by Lea Sims
Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it… (Jonah 1:2)
Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it… (Jonah 3:2)
“Did you catch it? God says the same thing to Jonah in chapter three as he had said to him in chapter one! He could have chastised Jonah, kicked him to the curb, told him he blew it, or given Jonah’s task to someone else. But what does God say? Go to Nineveh. Despite all that had transpired between the first command and the second, God’s call on Jonah’s life had not changed!”
Jason was pacing excitedly now, his voice rising with passion and enthusiasm. “Oh Church, can’t you see how powerful this is? The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 11:29 that ‘the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.’ This means no time spent in disobedience, no time spent adrift and shipwrecked out there in the world, and no time spent in the rock-bottom belly of the whale can ever compel God to erase you from his plans! You have a call and a purpose! He has a plan for your life!”
Delaney’s heart was ablaze, her hands shaking and tears overflowing. She’d given up three tissues ago trying to wipe them from her face. She could not stop shaking her head in wonder. Jason may have been the one preaching this message, but God was the one speaking to her.
“So as the worship team makes their way back to the platform, I want to offer you this. Every one of us has been where Jonah was in this story. Some of you may be there right now. Maybe you’ve been fleeing from God or maybe you’ve been out to sea too long. Or maybe you’ve just been vomited up by the whale of your own sins and you’re sitting on the shoreline dazed and confused. No matter where you are today, I want to invite you to cry out to God as Jonah did.”
Drew, Abby and the rest of the worship team climbed silently to the platform. Drew picked up his guitar, walked to the microphone and began to play quietly as Jason continued his call to the altar.
“As we resume our worship, we’re going to open up the altar for you to come forward. If this message resonated with you—if you’ve been far from God and you’re ready to pray a Jonah prayer—then I want to invite you to come down to this altar as we worship. Our prayer team will be down here to receive you and pray with you. But don’t let this moment pass you by…come.” Jason nodded to Drew, who inched closer to the microphone and began to sing.
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I am surrounded
By the arms of the father
I am surrounded
By songs of deliverance
We’ve been liberated
From our bondage
We’re the sons and the daughters
Let us sing our freedom
Drew had been singing those lines with his eyes closed, focused on worship and not paying attention to the activity at the altar. But when he got to that last line, he opened his eyes and glanced down at the foot of the platform, where a few people had come forward for prayer. His eyes slid up the center aisle to the sound booth and then jerked back again to the aisle. His heart turned upside down. He was momentarily so stunned that he completely stopped singing. Thankfully, the rest of the worship team kept going.
Delaney was here. And she was walking down the aisle to the altar.
“The man or woman who is wholly or joyously surrendered to Christ can’t make a wrong choice—any choice will be the right one.”
—AW Tozer
When Pastor Jason issued the invitation and the worship team began singing, Delaney moved quietly out of the back row and paused for a moment in the very back of the church. Her heart was so full of longing that she stood rooted to the floor, her eyes sweeping the room, taking it all in. She was about to make her presence known to the two people in the room who had loved her, supported her and prayed her to this moment. There would be no turning back. Drew was wrapping them all in the anointed gifting of his beautiful voice, and she could see Claire at the front of the room praying with an older woman.
Thank you, God, for bringing them into my life. I love them both so much, I can barely breathe. Help me to be worthy of their love and prayers.
With tears streaming and joy overflowing from her heart, she took the walk down the aisle. She kept her eyes on Claire because she knew if she looked at Drew, she would probably break down. It was also important that her intentions were rightly interpreted. She was not walking down the aisle to Drew, though the thought of one day walking down the aisle to him filled her with aching hope.
Today, however, she was walking down the aisle to the love of her life…God. So, keeping her eyes straight ahead, she walked slowly toward the platform.
Claire had concluded her prayer with Evelyn, a recently widowed woman and friend, when she heard Drew stumble over his words and suddenly stop singing. She turned and looked upward behind her to where he was standing on the platform. She would remember the look on his face for all of her days to come. His eyes glistened with welling tears and he stared agape down the aisle, an unmasked mingle of surprise, joy, and love on his face. She followed his gaze to the point of his fixation—Delaney. Their beautiful girl was coming down the aisle, her face marked by tears and the unmistakable glow of surrender.
Seeing Claire now standing alone, Delaney turned to walk straight toward her. Their eyes met briefly, the love of each for the other communicated immediately. But when Delaney was finally in front of Claire, she dropped to her knees and began weeping. She was suddenly overcome with the magnitude of what she was doing. The pain of her past, sorrow for the sinful choices of her life, gratitude for all God had done to rescue her—all of it poured out of her in that moment.
Claire knelt down in front of her, a hand on each shoulder, praying over her, tears now rolling down her own cheeks. Oh, Elizabeth, I pray you are watching. Your girl has come home, precious friend. Delaney rededicated her life to Christ in the midst of that prayer, repeating the words of confession Claire was speaking over her and asking him to be Lord of her life once more. She had done this once as a young girl, but this time, she understood what she was saying yes to. She had no intention of ever turning back. God would be first in her life as of this day and for all her days.
