<TITLE>23. Par 252-262</TITLE>L-252   I promised that when I was dying on the bed. And He let me... When the doctor done give me up, my heart was only beating seventeen times to the minute. And you know how slow that was. He said, "He's dying," and I heard it. Told my daddy, and pulled the curtains around me. And there in that room, that hour, I seen a big J's come all over that curtains around me like that. I heard that nurse crying, said, "There's nothing but a kid, see, and here he's going." Spinal anesthetic had leaked through and got into in my heart. See? It was only beating seventeen times a minute.

L-253 When I got home, I had to prove that, that I--I loved God. And I--I got down there on that ground. I said, "I--I don't know how to pray." And I--I'd bite on my thumbnail. I thought, "Maybe... I seen pictures. I'll fold my hands like this, put my fingers together." I said, "Dear Sir, I would like to speak with You." I'd listen. I said, "I don't hear You." I said, "I folded my hands wrong. Maybe I ought to do it like this." I put my... I said, "Dear Sir, I... Jesus Christ, I would like to speak to You." I said, "Sir, I don't hear You. Answer me. I've heard other people say, 'God talked to me.' Now I want to talk this over with You. I promised You I would do it. I want to talk it over. Will You please come and speak to me, Sir?" Thought, "No, I ain't holding my hands right, or He would say something." I didn't know how to do it. Never prayed in my life. Didn't know what to do; this little old shed.

L-254   One day, then, I thought this. I thought, "According to the Scriptures, as I've heard it read, He was a Man. And if He was a Man, He understands as a Man." Right. "And then I don't know whether You hear me."

L-255 Devil said, "Why, you done sinned away your day of grace. There's no more. See, you been so mean, till He won't forgive you."

L-256 I said, "I don't believe that. I just can't believe it. I believe He would talk to me."

L-257 I said, "Sir, I don't know if I make a mistake, if I ain't got my hands folded right, or whatever it is, You--You forgive me for it. But I want to talk to You." I said, "I'm the lowest rascal in the world." I said, "I, I've done all these things, and--and I run from You, and all," went on talking like that.

L-258 And the first thing you know, while I was talking, across the room come a little Light, and went over on the side of the wall, and formed a cross of Light, that Light, and begin to talk with a language. I never, never heard of such a thing as speaking in tongues; never had even read the Bible; I was looking for James 5:14 in Genesis. I was looking up there, and I seen that Light, and it was talking some kind of a language. Then It went away.

L-259 And I said, "Sir," I said, "I--I--I don't know nothing about this Christian life." I said, "If--if that was You talking to me, I can't understand Your language, Sir. But if You'll talk... And if You can't speak my language, see, and I--I don't understand Yours, but may we understand one another like this: if You'll just come back there again, that'll be a sign between me and You, that You forgive me."

L-260 There It was again. Oh, talk about a V-day? I had one, yes, a real V-day? There It was again, talking the same way. And I had a V-day. Oh, my!

L-261 And since then, when He put the Word in my hand, I've fought to win the prize, to sail through bloody seas.

L-262   We've all got a victory. We've fought through many victories. And a great victory is coming just soon, right around the corner. Our complete V-day will be soon, when the Son of God shall break the skies, and scream with the Voice of the Archangel, and He shall come again. And the graves shall open, and the dead shall walk out.


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