t, but Ben could, but Ben wouldn’t. He wouldn’t pray for my wife that night, and I couldn’t understand why. The only reason that I was there was for his prayers. He said we were just treating the symptoms, and not getting a cure. The cure was for me to accept Christ that night and not to fix my marriage. I learned what it meant that night that “pain plants a flag of reality in the fortress of a rebel’s heart”.
He asked every way but coming out and saying bluntly are you saved for a while, he asked do you know Jesus as your savior? And then he finely asked if I were to die where would I spend eternity? I remembered the week before and how I stated I was going to hell. I just sat there, and then he finally said, ARE YOU SAVED?
My answer was I don’t want to be not saved. He said that was not the right answer, and then said that I knew what I needed to do, and he was right as Snyder opened his Bible and started the Roman Road, he paused then said that I knew these verses and I knew what I needed to do. And I did know what I needed to do. I personally have led people to the Lord before I had ever accepting Him as my Savior myself.
So, I asked Jesus to forgive me and that night I accept Him as my Lord and Savior. Just like that everything changed that moment. My wife didn’t come home but I did. Circumstances didn’t change, but I sure did, the pain was still there but now so was Christ. Everything was for the better I assure you.
After that night as I got back in Church for the right reason, as I ran across different people, and it seemed that most had the same reaction and said the same thing when I told them that I had accepted Christ and was saved. They would say I thought you were already. But the ones closest to me would say I’m glad, I have been praying for you for a long time.
The old saying goes you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all the people all the time. I had some of them fooled but not all, and the ones that knew better were praying for me and as we soon will see looking for me to come home.
I just had to make up my mind or come to myself, as it says. Sometimes the one you think that needed to come home don’t quite make it. What I have learned it was never about getting her my wife home, it was about getting Me Home!
If I had accepted the invitation the year earlier, she may never have left. But if she hadn’t left when she did, would I have ever got in the Word of God like I did, would I ever have stood in a pulpit and tried to bring a sermon, would I have ever got involved in the ministries that I got in, and saw the hundreds of souls saved as a result? Would I be writing this book right now?
Please don’t get me wrong, I do not under any circumstance believe that God made her leave, that goes against His Word. I do believe that he used the mess that I made to get my attention. Did you get that the mess that I made! And I do take full responsibility. But it did work for His good.
Does the book of Romans not say?
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. NKJV
and
Genesis 50:20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. NKJV
Understand that God is not a genie in a bottle, or a wishing well. He is God, and we sometimes act as if he is supposed to do what we say, instead of the other way around. We quickly forget and sometimes quickly walk away because He didn’t do what I wanted Him to do. I will just leave, and then we do, but the question is the same as Peter’s question and that is “Lord, to whom shall we go?”
John 6:67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” NKJV
I promise you maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next week, or next month, or even next year. But the time is coming that you will end up neck deep in the pigsty. Then where will you go? All we have to do is the same as the lost son did. Understand it is far better in the Fathers house.
As I have stated it’s been over 30 years, and she never came home, sometimes the one we love and pray for, never comes to their selves. Sometimes they don’t listen to the Father, but that is no excuse for you not to. Every story in life doesn’t have a happy ending. Just remember for some it’s not over yet. But for me, I thank God I can say as the last verse of our song said:
The prisons of my past, couldn’t hold me I’m free at last.
My Father I see His arms reaching for me. It’s over now.
My Father I see His arms reaching for me. It’s over now”.
See, it was me the whole time that was dead, and now I am alive.
I was the very one lost, and now I am found.
It is definitely a time to be merry. It’s party time.
Luke15:24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’
And they began to be merry.
As the old saying goes;
If not God’s way? What?
If not you? Who?
If not now? When?
Is it over now?
Only if you allow it to be.