She felt a hand laid gently on her back and heard a woman’s voice praying softly behind her. It was Bethany. She had come forward when she realized who Claire was praying over. What Delaney could not see was that she was now the only one at the altar, the others being prayed for having returned to their seats. She could not see the arms that had been raised, hands extended toward her, by people all across the room, who were standing in agreement with the prayers being prayed over her. She couldn’t see the tears flowing down Drew’s cheeks or the ones shimmering in the eyes of Jason, Abby and so many others who had been praying for Drew and for her since their painful parting in July.
Suddenly, there was a collective gasp around the room and then chuckles and murmurs of laughter, as all eyes turned to see a black object trotting down the aisle. Rogue had found her way up the stairs and was wagging her way toward the front of the room. She spotted Delaney at the altar and made a bee line for her.
Delaney felt Rogue’s cold nose nudge its way under her arm, and she lifted her arm startled to find her dog’s shiny black head pushing upward to lick her face, her wiggling body pressed up against her. She stood up suddenly in a panic, eyes flying around the room. Good Lord, my dog is in the sanctuary. She turned to Claire, who was laughing along with the crowd and was now bent over petting Rogue and kissing her on the nose. Delaney then turned wide-eyed to Pastor Jason. He was trying to hide his huge grin, shoulders shaking, as he walked forward to the center of the floor, the worship team now finishing the last line of the chorus.
“Pastor Jason,” she said in a mortified whisper as he stepped closer and the music died down. “I am so sorry! I left her in
Claire’s office. I have no idea how she got out!” She grabbed Rogue’s collar and started to tug her away, but Jason put his hand on her arm to stop her.
“Probably the fact that none of our doors close all the way unless you lock them,” he answered her with a smile. He waved his hand across the ceiling. “Besides, this is a firehouse. Seems appropriate we’d have a firehouse dog here.” Everyone laughed and applauded that statement, a few people whistling in approval. This moment would be talked about for years to come and would become a well-loved Refresh Station story—the day Delaney and Rogue came to the altar.
Jason looked down at her with a tender, pastoral smile. “It’s great to see you again, Delaney. Did you give your heart to Christ today?”
“No,” she replied with a shy smile.
Jason’s smile began to fade, replaced by confusion. “No?”
She shook her head slowly, a fresh wave of tears stinging her eyes. “I gave my life to him.”
That answer earned her a huge cheer from everyone in the room, and both Bethany and Claire hugged her close. Delaney stole a glance up at Drew and finally met his gaze. She had come home today deeply uncertain of what his reception would be. Despite Lexie’s assurance that Drew would welcome her with open arms, she couldn’t imagine him doing so, not after everything she’d told him their last night together. She knew he would be polite and gracious, but she felt certain any door to a relationship with him was probably closed.
But the look he was giving her now wiped away those doubts. His beautiful eyes were filled with so much love it took her breath away. She smiled softly back up at him, her heart full of gratitude.
“Okay, friends,” Jason said, turning to the congregation. “Let’s close in prayer and head downstairs for lunch. We have a lot to celebrate today.”
Delaney tugged Rogue over to the end of the first row, stood next to Claire, and bowed her head again as Jason closed the service.
“Oh Lord, we lift our hearts and hands to you this morning with gratitude. You’ve called us each by name, adopted us into your family, and gathered us here in your House. How blessed are we that you love us this much! There is no place we would rather be. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for your presence here today, for drawing precious friends to this altar and back to the Father. We rejoice with all of heaven this morning for those who had the courage to come home, the faith to bring their needs to your altar, and the peace you’ve given them in exchange. Fill them in the days to come with joy and purpose. We love you and we are so grateful. We give you glory, honor and praise for all that you are and all that you’ve done. In Jesus’ name…Amen.”
There was a wave of hearty assent and the worship team began to play again while people filed out of their seats, laughing and hugging each other as they moved to the stairwell. Claire turned to Delaney and drew her into a long embrace. “I know your Aunt Beth is rejoicing in heaven, sweet girl,” she whispered in her ear. “She prayed for this day for a very long time, you know.”
“I know,” Delaney nodded, voice cracking with emotion. “I want my life to honor her. I couldn’t tell her with my words, but I want to show her with my life that her prayers were not in vain.” They smiled tearfully at each other and hugged again.
Suddenly, Delaney found herself surrounded by people who had come to hug and congratulate her. Bethany came again to give her a squeeze. Jason and Lisa came over to welcome her back. Even Bryan had come out from the media booth, where he had been running tech, to give her a big bear hug. But her eyes kept darting up to Drew, who was wrapping up the last song and watching her intently. He had not taken his eyes off her since the moment he’d seen her come down the aisle.
