John 3:16……Jeremiah 1:5
We are all involved in living our lives day to day with little thought about how we actually came to be where we are. Every life is a saga. It is made up of a multiplicity of events spread out over the years which culminate in the life which we know. When asked, many people would say that if they had their life to live over again, they would change a lot of things. Others would say that there are some things they would change but that, on the whole, their life was pretty good. There are many levels of events and happenings which would cause one to make either one of these statements.
Often, I ask people what was the seminal, or most important, moment in their entire time on earth. I find that most people have never really thought about that aspect of life. There is the scratching of the head and with eyes which drop to the ground they say something like this: “Well, I don’t really know. I guess I never thought about it before. I guess it was when I got married.” Rarely ever do
I get an answer which is definitive and which states the Greatest Moment in a “without a doubt” way. I would encourage everyone to think on their life and try to pinpoint that Greatest Moment. It will help add some definition to the life you have lived.
It might be that the day you got married would be that moment for you. The time when you looked your future mate in the eyes and repeated those life-changing vows might be your Greatest Moment. Or, the birth of your first child could possibly be the moment you would describe as the greatest moment of your life. Everyone remembers the moment that the doctor emerged from the delivery room smiling broadly and announced the birth of your first child. It is an astounding time in the life of a person. The certainty of the situation is that for every such moment, you were probably reacting to a person and the experience that moment brought to both of you. The ultimate importance of such times in our lives is usually “marked down” and never forgotten. I have many of those kinds of experiences in my own life. They are precious. They can’t be repeated. They will never go away.
But, there is one very special time that changed everything about my life. My future was in the balance at that particular moment and the results of that Greatest Moment changed everything. It was not a physical or social moment. It was a spiritual moment and it was more powerful and far-reaching than any other moment that I consider precious in my life. In fact, this moment changed what I considered to be precious. It reoriented me in a “flicker” of time which would influence all the other events in my life. It was truly my “Greatest Moment.”
It was a Friday night in Tifton, Georgia. The Fall revival at First Baptist Church was underway with an evangelist from Texas. I don’t recall his name but I have never forgotten what happened on that Friday evening. My mother had informed me that I would go to the revival that night even though, as a twelve-year old kid, there were other more important things I wanted to do. But, I went because my mother said I would. I didn’t know it but my whole life rested on my obedience to my mother.
I was sitting in the balcony at First Baptist on that evening. My major purpose was to go and see my friends. We would have a good time up there in that balcony and I was ready for that! I was going to giggle, write notes and flirt with the girls. Or so I thought! Somewhere in the “fourth quarter” of that sermon, something happened. Suddenly, I wasn’t having the kind of good time I thought the night would bring. I found myself “tuned in” to that preacher from Texas. What he was saying was penetrating me. It was uncomfortable but captivating.
He was a good preacher but that wasn’t it. There was something different about the way I felt and reacted to his message.
The time came for our preacher to end his sermon and for the most important time of the whole service. It was time to call for those who wanted to give their hearts to Jesus, be saved and become a Christian. This was the last thing on my mind when I left home to attend that Friday evening revival service. But….God had a plan I didn’t know one thing about. Suddenly, the Holy Spirit spoke to me. I didn’t understand what was happening at all. But, His voice was clear to me. Someone asked me one time if I heard His voice audibly. I said no, it was louder than that. He spoke to my spirit. It was very clear and authoritative. He said: “Bill, I want you to be a Christian and I want you to go down those stairs over there and walk out on the platform. Go to the preacher and tell him that you want to give your heart to Jesus.” I said in return: “I will go down but I’m not going down those stairs onto the platform. Everyone will see me. I will go down in the little foyer and walk the aisle like everyone else but I ain’t going down those stairs.” The Lord’s spirit affirmed that I was going to do as He said. Guess who won that battle? I walked down those stairs onto the platform, went to the preacher and told him that I wanted to give my heart to Jesus. He baptized me the next Sunday morning.
So, my Greatest Moment was when I was saved standing in the balcony of First Baptist Church in Tifton, GA. I didn’t understand all the ramifications at the moment. How could I? But, at every turn of my life, that moment when I was saved has influenced me. I probably would not have married the person I married if it had not been for that moment. I would not have placed the proper value and significance on the birth of my children if not for that Greatest Moment in that balcony. I would not have become a Pastor with out it. I could not have preached the Gospel for fifty years if not for that Greatest Moment. And, I could not be expecting that I would be with God in Heaven one day if not for that instant in time. I remember every detail of my Greatest Moment. It is sealed in my memory never to go away or be supplanted by any other moment.
I dearly love my wife and cherish the time we have been married (God smiled on me). I treasure the birth of our children. I thank God for calling me to preach the Word. I am still amazed at His calling me and trusting me with being the Pastor of His people. All the other “high” moments of my life stand in line behind the moment I gave my heart to Jesus and committed my life to Him right there in that balcony. It was and is My Greatest Moment.
8-24-2024…Wm F.Harrell
