Sister Moore

September 29, 2006

By Tony Handy

In the summer between my freshman and sophomore years at Bible college I turned my back on the Lord and began to live for myself. I avoided church at all costs. Church isn’t a whole lot of fun when you are backsliding.

I severed my ties with almost all of my Christian friends and hooked up with a whole new group. I began to play bass guitar in a heavy metal rock band. It was quite a jump from Bible college student to backslidden headbanger.

I knew I had a call of God on my life. I knew God had a plan for me. I knew I was running as fast and hard as I could away from the Lord. I also knew, in my heart of hearts, I was miserable. But nothing seemed to be able to stop me from pursuing this crazy course I was now on.

The Lord was faithful as always. He began to send people to me. I would be walking at the mall and someone from my church would run into me and say, “Tony, we’ve missed you so much. Isn’t it time for you to be heading back to Bible college? You have a call of God on your life you know!” I would quickly and semipolitely inform them I was never going back to Bible college.

I ran into my pastor one day. “Tony,” he said, “you know you have a call of God on your life. You will never be happy doing anything else. You need to get back to Bible college!”

“Thank you very much, pastor, but I’m never going back to Bible college!”

The new school year had started when the phone rang at my apartment. “Hello, Tony. This is North Central Bible College calling. You have a call of God on your life and you really need to get back here.”

“Thank you for your concern, but I’m not coming back to Bible college!”

This was getting old. I knew I was wrong. I knew I was running from the Lord. Yet each truthful and loving admonition caused me to dig in deeper and hold on tighter to the lie I was living.

School had been in session for two weeks and I still had absolutely no intention of returning.

Then it happened! I had accepted an invitation to dinner from Dad. I knew this invitation had a dual purpose to it. I knew what was coming. But I accepted anyway. After dinner, as the dessert arrived, Dad said those famous words: “Tony, don’t you think you should head back to Bible college? You have a call of God on your life!”

“Dad,” I said, “let’s gets this straight once and for all. I am never going back to Bible college, period!”

Understandably Dad looked disappointed. But I finally felt I had driven my point home. Then, without warning, he took a deep breath and spoke those words that struck terror to the very depths of my heart!

“Tony, I called Sister Moore and told her you were not returning to Bible college and … she is praying for you!”

“Who did you call?” I blurted. I had heard him, but was really hoping if I asked him to repeat it, it would somehow change.

“I called Sister Moore,” he said again, “and she is praying for you.”

Oh no, I screamed to myself, not 82-year-old Sister Moore! The Sister Moore who, when she prayed, God looked down from Heaven and said, “What do you want? Name it! It’s yours!” Not that Sister Moore, maybe there was another one? No, I found out, it was that Sister Moore.

“Don’t you love me?” I said to Dad. “I am never, never, ever going back to Bible college, and I mean NEVER!”

Two weeks later, I was back in Bible college!

Twenty-five years later, I say now from the bottom of my heart, “Thank You, Lord, for Sister Moore.” She literally prayed me, kicking and screaming, back to Bible college. The repentance and rededication followed quickly, but God knew that if I didn’t get back to Bible college right away, I never would get back at all! He knew what was really at stake.

That year at Bible college, the year I wasn’t going to go back, I met and married my wife, Denise. That year, our evangelistic ministry we have presented across the country for well over 20 years began. Thank You, Jesus, for Sister Moore!

How did Sister Moore get to be so powerful? I’ve heard a lot of Christian talk about power, but Sister Moore delivered. Sister Moore began praying as a young woman and became a prayer warrior many years before she ever needed to pray for me. And I am so glad she did!

Oh, and by the way, there was a Brother Moore too. And he was just as powerful!

What are the lessons of this story? God gives real power to those who pay the price. He is looking for those with a life of devotion. We must cultivate a prayer life with the Lord now because there will be people in crisis who need our prayers and God’s help. People like me.

Tony Handy is an Assemblies of God evangelist specializing in gospel drama. He has written nearly 200 plays, sketches and illustrated sermons.