He Uses People to Help People...

Bishop T.D. Jakes is an anointed man; God has used the commanding presence of Bishop Jakes, his deep eloquent voice, and his thorough knowledge of the divine Word to guide a vast audience around the world.

It quite amazes me though, when I consider the fact that the Lord sent Bishop Jakes to speak to the brokenness of this Catholic old woman, in the tiny town of Pearce, Arizona, when I had my doors locked against the world.

You cannot lock your doors and shutter your windows against what the Lord wants you to know; He will get His message to you!

Since the television was my peep-hole to the world during the day, and my comfort of feeling there was another person in the house with me at night, I left it on all the time, only changing channels or volume.

When I retired to the sofa for the night, I would turn the channel to TBN, CBN or Daystar. I did not want any surprises waking me, such as profanity, gunfire, or violence. Also, I reasoned, I had the added bonus of maybe absorbing some of God’s Word subliminally during my sleeping hours.

One night, after a particularly broken-hearted day, I was awakened in the night hours by Bishop Jakes’ deep, resonant voice. “And it’s a shaking place, it’s a dark place…” he was saying. Yes! You’ve got me, Bishop! I’m there! I’m in that place!

I sat upright. His sermon, “Living Through Dying Places,” spoke directly to my despair. “They think they killed you,” he said. “But they just planted you!”

I felt a flicker of something deep within myself…was it hope? The tears came then, more tears than I have ever cried…cleansing tears, gentle rain after a storm tears, tears that started deep within my chest, found their way from my eyes and splashed into the sea of Eternity.

As soon as the program was over, I called the number 1.800.Bishop2, and told the lady on the line what had just happened, and we prayed together. I asked the price of the lesson, “Living Through Dying Places.” I told her that I could not afford it, but would order it as soon as I could.

She sent it anyway! I was overjoyed, and played it every day, in addition to watching Bishop Jakes’ program every time it came on. I was a long way from seeing daylight, but I was feeling the quickening of one of God’s most precious gifts – hope.