This story was posted on Facebook by a friend--I reprinted here with his permission.
It is a story of random roommates and the power of prayer.
Both of my college-student kids have had random roommates as freshmen. This is so inspiring to any Christian who has prayed, only to feel like their prayers will never be answered.
IT'S MORE THAN A GAME! HOW GOD COULD USE THE 1985 IOWA STATE vs. IOWA GAME AND A "BAD" COLLEGE ROOMMATE, FOR HIS GLORY.
With the upcoming IOWA STATE vs. IOWA game, and the stories I've been hearing about new college students and their "bad" roommate assignments, I just can't help but sharing how God used those 2 things in my life. I too had a "horrible" dorm roommate matchup 30 years ago at ISU. Yes, they put me with the most geeky, nerdy, non partying Christian on the whole floor! You couldn't have found a more opposite pair of kids on that dorm floor. Scott R. and Scott T. He wasn't who I desired in a roommate and I wasn't the roommate he had prayed for. And I know the situation was most difficult for him. He courageously even gave me a bible at one point, but my ears were deaf to God's word. We made it through one semester somehow, and then we parted ways.
I ended up in a treatment center about one year later. Coming out of there all "cleaned up", I felt a bit of remorse towards Scott R. about the way I may have treated him when we lived together. So I located him, still at ISU, and took him to the ISU vs. Iowa football game in Ames, 1985. He was appreciative of the gesture, and we parted ways again.
About 23 years later, 2008, by the grace of God, I was given the ability to believe in Jesus for Who He really is. To come to understand that our relationship with God was severed the day we were born due to the sin we inherited from Adam and Eve. That Jesus truly is God...Who came down to this earth...as a man...born of the Holy Spirit..to be sacrificed for the forgiveness of our sin so that we can be reconciled back to God. That Jesus is the ONLY allowable sacrifice for our sin, and that He rose from the dead back into God's presence in heaven, as an example that we can be raised too....to Gods heavenly Kingdom!...only through a belief in Jesus! And without Jesus, hell is the alternative. Ok, I digressed, it's just impossible not to get caught up in the moment typing the gospel!! Oh it is sweet!! Back to the story......
Shortly after this coming to faith, I was following a 30 day prayer journal that our church put out. One of the days it asked me to write down the names of people I'm thankful for and pray for them. To my surprise, I found that Scott R.'s name was high on my list. It had been 25 years since I've had any contact whatsoever with him! Why was he on my list!!?? All I remembered was that he gave me a bible, he stood out as a CHRISTian, and I was thinking of any such people over the course of my life. 2 years went by and this still puzzled me. So....I went to Facebook to try to find him, no luck. Then I just googled to try to find him and finally found an email address that was his and we reconnected! He replied and confirmed we were roommates, was hoping all is well, and that he's "been praying for me for years". Thinking to myself, SERIOUSLY....praying??!! for "years"!!?? I could maybe imagine praying a bit for me after we parted ways, but for 25 years!!?? Well, we then talked and I let him know about how I had recently truly come to know Jesus and his name came up on my prayer journal, and that was why I was contacting him. To tell him how thankful I really am for him, the simple gesture of giving me that bible and just being a Christian presence in my life. Then about the "praying for years", he wasn't kidding, HE STILL HAD THE TICKET FROM THAT ISU vs. IOWA GAME WE WENT TO 25 YEARS AGO!!....IT'S IN HIS BIBLE AS A REMINDER TO PRAY FOR ME! Wow....was I humbled! And would you believe that about one week before I contacted Scott, he just happened to be talking to his pastor about unanswered prayers by God. And specifically like his prayer when he headed off to college and just asked God for a nice Christian roommate....why didn't that happen...he got about the opposite. Well, Scott got the answer the following week from me...God had a different plan for Scott! Scott told me he's wondered for all these years just what that first year at college was all about..."but now he knows". Scott R. was an awesome servant of God! And in God's time....he found out how.
This story is certainly not about me, but God, and how He can use any situation or person to His favor. I hope it's helpful to you. God bless, Scott t.
* Never stop praying for people.
*Never doubt your situation, and if you're not getting exact answer to prayer that you desire.
*God may be using you and you don't even know it.
*Pray feverishly for the Christians in your life that have had any bit of an impact on your Christian life.
(Go Clones! Oh....and never mind googling the score of that 1985 game.
