This is a letter from Gerald Davis. His father, R.L. Davis, pastored in El Cajon, California and had a tremendous influence on my life when I was 20 years old.
For My Dear Friend and Pastor Cleddie,
Concerning my father's death in February 1972, the following experience happened to me in July of 1972…
I had never known grief until this. I thought my dad was the finest man that ever walked the earth. I was age 33. We buried him in a cemetery about a mile from where I lived. When I had to pass the cemetery, I lost it, and I was no good for business the remainder of the day. I could not get control of the grief.
Five months later, on a Sunday morning at about 4:00, I was awakened, floating in midair. I was moving over the beach, going out over the ocean. Someone was holding my left elbow. I felt such love, I thought it was Thelma, my wife. Immediately, I knew she couldn't do this. It was the Lord. When I asked him where we were going, he just said, "You will see."
We were caught up into the upper heavens where we entered a cloudy like vacuum. After a short time, we came down onto a grassy slope. We stopped outside an unending fence-like structure. The vertical bars were set about 8 inches apart. On the other side there were 6 men jogging toward me, coming out of a great light behind them. I recognized the one in the front was my father. He immediately recognized me and broke into a hard run as he yelled my name. I wanted to ask him about some matters on earth, had I known he was leaving. He only wanted to tell me about the "beauty of this place." It seemed that we talked about 20 minutes when one of the angels with him laid his hand on my father's shoulder and said, "RL, we need to go back now." My dad reached through the bars and caught my elbows as he looked into my eyes. His words were, "Son, just keep doing what you are doing, it won't be long, and we will all be together again." He then turned and shouted "Hallelujah," and began jogging back to that beautiful light with those angels.
I fell on the ground and began begging him to let me go with him. The Lord, who had been standing to my right, laid his hand on my middle back and instantly I was back on my feet. He said these words to me; "Gerald, you know that is not how you get in here. Your time is not yet." I felt something come out of my chest, like a vapor, and drift away.
We turned and started back into the upper space toward earth. When I woke, I was lying on my back with my ears full of tears. My entire body felt like the circulation had been cut off and was coming back to life. "Whether in the body, or out of the body, I can't tell." Quoting Paul from the scriptures.
That following week, I had occasion to go past the cemetery. The grief was gone!! I drove out to the burial site and never shed a tear. That is what came out of my chest at the gates following my visit. The lord healed me of that awful grief.
My thoughts: Grief is a natural emotion, but it will rob you of your joy, which is where our strength lies, if not brought under control. Grief can become an evil spirit. It must be brought under control, or Satan can rob you of a victorious life.
Concerning my father's death in February 1972, the following experience happened to me in July of 1972…
I had never known grief until this. I thought my dad was the finest man that ever walked the earth. I was age 33. We buried him in a cemetery about a mile from where I lived. When I had to pass the cemetery, I lost it, and I was no good for business the remainder of the day. I could not get control of the grief.
Five months later, on a Sunday morning at about 4:00, I was awakened, floating in midair. I was moving over the beach, going out over the ocean. Someone was holding my left elbow. I felt such love, I thought it was Thelma, my wife. Immediately, I knew she couldn't do this. It was the Lord. When I asked him where we were going, he just said, "You will see."
We were caught up into the upper heavens where we entered a cloudy like vacuum. After a short time, we came down onto a grassy slope. We stopped outside an unending fence-like structure. The vertical bars were set about 8 inches apart. On the other side there were 6 men jogging toward me, coming out of a great light behind them. I recognized the one in the front was my father. He immediately recognized me and broke into a hard run as he yelled my name. I wanted to ask him about some matters on earth, had I known he was leaving. He only wanted to tell me about the "beauty of this place." It seemed that we talked about 20 minutes when one of the angels with him laid his hand on my father's shoulder and said, "RL, we need to go back now." My dad reached through the bars and caught my elbows as he looked into my eyes. His words were, "Son, just keep doing what you are doing, it won't be long, and we will all be together again." He then turned and shouted "Hallelujah," and began jogging back to that beautiful light with those angels.
I fell on the ground and began begging him to let me go with him. The Lord, who had been standing to my right, laid his hand on my middle back and instantly I was back on my feet. He said these words to me; "Gerald, you know that is not how you get in here. Your time is not yet." I felt something come out of my chest, like a vapor, and drift away.
We turned and started back into the upper space toward earth. When I woke, I was lying on my back with my ears full of tears. My entire body felt like the circulation had been cut off and was coming back to life. "Whether in the body, or out of the body, I can't tell." Quoting Paul from the scriptures.
That following week, I had occasion to go past the cemetery. The grief was gone!! I drove out to the burial site and never shed a tear. That is what came out of my chest at the gates following my visit. The lord healed me of that awful grief.
My thoughts: Grief is a natural emotion, but it will rob you of your joy, which is where our strength lies, if not brought under control. Grief can become an evil spirit. It must be brought under control, or Satan can rob you of a victorious life.
I ONCE AGAIN FELT THE PROVIDENTIAL NUDGE TO SEND THIS OUT TO YOU THIS WEEK. I HAVE ASKED SOME OF THE MEN WHO HAVE HAD INFLUENCE ON MY LIFE TO SHARE THEIR PROVIDENTIAL EXPERIENCES WITH ME FOR THE BOOK THAT IS BEING COMPILED. IT COULD BE YOU NEEDED TO HEAR THIS COMFORTING STORY OF GOD'S GRACE IN GRIEF.
Providentially Yours,
Pastor Cleddie Keith
Providentially Yours,
Pastor Cleddie Keith