Speaker: Darlene Sala | Series: Encouraging Words | At the age of ten my Dad dedicated his life to serve the Lord, and from that time on he looked forward to going to Bible college. His parents, however, thought he should go to a secular college. But he wanted to prepare for ministry.

One day toward the end of his senior year of high school he was standing waist deep in a swimming pool during Physical Education class. He felt a strange sensation and moved over to the edge to take hold of the side, but he could not hold on. Losing consciousness, he remembered praying, “Lord, save me!” as he slipped under the water. An alert lifeguard saw him lying at the bottom of the pool and came to his rescue.

In June of the following year, he had another experience when he fell unconscious. There was no explanation for either of the incidents.

A day or so later, he came home, reached for the front door handle, when to his surprise the door suddenly opened and his mother was standing in the doorway. She threw her arms around him, and with tears streaming down her face, she said the Lord showed her that these things had happened because she wanted him to go to secular college instead of to Bible school. She said, “You can go tomorrow if you want to.”

Well, you may be sure when the session opened in September he was on the front row, and for the remaining 74 years of his life, he faithfully served the Lord as an evangelist, pastor, author, and seminary professor.

Incidentally, my Dad was never unconscious again in his entire life of 89 years. His favorite Bible verse when it came to guidance for life was John 8:12, where Jesus said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” How wonderful to have a God Who personally directs our lives