God Speaking...

Grace and Peace My Friends:

Ever have the feeling that God is trying to get your attention? Well, just such a time in my life is what I hope to share in this post. While it will be hard to get these events to make sense until the end of the story, I do think you'll relate to the story and join me in giving praise to God for His marvelous ways.

Let me set up this story with some preliminaries. On the day of my salvation, March 23, 1962, I had been doing yard work at the West Phoenix Baptist Church, where the Buck and Hazel Daniel family held their membership. I received $10.00 a month to take care of the grounds and a couple of houses that were used for Sunday School classes. Pastor Milton Gage approached me and began to inquire as to my thoughts on salvation and eternity. I fumbled around with a few thoughts, mainly to avoid a serious answer. After he left, I found that I couldn't get my relationship with Christ out of my mind. That very night, during revival services at the church, I asked Jesus to forgive my sins and come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Only two nights later I was baptized into the fellowship of West Phoenix Baptist Church by pastor Milton Gage.

Fast forward twenty-one years to January 18-19, 1983. God was at work in my heart in a way of which I was not yet aware. By that time, I was a member of the Putnam City Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. I had been persuaded by my friend, Joe Perry, to attend the Oklahoma Evangelism Conference at the First Southern Baptist Church in Del City, Oklahoma, to hear sermons from Junior Hill, Stephen Olford, and...a preacher from Lafayette, Louisiana...Perry Sanders. 

Two things happened that night and then a third thing the next day. The first thing was that the music was lead that night by Brother John Shillington. I was amazed! You see, John was a classmate of mine at Alhambra High School in Phoenix, Arizona...Class of 1968. I had attended that school all the way up to about two weeks into my senior year. At that time my family moved to Alexandria, Louisiana, where I completed my high school days at Bolton High School. At Alhambra, I knew John as a Varsity football player, a man around campus, and a great guy. But, I never imagined that he would one day lead music for the North Phoenix Baptist Church and that he would be the special guest leader for the 1983 Oklahoma Baptist Evangelism Conference!! I thought..."Oh my...God can use people that I know!" The second thing that happened to get my attention turned toward God was that Perry Sanders preached a sermon entitled "A Visit to Heaven," from the 21^st chapter of Revelation. Only one week earlier, his wife Gloria, a victim of cancer, had been memorialized in a funeral service in Lafayette. Perry Sanders, his emotions raw with grief, held his composure together enough to preach the most incredible message I had ever heard. The Spirit of God was palpable in that huge auditorium as Perry spoke of how differently we would approach life if we could truly experience the reality of heaven. I had no idea what God was doing in my life in that incident, but something I couldn't explain was churning deep within my soul...as though God were trying to get my attention. The next day would be undeniable proof in my heart...God was speaking…to me!

After the amazing Tuesday night services, I thought of something humorous that would bring me back to First Southern Del City the next day…a yearbook with blank signature pages. I and My family had left Phoenix, while my senior year was barely underway. I had taken senior pictures and ordered my yearbook but then I moved. So, my Class of 1968, Alhambra High School year book was mailed to me. I had a yearbook but no signatures! Now, suddenly, here was John Shillington, an Alhambra High classmate in town. At last, I could get someone to sign my yearbook! So, Wednesday morning, I went back to the Evangelism Conference...with my yearbook...ready to get it signed by John. Regrettably, I discovered upon my arrival, that John had completed his part of the meetings and had left for Arizona. Even though I was disappointed, I decided to stay for the morning services. The auditorium was totally packed with over 4,000 attendees and I was forced to stand in the back for awhile. I saw that a few people were leaving so, seizing the moment I hurried down the nearest of about a dozen aisles, hoping to find a solitary seat. I was all the way down to the third row from the front before I saw a vacant seat. I sat down in the seat one person in from the aisle. We were soon given this instruction: "Introduce yourself to a person next to you and pray with them." I turned to the gentleman next to me by the aisle, and he eagerly clasped my hand and said: "Hi, my name is Milton Gage." I was stunned! I finally looked closely at the man I had providentially sat next to in this auditorium of over 4,000 people and realized who he was. I stammered out a barely intelligible: "Yes, You Are!" Then, regaining some composure, I exclaimed: "Brother Milton, I'm Robert Daniel, and you led me to Christ twenty-one years ago at West Phoenix Baptist Church!" Well, if you can imagine, we had the grandest of reunions...totally unexpected, but beautifully wonderful! 

Was God getting my attention? Yes! Although I couldn’t sort it all out right then, I knew that each of those experience was a divine encounter with God. I had wondered: “Could God use someone like me?" and He answered by showing me an old friend from the same school I attended…a guy much like myself…who was in the ministry. I heard a sermon and experienced the closeness of the Holy Spirit like never before, and I realized that "God moments" can come and that…just maybe…I shouldn't be so quick to brush aside the nudging of God's Spirit. Finally, as if to confirm my personal relationship with God, He orchestrated the most incredible reunion by setting me down in a seat next to the godly pastor who led me to the Lord...twenty-one years earlier...a thousand miles away...in the midst of multiple thousands of people!

Oh, what a Savior! Oh, how sweet the closeness of the Lord to His children. How individually He knows and leads us!

Dear God...You still have my attention! Does He have yours?

Blessings,

Robert Daniel