Thoughtful Thursday 

Believe It Or Not*

Have you ever had anything happen to you that was so amazing, that you thought, “Wow! What a coincidence!” This is one of those stories.

Years ago, my husband’s father lay dying in a hospital bed. He had cancer, and was also experiencing episodes of confusion, known as, “sundowners.” The family had gathered at the hospital. It was just a matter of time. We took turns going in to see him. My husband, Ed, had gone in alone to see him, when he stepped out and looked up and down the hall until he saw his nephew, Jason. “Your papaw wants to see you,” he said. Ed and Jason returned to his dad’s hospital room. Ed has told me what took place. These are his words.

Dad looked at Jason, and said, “You need to be baptized.”
“I know I do,” said Jason. Then Dad raised his arm and said, “Help me up.” He was insistent, so we gingerly helped him out of the bed. He took Jason by the arm and said, “You are baptized for the remission of your sins. Going down into the water represents the death, burial, and resurrection.” 
“Dad, you need to get back into bed. You’re in the hospital.”
“I know where I am,” he said. “I am emulating what baptism looks like!”

We helped him back into bed. He lay there for several minutes. Then he looked at Jason and said, “You need to be baptized…two o’clock Saturday…Two o’clock Saturday." This happened on Tuesday, and Ed’s dad passed away on Wednesday. The next couple of days were a blur. Funeral arrangements had to be made. We discovered that he had already spoken with the funeral director. One of his instructions was, “Don’t let the sheriff drive slow.” In our area, the local sheriff leads the funeral procession. Finally, the arrangements were made, and the funeral was set for noon on Saturday.

In the meantime, Jason called my husband, Ed, and said, “Ed, I want to talk to you about being baptized. It’s not just because Papaw died. The Lord is leading me to do this. I can feel the Holy Spirit..” So, Ed met with Jason and prayed with him, and Jason said that he was ready to be baptized. “How about after the funeral tomorrow?” asked Ed. “The ladies are preparing a meal for the family, and we’ll all be there.”
“That sounds good to me!” said Jason.

Ed’s dad had a beautiful service that Saturday at noon. As requested, the sheriff did not drive slow to the cemetery, which was about thirty minutes away. After the graveside services, we all met at the church for Jason’s baptism and the meal that had been prepared.

Ed had the honor of baptizing Jason. It was such a moving and powerful moment. Ed’s dad had just been laid to rest, and so had Jason’s sins. At the end of the baptism, we all sang the hymn, “Now I Belong To Jesus.” As we stood to sing, something behind me made a noise. I don’t remember if it was a baby crying, or someone dropping a hymnal. As I turned to see what made the noise, I glanced up at the big clock on the back wall.

It was exactly two o’clock…on Saturday.  Amazing!

“To every thing, there is a season, and a time to every purpose under  Heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

Praise be to God!

Have a great Thursday!

*As told in the book, “Holler, Heaven, and Home, A Journey of Faith.”