A Sinner's Prayer Heard
He had just pulled the trigger in order to end the fight between himself and the gang he was once a part of.
In the midst of this situation, his heart began to beat rapidly, as the sound of the siren drew near.
So, he grabbed his jacket and he ran for his life.
Fleeing from the police, he found himself running as fast as he could, with the intention of trying to get to a safe place.
It was a dark and stormy night in August, and this was something added to the list of wrongdoings he had accumulated over the course of time.
He had stolen money. He had stolen a car. He broke into two houses and had stolen from there. He had multiple fist fights with his own father. He chased women and left them brokenhearted. He was a man living in sin.
Upon searching for a place to hide until he figured out his next move, he ran up a flight of stairs.
Unbeknownst to him, these were not just stairs to another house, or to city hall, or to any apartment complex. These were stairs to a church.
He rushed to get to the door, and to his surprise, the door opened. So, he ran inside to escape the dreadful rainstorm.
Panting heavily, he started to look around, wondering if anyone might have been there in the church. “Hello?” he said, hesitantly. “Is… is anyone here?”
When he discovered that no one was there to answer him, he walked further inside, looking at the flags that were on the wall. One flag stood out to him. “Romans 10: 9-10,” He said quietly.
Moments later, he heard the sound of police cars approaching once again. Not knowing where to run or hide at this point, he ran to the altar in fear.
“I don’t know if you can hear me, God…. but PLEASE…. PLEASE…. Help me get out of this situation. PLEASE help me leave this lifestyle behind! I'm sorry, God! I have been a bad person! I shot someone! I stole money! PLEASE help me God! Forgive me, God! PLEASE forgive me! I’ll turn my life over to You…. I will, I will, I will!”
With tears in his eyes, he continued to pray with all of his heart. He cried and he cried, until something extraordinary happened.
A bright light began to shine from the ceiling of the church, shining upon him. He stood in awe of the sight, when suddenly, a pastor approached him. “I don’t know where to turn for help, sir.” He said while weeping. “I’ve stolen, I’ve hurt people, and I’ve done so many bad things.”
The pastor replied, “Surrender yourself to the Lord, my friend, and I promise you. It will be the best move you’ve ever done.”
The next morning, he left the church and went to the police station to turn himself in. When he mentioned his name, the receptionist informed him that his record had been cleaned and that there was no proof of any charges. After being told this information, he left the police station, sat on the large stoop, and began to shed tears.
“Thank You, Jesus!” He shouted.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1: 9)
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