GOD TALKING

“God told me.” For most of my adult life I found that phrase to be incomprehensible. How did you know it was God? How can I get into that direct dial service you seem to have? Although I had seen God work through the actions of others, I had never received any direct message from him. All that changed on Dec. 13, 1993.

The 13th of December started out as one of the most joyous days in the lives of my wife Patty and me. Our firstborn, Bethany Ann, arrived shortly after midnight. Having had a few setbacks on the road to our daughter's birth, we were even more appreciative. Just before I got into bed, I knelt down and began thanking God for the wonderful gift. Then, seemingly out of nowhere came the voice, the message – “two boys.”

After having watched Patty go through labor, more kids was the last thing on my mind! Startled, I raised my head and looked around, but there was no one to be seen. I stopped the prayer with a quick “thanks, God” and went to bed. I have always been skeptical of those making the “God told me” claim, but now I had been touched, and there was no denying it. But telling my wife she was supposed to have two boys? No way. And if I wasn’t telling my best friend, I wasn’t telling anyone. Besides, they’d think I'd gone bonkers. So, I told no one what I had experienced.

In the fall of 1995 we had a boy, Robert Michael. Half the plan achieved, I thought to myself. Then a surprise, at least to me, as our daughter Melanie Jane arrived in 1998. Shortly thereafter, Patty informed me that three children was enough. Even then I didn’t tell her about God’s message to me.

In the fall of 1999, Patty told me she was pregnant. She was a bit apprehensive. After six years of holding the “two boys” secret, I told her what God had told me; I was sure this would be another boy. I give her a lot of credit; she didn't think I was crazy, at least not when it came to my spiritual experience. We didn't even think about girls’ names. In the spring of 2000, our second boy, Matthew David, arrived.

I don’t know why God felt compelled to give me that particular message on that wonderful day in 1993. I may never hear another one again. No matter – I believe.

— Dave Shields

Courtesy of The Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist