Gò0dNews from the Pastor’s Desk
Our Dad Who Art In Heaven… by Joshua Bowles
I
grew up in church, born and raised in a Pentecostal home,
out of my heart from the throne of God. It wasn’t me singing
hearing the word of God preached long before I knew who
to my baby. It was the Lord singing over me. In that very
God was. I slept under pews, played in Sunday school
personal and private song, the Lord reminded me how much
rooms, and sat behind the pulpit watching my parents clean
He loved me. He reminded me that He was our Father and
the church on Saturday nights.
He cared for us all. It was there, looking at a little baby boy,
At 8 years of age, I made a profession of faith, was born again, and had a very real encounter with the Holy Spirit. I would lay hands on the sick and pray for them. I would stand on an old tree stump in my grandmother’s backyard and
now silent, now sleeping, that I saw my Father holding me in His arms. He was my kind and precious Heavenly Father. My second little boy was diagnosed with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). This was not a momentary bout
preach to the pigeons. Many times, the birds would flock around that stump, as if they had been drawn there by the anointing on my preaching. (I found out later that my grandmother had thrown out birdseed in the yard.) My parents still have pictures of me holding toy blocks in my hands and using them as makeshift microphones to preach with. I knew the Lord, and He knew me. But it was only after growing up, getting married, and having my own children that I saw God in a new way. I saw Him as a dad. One evening, as new parents, our first little baby began to cry, and nothing we tried seemed to bring him solace. The crying became screaming. Our aggravation became fear. What was wrong with him? Was he sick? Should we take him to the doctor? What do we
with colic. This was a situation of life and death. Just after
do? Being a new parent is scary enough, but this only added
his birth, he almost died. We stood and watched him suffer
to our distress.
as doctors did everything they knew how to do. I remember
In a moment of panic, I took him from my wife’s arms
thinking, “I would change places with him in an instant if I
and carried him into the bathroom. There, in the small en
could!” That’s when the Lord spoke to me. “You don’t have
suite, I turned on the exhaust fan, the shower, and the sink
to,” He said. “I already did!”
in hopes of drowning out the noise of his screaming and my
Jesus came and took our place. He carried our griefs. He
crying. I didn’t know what to do. In desperation, I prayed. I
bore our sicknesses and our sins! He did it. He came to give
sat on the floor, leaning against the closed bathroom door. I
His children life! I watched the Lord move in my son’s body.
began to weep and pray, “Dear God, please, help us. I don’t
I watched doctors do their part and Jesus do the rest! My son
know what to do. My heart is broken for my son. I love him
lived because the Son of God chose to die. Today, no matter
and something is wrong. Dear Lord please, we need you.
if it’s big or small, colic or cancer, you have a Heavenly
Touch my baby. Heal him. He’s my little boy. I can’t stand to
Father who cares for you. He loves you. And He has done,
see him like this. Please, Lord, please move!”
and will do, anything His children need Him to do. We only
With tears rolling down my face, I began to sing. It was a lullaby that I had never heard before. It was bubbling up
6 // March 2020
need ask Him, trust Him, and wait for Him. He really is a good, good Father.
