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The delayed calling, part 7

The day before These Stones prayer campaign, a storm swept through Memphis and warnings were issued to watch for tornados. The children in our neighborhood usually ran to our house, knowing that we were “protected.” Sometimes we had 8 or 10 children in the house. I have no idea what their parents thought about this.

The next day (August 2) was our day of fasting for the prayer campaign. It looked like a nice day. A week earlier, I had landed a job at the House of Typography, evening shift which began at 1 pm, so I got in the car to drive to work. The sun was out, and it seemed to be a beautiful day. But when I drove to the main road, I discovered it was blocked by many large trees that had blown down across the road.

I drove to a different main road, but that was blocked as well—as was the third main road. My quarter-mile block was completely sealed off because of the trees that had blown down. But within that quarter-mile square, there was no damage at all. I could see only a few leaves and very small branches that had fallen. It was clear that God had put a protective boundary around our neighborhood in answer to prayer.

I recall another time when the tornado sirens blew. A large tornado was coming north toward Memphis. We prayed, and it too passed by us. The next day the television weatherman showed us the radar picture of the storm. As the tornado neared the southern border of Memphis, it suddenly split in two. Each half of the storm system went around the city, merging again north of Memphis. The weatherman was astounded. He had never seen anything like that.

I did not think it would be helpful to call him and try to explain it.

Not Trouble-free

I have often observed how those who see many miracles in their lives are not spared from all trouble. They are often left wondering why God delivers miraculously at one time, but at other times we are required to walk through the valley.

We were no exception. Though we were obviously protected from storms, we did not always see miracles of healing when we thought we needed it. Darla was not feeling well, and so on August 15 we took her to a clinic in the Ozarks, where a health-minded medical doctor was serving the rural community. She was diagnosed with complete thyroid failure.

In fact, she nearly died that day of a “thyroid storm,” as they called it. We were protected from weather-related storms, but Jesus led us through the thyroid storm. Darla had to remain there as an outpatient for eight weeks. I had to return to Memphis to work. We had four children at the time, and I had to send two of them to my sister’s house and the two older girls to another friend’s house.

Our household had disintegrated. Darla could not have any stress. I was allowed to visit her once a week without the children. It was a dark and difficult time in our lives.

The Fortune Cookie Revelation

Just before Darla was allowed to return home, I went to a Chinese restaurant during a lunch break from work at the House of Typography. While I was there, I had a talk with the Father. The date was Sept. 29, 1988.

“Lord,” I said, “my heart is not in my work. I am no longer able to do a job worthy of my salary. And yet I have to make a living somehow. What shall I do?”

“Hold tight.”

“To what?”

“To My Word. It shall be manifest when the time is right. Has it not always been so?”

“Yes, of course. You know I've already long since put this whole situation into your hands.”

Then the waitress came with the bill and a fortune cookie. As I looked at the fortune cookie, curious as to what it might say, the Lord said, “Definitely NOT My Word.” I opened it and read,

“Any rough times are now behind you.”

It is strange how God took something that was NOT His Word and turned it into His Word. Since this was NOT His Word, it was apparent that I still would have some rough times ahead of me. This was a bit discouraging, but He had already told me that the time was not yet right for my release from “Egypt.”

Finally, I said, “Well, Lord, what do You want to talk about?”

“My Word can try men's hearts severely, as you know. I told you to hold fast to My Word, for it may be all you have for seemingly long stretches, as I remove you from this world and its understanding.

“You are to move back to Arkansas now very shortly. You will know the time, for I will send you My servant who shall be led of Me to offer you a job. You shall take it, though it seem strange to you. And I will bless that work abundantly, for I have spoken.

“Now go back to work here until the time is right. Be watchful, for it will appear to be very unusual to you and will come from a quarter you are unfamiliar with. Yet watch how I will work all things out for good and prepare the way before you.”

I had often seen things happen on yearly anniversaries of specific events. Since it was approaching a year since we had moved to Memphis, the thought occurred to me that perhaps the Lord would move us back to Arkansas to a new job on November 29—the one-year anniversary of our move to Memphis. After all, the Lord had given me the Word above that He would “very shortly” move us to Arkansas.