It is a story of random roommates and the power of prayer.
Both of my college-student kids have had random roommates as freshmen. This is so inspiring to any Christian who has prayed, only to feel like their prayers will never be answered.
IT'S MORE THAN A GAME! HOW GOD COULD USE THE 1985 IOWA STATE vs. IOWA GAME AND A "BAD" COLLEGE ROOMMATE, FOR HIS GLORY.
With the upcoming IOWA STATE vs. IOWA game, and the stories I've been hearing about new college students and their "bad" roommate assignments, I just can't help but sharing how God used those 2 things in my life. I too had a "horrible" dorm roommate matchup 30 years ago at ISU. Yes, they put me with the most geeky, nerdy, non partying Christian on the whole floor! You couldn't have found a more opposite pair of kids on that dorm floor. Scott R. and Scott T. He wasn't who I desired in a roommate and I wasn't the roommate he had prayed for. And I know the situation was most difficult for him. He courageously even gave me a bible at one point, but my ears were deaf to God's word. We made it through one semester somehow, and then we parted ways.
I ended up in a treatment center about one year later. Coming out of there all "cleaned up", I felt a bit of remorse towards Scott R. about the way I may have treated him when we lived together. So I located him, still at ISU, and took him to the ISU vs. Iowa football game in Ames, 1985. He was appreciative of the gesture, and we parted ways again.
About 23 years later, 2008, by the grace of God, I was given the ability to believe in Jesus for Who He really is. To come to understand that our relationship with God was severed the day we were born due to the sin we inherited from Adam and Eve. That Jesus truly is God...Who came down to this earth...as a man...born of the Holy Spirit..to be sacrificed for the forgiveness of our sin so that we can be reconciled back to God. That Jesus is the ONLY allowable sacrifice for our sin, and that He rose from the dead back into God's presence in heaven, as an example that we can be raised too....to Gods heavenly Kingdom!...only through a belief in Jesus! And without Jesus, hell is the alternative. Ok, I digressed, it's just impossible not to get caught up in the moment typing the gospel!! Oh it is sweet!! Back to the story......
Shortly after this coming to faith, I was following a 30 day prayer journal that our church put out. One of the days it asked me to write down the names of people I'm thankful for and pray for them. To my surprise, I found that Scott R.'s name was high on my list. It had been 25 years since I've had any contact whatsoever with him! Why was he on my list!!?? All I remembered was that he gave me a bible, he stood out as a CHRISTian, and I was thinking of any such people over the course of my life. 2 years went by and this still puzzled me. So....I went to Facebook to try to find him, no luck. Then I just googled to try to find him and finally found an email address that was his and we reconnected! He replied and confirmed we were roommates, was hoping all is well, and that he's "been praying for me for years". Thinking to myself, SERIOUSLY....praying??!! for "years"!!?? I could maybe imagine praying a bit for me after we parted ways, but for 25 years!!?? Well, we then talked and I let him know about how I had recently truly come to know Jesus and his name came up on my prayer journal, and that was why I was contacting him. To tell him how thankful I really am for him, the simple gesture of giving me that bible and just being a Christian presence in my life. Then about the "praying for years", he wasn't kidding, HE STILL HAD THE TICKET FROM THAT ISU vs. IOWA GAME WE WENT TO 25 YEARS AGO!!....IT'S IN HIS BIBLE AS A REMINDER TO PRAY FOR ME! Wow....was I humbled! And would you believe that about one week before I contacted Scott, he just happened to be talking to his pastor about unanswered prayers by God. And specifically like his prayer when he headed off to college and just asked God for a nice Christian roommate....why didn't that happen...he got about the opposite. Well, Scott got the answer the following week from me...God had a different plan for Scott! Scott told me he's wondered for all these years just what that first year at college was all about..."but now he knows". Scott R. was an awesome servant of God! And in God's time....he found out how.
This story is certainly not about me, but God, and how He can use any situation or person to His favor. I hope it's helpful to you. God bless, Scott t.
* Never stop praying for people.
*Never doubt your situation, and if you're not getting exact answer to prayer that you desire.
*God may be using you and you don't even know it.
*Pray feverishly for the Christians in your life that have had any bit of an impact on your Christian life.
(Go Clones! Oh....and never mind googling the score of that 1985 game.
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