The Story of David

"By the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." Philippians 3:21

I clung onto this verse so tightly today as I talked to David. I prayed with David that the Lord would transform his body and rid it of an addiction that has filled it for over 30 years.
Two of the other interns and I had the awesome opportunity to serve and hang out with the guys at Open Door Mission this morning. When I walked out to the courtyard, I sat down next to David. He was quietly awaiting his bed assignment shortly after being admitted to the Open Door drug rehab program. He had been at ODM since 5 AM waiting to be the first admittee of the morning. The sweat dripped down his cheeks as the Houston sun beat down. As I listened, my heart ached with every sentence he spoke, which became his story, the story of David.

David grew up with the typical dreams of having a good job, marrying a beautiful wife, and raising a loving family. When he was 18 years old, he was drafted into the military to go fight in the Vietnam War. He served his time in the Army for 3 years in the rough jungles of Vietnam. By the end of 3 years, he had become an alcoholic attempting to erase all of the gruesome things he had witnessed. Soon after he returned from Vietnam, he married, had a child, and moved to Germany when he was stationed there. He had a beautiful wife, baby girl, and a wonderful best friend in his platoon in Germany. He still battled alcoholism, but was recovering well until one terrible night. Upon returning home after work one day, he walked in on his wife and his best friend sleeping together while his baby girl slept just a few feet away. That night changed his life forever. He felt as if his whole life was destroyed. He turned back to the alcohol and started doing cocaine. The next 30 years have been a blur he says. He's gone through four wives, been homeless for the last 10 years, and is still heavily addicted to crack.

David really made me think. If tragic events like his happened to me, would I still be following the Lord and keeping the faith? Would I be in David's exact predicament? I'd like to say I hope not, but at the same time I can barely hold it together when I'm stressed out about exams.

Thankfully, our God proclaims that He can transform our lives, not matter what state they are in. This is my hope and prayer for David. I love that we serve a God that is just that powerful. When all things seem hopeless, He is always our hope.

Lord, I cry out for my brother David. Transform his life. Take hold of his heart, God. Grab onto his desire for alcohol and cocaine and throw it far, far away from him. Thank you, Lord, for being a powerful God that transform lives.