Claire had already taken note of those glances and leaned in to whisper in Delaney’s ear. “I’m going to take Rogue downstairs with me. I’m assuming her leash is in my office?” Delaney nodded. “You and Drew need some time alone.” She chuckled happily, marveling at the intensity of Drew’s gaze and the sparks between he and Delaney that months apart had done nothing to diminish. She called to Rogue to come with her, and the dog gladly followed, leaving Delaney alone at the front of the room.
When the song was over, Drew turned, took off his guitar, and gently placed it on its stand. He looked at Abby, who nodded with a smile and waved for him to go on, telling him without words that he didn’t need to hang around for breakdown. He didn’t hesitate or question it. He turned on his heel, walked down the stairs and over to Delaney. And just as he’d done in the park all those months ago, he simply reached down, grabbed her hand, and tugged on her to follow him.
He led her through the doorway to the right of the platform and down the back stairwell. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, he reached up to engage the locking mechanism on the swing arm of the stairwell door.
“Am I in trouble?” she joked softly, her expression curious but amused. But her heart was pounding wildly in her chest. It was all she could do not to throw her arms around his neck and shower his beautiful face with all the tender kisses she’d promised herself would only ever be for Drew if God saw fit to give him back to her.
But Drew did not smile or laugh. His expression was serious, his amber gaze penetrating. He was looking at her so intensely that for a moment her confidence faltered. Perhaps he was angry with her after all.
“I love you, Delaney.”
She inhaled swiftly in surprise, tears jumping to her eyes at his unexpected declaration. “You do?” she asked achingly. “Despite what I said…what I’ve done?”
His gaze was tender, and he reached down to hold both of her hands. “I told myself that if this moment ever came, it would be the first thing I said to you.” He gave her an amused smile. “I really wanted to tell you every time I left a message on your phone and when I sent you the note in the Bible. But I had to hold onto those words until God gave me permission to say them.”
She stepped closer to him and reached up to put her hand on the side of his face, her eyes searching his. “And when did God do that?”
“When you put your knees to the floor at the altar today,” he said, voice thick with emotion. The sight of her on her knees, weeping and giving her life back to God, would be etched on his heart for the rest of his life. “And I meant what I said in the note, Delaney. I could never hold your past against you. It tore my heart out to hear the pain in your words. All I ever wanted to do was to take that pain from you.”
“You did…the day you sent me this Bible.” She pointed behind her to where she had set it down on the stairs. “I’m not sure I could ever tell you or show you what that gift meant to me, Drew. I didn’t want to read it at first, but I was drawn to it over and over again. I began to read it, and God met me there, just like you said he would.”
He looked down into her teary blue eyes, gazing up so earnestly at him, and his heart flip-flopped again in his chest. He wondered if there would ever come a day that he’d get used to the effect her eyes had on his heart. He hoped not.
Putting his hands to her waist, he pulled her gently to him and bent his head to kiss her, but she put a hand to his lips to stop him. He smiled against her fingers, eyebrows raised in question. “Before you kiss me and I lose any grasp on coherent thought whatsoever,” she said, “there’s something I need to say to you.”
He stepped back, smiling in curiosity. “Okay, but just know that I am going to kiss you.” He leaned back casually against the wall of the stairwell and crossed his arms over his chest. “When you’re done.”
His words had the effect on her he hoped they’d have. She blushed prettily and her cheeks hurt from smiling back at him, but she was not going to be deterred. She exhaled and looked down at the floor for a long moment, gathering her thoughts.
“I love you,” she whispered, trying to say it without weeping because she’d been holding it in her heart since that day in the park when he was sitting under the tree with Rogue. She loo
ked up at him to gauge his reaction to her statement. He had the glisten of tears in his warm gaze, but he kept his arms crossed and stayed against the wall.
“I’ve known it for a while…I knew it before I even left here in July,” she continued, “but it would have been wrong to say it to you. I was in no position to offer love to anyone or ask for it in return, least of all from you.” He pushed away from the wall at that statement and started to protest, but she pushed back on him gently. “No, Drew…please, let me finish.” He reluctantly leaned back again.
She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling. Her heart was so full of things she wanted to say. It was hard to know which ones to say first. “I can look back now and see God’s hand in everything that’s happened in the last four months. I know he brought me down to Savannah to reconnect with Claire, to meet you, to come to Refresh, to finally have the courage to tell someone about my abuse, to come to the sanctuary, to meet Sasha, to come to the family weekend and see first-hand what I was truly missing in my life…so many things. I could go on and on. I know that all of those things were orchestrated by him for me. They are undeniable.”
Looking him in the eye, she said with conviction, “I need you to know that I’ve spent the last few months sifting through my life, reading this Bible, and listening for God’s voice. I have not gone back to my old life, Drew.”
“I know that, beautiful.”
Her eyebrows flew up in surprise. “You do? How do you know that?”
He chuckled softly, rolling his eyes upward toward the ceiling. “Well…this powerhouse brunette—who scares me a little, I’m not going to lie—came down from New York and grilled me about what we had done to you down here. She went out of her way to tell me that you were now lugging a Bible around everywhere and refusing to go to clubs with her.”