Midnight Inspiration

When I was in high school, I was up late one Saturday night worrying about my future. I knew I wanted to go to an Adventist college, but I didn’t know what to study or what God was calling me to do. I really wanted to be an attorney or an engineer, but for some reason those options did not feel right. Did God have something else planned for my life?

As I went to bed that night, I asked the Lord to guide and direct me and asked Him to show me what career path I should take. I told Him I would do anything, except be a pastor. After falling asleep, I was awoken by the sound of footsteps inside my house. I heard doors opening and closing and I immediately thought it was a thief. The noises started down the hallway but were getting louder and closer to me. I heard the door to my parent’s room open and close, then I heard footsteps outside my room. I pulled my blanket over my head and heard my door open. 

I tried to get up, but I could not move. As I peeked over my blanket, I saw a tall, white image that filled my room. There was no making out what it was but it did not have a face and when I tried to speak to it, I could not talk. The image then walked over to me, knelt down, then took my hand and started silently praying. As it was praying for me, peace and stillness filled my soul. I was not scared anymore and instead I started to pray a simple prayer, “Lord, I will go wherever you lead me.”

Suddenly, without a word, it stood up, took one last glance at me and left my room. I then jumped out of bed and fell to my knees and prayed again. For the rest of the night, I could not sleep. I thought I had dreamed the entire thing. The next day, I asked my parents if they had heard any footsteps or noises the night before but they had not heard anything.

After that night, I drew closer to God. I started studying the bible diligently and I prayed earnestly every day. I also got involved in church and when I finally graduated from high school I was excited to go to Southwestern Union College. While there, I studied theology but I still had my doubts about being a pastor; perhaps you could have called me a modern-day Jonah. And just like Jonah’s in that story, God never stopped nudging me. 

The incident of feeling an angel’s presence in my room always replayed in my mind. I also remembered the prayer I said that night, “Lord I will go wherever you lead me.”

I have served the Lord as a pastor for more than 30 years, and can truly testify to what Isaiah 55:8-9 tells us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” God’s ways are definitely better than ours and He knows the end from the beginning, even when we just see a small part of the now.

By Lee-Roy Chacon, President