Free Over the Wall by Chris Fabry Page B

happened. She conceived and bore a child, a beautiful son. He’s asleep just over there.”
    The man paced onstage, distraught. “I just don’t understand. How could he ask me to do this? I want to have grandchildren and watch my family grow. But if I follow what he’s saying to me . . . none of that will come true.”
    The man continued with his monologue, and Jamie thought it was good but evidently not as good as a lot of the older people in the audience thought it was. Several around her sniffed and cried.
    He ended by holding out the bundle in his arms. “This is my son’s favorite blanket. His mother made it for him, and it keeps him warm each night. I can’t imagine taking it back to his mother empty, but if I follow what God has told me . . .”
    He looked at the people in the audience. “Has he spoken to you about laying something down in faith? giving him something dear to you and letting him take control of it? Are you struggling with giving all to him?”
    He picked up his walking stick and held the blanket close. “I’m not sure about you, but I can’t withhold anything from one who has blessed me so much. His plan is much better than the one I have. If I can only do what he asks . . .”
    Jamie looked over at her mom, who had her arm around Kellen, hugging him tight.
    No one clapped as the man walked into the shadows and the pastor stepped onto the platform. “Maybe you recognize the story of Abraham and Isaac. But I think from your reaction that’s not just some story we read in the Bible—it’s something that’s happening in our lives continually. God has a way of asking us to give him the very thing that’s most precious to us. Maybe it’s a dream we have. Maybe it’s a relationship—a spouse or a close friend. Or in the case of Abraham, it was his child. . . .”
    Jamie glanced at her mother again and saw a tear streak down her face. Jamie sat back and listened to the pastor as he shared the whole story of Abraham and how God wanted to do a lot more through him than Abraham could ever imagine.
    â€œListen to what the angel of the Lord says to Abraham. ‘This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.’
    â€œYou see, God wants to do something special in your life. And he wants to do it by you voluntarily giving him what is dearest to you. Maybe you’ve nevergiven your own life, and you’re holding on to it because you think God is going to make you do something hard. That he’s going to mess with your plans. Well, he may do that—what he gives may be hard, but you’ll never truly be fulfilled and satisfied until you let him take over.”
    The pastor stepped back into the shadows, and the radio guy who was Abraham took his place. This time he stood with his arm around a young, smiling boy. The boy held the blanket in his arms, and the two grinned as they walked down the aisle to the back of the church.

Chapter 19
Elephant
    TIM WATCHED COVERAGE on SPEED until Dale got back to the hotel. In all the years he’d traveled with his dad, he’d never eaten in a hotel restaurant or been able to watch the day’s coverage in a hotel room.
    Dale had gotten hung up with T.J., his crew chief, about some things regarding the race, plus some “things going on with the sponsor.” He finally came in and smiled at Tim. “Let’s head downstairs. They have a table waiting.”
    Tim felt like he could eat a horse he was so hungry, and when he looked at the dinner menu in the restaurant, he