Introduction
Scott's hopes were crushed. God had given him the bride he'd prayed for, but now he faced 8 years in prison. The unbearable weight of his sentence led to an irrational escape attempt, landing him another 15 years. But God answered Scott's prayers again; caring for his wife, providing for his family's needs, and giving him strength to endure.Scott's true story is another featured testimony from you, the members and visitors of this site. Each story reveals a life transformed by Christian faith. If your relationship with God has made a significant difference in your life, we would like to hear about it. Submit your testimony by filling out this Submission Form.
Scott's Prayer - From Apparent Defeat to Awesome Victory
Late one evening in 1997, after having been incarcerated for two years, I prayed earnestly for a godly wife. I remember being overwhelmed almost immediately with a clear answer from God. I don't know how to explain it, but I knew intuitively that God had a wife already picked out and that she would be a missionary. This "knowing" was so strong. I was overwhelmed with joy and thankfulness, but also surprised, because I had never considered doing missions.Two years later I met Crystal. However, by then I had begun living a life of compromise. She was not looking for a godly person and I, unfortunately, was not either. During our first months together I told her that God had shown me that my wife was to be a missionary. She later became pregnant and I proposed. We eventually married and our life increasingly became more ungodly. By the time our daughter was 18 months old, I was arrested for Felony Driving without a License and Possession of Marijuana.
It was in jail that God again got my attention. My probation was being violated and the fear that I might be returned to prison and lose my wife and daughter was crippling. I remember trying to get the jail's psyche doctor to give me medication that would "put me out of it." He refused.
Completely Broken
During the next days, God was speaking to me, giving me the opportunity to return to Him. I was completely broken and had nowhere to turn, except to Him. I made the decision to turn from sin and began praying that God would keep my family together.After 23 days, I was released on bond. I was so thankful because we had been told that I probably would not get a bond on a felony violation of probation.
I had also been praying that God would lead us to a church - I had to go! One year prior, we had been invited to a service at Calvary Chapel on a Sunday night. I remembered this, and together Crystal and I decided we would go back on the next Sunday. When we got there, we were told right away that if we wanted our daughter to sit with us, we would have to sit in a room in the back of the auditorium, called the Family Room.
That didn't bother me much, but Crystal didn't like this at all. It seemed that for the first ten minutes she was becoming angrier and angrier. I was secretly praying that God would speak to her heart.
The Family Room
The pastor began his message, and it was about "church hopping." After preaching for a few minutes he stopped and said he wanted to talk about an element of Calvary Chapel that he knew some people had a problem with - the Family Room! He began saying that Satan would do anything he could to keep people out of a godly church, and that parents with young children who were asked to sit in the Family Room (and consequently become dissatisfied) were an example of how Satan goes about his task of robbing people from God's intended home for them. As he was speaking I sensed the awesome presence of the Holy Spirit confirming that I was where I belonged. I then looked at my wife, and I could see a change in her countenance - the anger was gone - God was speaking to her.From that day on, we were at Calvary every Sunday and Wednesday. Less than three months later I began fellowshipping with "Men in the Word," and volunteered for "Men of Arms" outings, and together, my wife and I signed up to be servers during the Angel Tree Christmas Outreach (to children of prisoners). Having been a prisoner from age 20 to almost 25, I could hardly endure Angel Tree without crying. It was at that event that I first worshipped with the band "Barnabas."
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