Our real father

On pp. 228-230 of "Outflow: Outward-Focused Living in a Self-Focused World", one of the authors, Steve Sjogren, shares the story about one of the greatest miracles in his life:

From the earliest days of my childhood, I remember being very connected to my dad. Then came the summer of 1968. The Vietnam conflict was at a fever pitch and two of my cousins were killed in action over there. If that wasn't sad enough, in early July my dad came down with a terrible case of pneumonia he couldn't shake. On his birthday, July 10th, the doctors discovered his pneumonia was really lung cancer that had spread throughout his entire body.

To make a long story tragically short, my dad died precisely five weeks to the day after he was diagnosed, and five weeks after he turned 39. My 12-year-old life shattered in more pieces than I could count. The time leading up to my dad's death was the most devastating thing I had ever gone through.

My dad had always been a clear-headed, hard-charging guy who led a good life morally and ethically. From the age of 25 to his death he'd been a family man working his way up the corporate ladder to become president of a 400-employee company. The only thing that wasn't clear-cut for him was his spiritual life.

At the time I knew next to nothing about God, but in the days leading up to my father's death, I prayed what I discovered later was a miraculously life-changing prayer. I cried and pleaded with God saying, 'Whoever you are, please save my dad.'

Unbeknownst to me an hour away, just west of Wichita, God was answering my prayer. My dad's cousin -- who'd just had a profound spiritual awakening and invited Jesus into his life about a month before -- sensed God telling him to go and share Jesus' love with my dad before he died.

To fully appreciate this story, it's important to realize that my dad had a steady flow of visitors in the hospital each day, and especially on the weekends. This particular Saturday, about four weeks after his diagnosis, he was going downhill fast. His cousin felt God's clear invitation urging him, 'Get up now! Go immediately to the hospital, and I'll give you an opportunity to share your story in a way that will get through.'

He thought, 'This can't be right. It's Saturday and these are prime visiting hours. His room will be filled with people. I'll never get to speak with him in private.' Still, my dad's cousin felt a continuing sense of urgency. The good news is that he answered God's invitation and in doing so became an answer to my prayer (even though I didn't fully understand how until many years later).

Now I'm unspeakably grateful he took that risk and made that long drive to the hospital. And coincidentally (or miraculously -- depending on how you look at it), he got over 90 minutes of uninterrupted time with my dad to tell his story and invite my dad to join him in walking with God. As sick as he was, my dad agreed without hesitation. He prayed a profound and openhearted prayer and asked Jesus to save him.

Sadly, the very next day, the cancer advanced to the point that it affected his brain and he was unable to think or communicate clearly. During the last week of his life, he was either in a stupor due to the cancer or due to the massive amounts of morphine he was being given. The timing of his conversation with my cousin had turned out to be just right.

I didn't get this story from my dad's cousin until years later, but for some reason I was very peaceful in the minutes and hours after getting the news my dad had died. I was relieved that his suffering was over, but more than that, I felt a kind of calming presence around me. I know this sounds a little odd, but as I opened the screen door leading into our house that night, I 'heard' an inner voice speaking to me.

A still and small voice (I would later learn to recognize) was speaking comfort directly to my 12-year-old spirit.

'From now on' the voice said, 'I'll be your Father.' Years later I discovered Psalm 68:5 and underlined the part that explains that God is a 'father to the fatherless.'