On Nov. 21 I prayed about this, hoping that God would see fit to release me before having to train in for another job in Memphis. He then spoke: “I call you now.” This sounded hopeful enough, but from past experience I had learned to be suspicious of a Word that sounded too good to be true. I responded,

“Lord, I do not doubt your Word, but I don’t know when ‘now’ is. I need a sign to know when… Is this acceptable to you?”

“Yes. Put your finger in your Bible.”

I closed my eyes and opened the Bible, flipping the pages until it “felt right.” Then, with eyes still closed, I put my finger upon a page and opened my eyes to see what verse I had picked. It was Luke 9:28, “And it came to pass about eight days after these sayings.”

Well, eight days from Nov. 21 was Nov. 29—one year after we had moved to Memphis. I knew then that this would be the date of my release. But nothing happened on that date in 1988. Instead, the telephone call offering me a job in Arkansas came one year later on Nov. 29, 1989.

Understanding timing is difficult, to say the least. I had only begun to understand how the yearly cycles worked and how God thought about time. Being the Creator of time, He set its purpose and knows how it works. On the other hand, we know little about it, because we are limited by mortality and its derivative, impatience.

Call Your Son

Two days after the revelation of “eight days,” On November 23 I decided to pray again to see if I could squeeze any more details out of God. I asked again if He was going to release me from this “Egypt” on November 29. Instead of answering directly, He said this:

“Call your son, and I will give you the Word through him. I will give him two numbers, by which you will know My Word, chapter and verse, beginning with the book of Joel.”

My son Ryan was eight years old at the time. On that particular day he had complained of a stomach ache, so he had stayed home from school. I called my son Ryan to my office and explained in simple terms that God said He was going to give him two numbers that I needed to know. I laid hands on him and prayed that God would reveal these to him.

Ryan listened attentively. (He always took the Lord's Word very seriously.) Then he gave me the two numbers: 54 and 40. I thanked him and sent him back out to play.

Then I began counting 54 chapters beginning with the book of Joel. It came to the first chapter of Matthew. From there I began counting 40 verses. The first chapter of Matthew has only 25 verses in it, so the 40^th verse was Matthew 2:15 KJV, which says,

¹⁵ and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet saying, “Out of Egypt have I called My Son.”

Here was my answer. Was I soon coming out of Egypt? Yes. It was plain that I was His son, even as Israel was His son in the time of Moses. He was showing me the hidden meaning of moving out of Memphis. Egypt is the place of Sonship training. We learn the liberty we have in Christ by submitting to the bondage of Egypt. In learning the contrast, we—like Jesus—learn by experience how NOT to misuse spiritual authority, how and why we are NOT to put other men into bondage.

At the same time, God gave me a further revelation that was to have great meaning to me in 1993. He said:

“Behold, I do a new thing. No more shall My people slumber or sleep. They shall awaken, for I have called My son out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Call My people to prayer, that they may find unity in their diversity by hearing My Word with one accord.”

When I received this Word on November 23, 1988, there was nothing I could do at the time to fulfill it. I was still in the time of “bondage in Egypt,” and it was soon evident that God was not going to release me, as I had hoped, on November 29, 1988. I had not yet resigned from the Net of Prayer, which was required in order to be released from Cursed Time.

I resigned on October 16, 1989 and received the phone call with a new job offer on November 29, 1989. When we moved “back to Arkansas,” specifically to Rt. 2, Box 76, Leachville on January 27, 1990, this ended my third cycle of 414 days under Cursed Time.

This was a new beginning, but my time of cleansing continued for as long as I remained at that address in Leachville. Not until 1993 was I actually commissioned to “call My people to prayer” in the Jubilee Prayer Campaign and all subsequent prayer battles.

Learning to subject myself to God’s timing was difficult, because it required patience, faith, and the ability to rest in Him, knowing that He does all things well. If I had known then what I know today about timing, it would have been much easier. But ignorance is part of the test, so that we must walk by faith, not by sight (understanding). Faith is not often fully blind, but it always works through a certain amount of ignorance. Hence, we do not understand the delays. Once we have obeyed His word by faith, then we have the right to ask for understanding, so that we may learn and grow in grace.