“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10 NIV)

My wife had died from cancer resulting in the following questions.  Why? What to do with my life?

To resolve my personal/spiritual issues, I took a two week vacation to New Mexico.  I will skip all the natural beauty I visited in that state and tell of meeting God.

South of the Carlsbad Caverns, past Rattlesnake pass lies an isolated area where few people visit.  I had a friend drop me off in the middle of this desolate area with water, food and plenty of sunscreen. I was alone for the first time in my life.  No cars, no phone, no buildings within view. No people, nothing but the solitude of the desert. I wondered how many people have the courage to face themselves alone?  To face ones fears, ones disappointments, ones shortcomings is not a task easily dealt with.

A large boulder became my “home base”.  At the base of the boulder was an area good for kneeling  and praying.  I opened my heart to God.  I prayed for hours on end asking, thanking, searching for my soul to be filled. There amongst the lizards and creatures of the desert, one man searching for his identity.  

The desert answered my prayers.  God directed the answers. I am important in the scheme of His plan! Enduring well to the end is what I must do! He had a plan for me, “Be not disheartened” (See Isaiah 41:10) was the theme I learned that day.

My friend picked me up towards evening  and within a couple of hours I was back in civilization. I was transformed, changed, a different person. A power had filled me.

Did God really talk to me, did He tell me the truth?  

Results are the answer and within a year, I met my future wife.  She is a beautiful person inside and out.  I learned that life is worth living, that God in His place and time, not ours, will provide us with all we need.

B.J. Cassady