LEROY

LEROY

Our flight was delayed an hour and a half at the Dallas airport, so we wouldn’t arrive home until after midnight. We decided to venture around the concourse to find something to eat. We had Dickies BBQ on the way out a few days before. Not in the mood for Dickies again, the only other option in sight was the Mexican restaurant. Eureka!

Not long after we were seated, a distraught man sat at the table near us. I was oblivious as I looked over the menu, but seeing his upset, Marty offered him the use of his phone charger cable. He told us, while still cussing, that his flight was canceled and his phone was dead. He didn’t have his luggage, and the airline wasn’t being cooperative to help him with lodging or anything else. He thanked Marty for his generosity and introduced himself. His name was Leroy.

As soon as we were served, we bowed our heads to give thanks for our trip, our family, and our meal. The man started to say something but stopped when he saw and heard us praying. Afterward, he asked, “Are you believers?” and we said, “Yes, we are”. He said, “You rarely see people pray in public like you just did. That’s how it should be.” Then he told his story.

An acquaintance of his, whom he only met once, was in a serious accident and was paralyzed. The man lived in Montana, but Leroy, who described himself as 39 years old and a real chewing, spitting, cussing cowboy with a relationship with Jesus Christ, lives in Texas. He said God was nudging him firmly to go and see this man and clean his barn, and nothing would stop him from doing it! He said flying out to Montana to clean an almost stranger’s barn sounds ridiculous, but he learned that when God tells you to do something, you do it.

He said quite a while back, while working the ranch, he got on his knees and cussed the Lord out in prayer because they needed rain so badly, and God hadn’t provided. He said he likes to track the weather via satellite, and there was no moisture in the forecast. Leroy said it was terrible and he wasn’t speaking about the weather. He was speaking about his words to God out of frustration, fear, and lack of faith.

Then Leroy got very animated as he told what happened next. His phone was charged enough by now, so he wanted to show us some satellite photos he took screenshots of that day. He commented he had shown the photos to many people, but the devil kept trying to keep him from doing it by hiding them, so he saved them in 7 different locations on his phone. That sounds familiar. Haha

The first satellite photo showed a screen with three small areas receiving moisture on the outskirts of his ranch. Within hours of his conversation with God, his ranch received rain. Look at the screenshot he saw then—a perfect cross to designate the rain falling over the exact ranch area where he prayed on his knees. He tearfully said he knew then what real faith was and how God will provide for our needs when we reach out to Him and ask.

He said he wasn’t a churchgoer because all the ones he had been to talked about giving money, and he noticed the ones who gave the most were given special treatment. I told him churches have to preach about giving and tithing because it’s biblical, but they won’t pound you about it all the time, and the best churches keep the finances under the care of a small circle of trusted servants. For this reason, the pastor isn’t even aware of who gives how much and doesn’t want to know. We both encouraged him not to give up on finding a good Bible-believing church that teaches straight from the Bible and walks its talk.

Then he said his long-time girlfriend wasn’t a believer yet. She still thinks his stories are all coincidences. Marty shared his story of how he was the same way until he had a life-changing dream, which was confirmed when I told Marty I had been praying for God to reveal Himself to him in his dreams. I hope Leroy will start praying for the same for his girlfriend.

We could have talked all night. He was full of stories of God’s care and work in his life, but it was time for us to go. He gave me permission to add this satellite photo to my “Cross” album and for us to share his story.

I hope Leroy got a different perspective on his flight cancellation. I know we saw our delay in a different light, and God received the glory.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6