Pray for Brad.

Tonight I experienced the Lord in a way that I am not sure I ever have before.

Natalie and I met up to work on some homework and were considerably less productive than usual (we are typically pretty focused when it is just the two of us). As we joked and teased, people-watching and scenario-hypothesizing, beside us sat a man who looked too old to be an undergraduate student. I imagined him to be a graduate student who had taken a few years off – a husband and a father of a 7-year-old child named Henry (trendy but classic) – and, in my ego-centric nature, I figured that the endless giggling that emitted from Natalie and my table was annoying to him. I apparently couldn’t be more wrong.

Brad is a businessman who graduated from Biola a number of years ago. He “fell away” from his faith and has proclaimed atheism for the past three years. Recently, in a state of frustration and hopelessness, Brad prayed to the God that he didn’t believe in for proof of His existence in the form of the counsel of another. While sitting on a park bench the very same night of the prayer, a man approached Brad and told him that he felt compelled to tell Brad a few things. This random man was a follower of the Lord and attributed this compulsion to God. The man then proceeded to tell Brad things about his life that the man had no way of knowing – the man spoke truth (hopefully) into Brad’s life and the experience has caused him to reexamine his beliefs. Fast-forward to tonight: happening to be in the area, Brad decided to go back to his alma-mater to do some work and reminisce about the days when he felt sure, when he “knew it all.”

This is where we found Brad: sitting in a comfy chair that faced the table where Natalie and I did very little homework. Out of some mutual overhearing of a rather amusing conversation, a conversation was struck up between Natalie, Brad and myself. Wasting no time at all, Brad relayed to us the circumstances that I described above and, as was CLEARLY the work of the Holy Spirit, words and encouragement began to pour out my mine and Natalie’s mouths. We were empowered by the truth of what we had to share and I personally found myself completely unafraid of boldly speaking truth to Brad. We told him to cling to what was tangible, to what he knows about God. I encouraged him to pray for God to show him the Truth. I advised him to read the scriptures with an open heart. We discussed humility and pride, life and purpose, pain and love. We discussed these things openly, boldly, and freely. In remembrance of this, all I can think is that God is so GOOD! I have never in my life felt so comfortable in sharing truth – especially in public and especially with a stranger. Brad admitted that he knows a decision must be made, that certain truths cannot be ignored and that the conversation that he had with us made him uncomfortable because it made him think.

How wonderful is it that we have a God who will not allow us to become comfortable in inactivity while we seek His face?

Praise God for the work of the Holy Spirit. Praise God for opportunity. Praise God for the environment of Biola University. Praise God for the salvation of our souls. Praise God for growth, for learning.

Praise God.