God does supernaturally intervene in elections. I saw it happen with my own eyes in a way that could not be denied.
In 1958 my dad was
voted in as pastor of the First Assembly of God in Tipton, Oklahoma with 100%
of the vote. This happened even though one week prior to the vote, the Chairman
of the Board of Deacons had urged my dad to withdraw his name, saying that he
had talked to all the members of the church, and, “We are all in agreement that
you are not qualified to be our pastor.”
It was an
incredible example of God intervening in an election and demonstrating that He can
work through a democracy and raise up the leaders of His choice. There must,
however, be absolute trust and obedience on the part of God’s people, which was
the key for my dad’s election victory. Here is the rest of the story.
God
Speaks
Our family had
been living in Tipton, Oklahoma for almost two years and my dad worked as a
farmhand making .50 cents per hour. My parents, my three brothers and myself faithfully
attended the local Assembly of God. We were obviously on the lower end of the social-economic scale, but we never missed a service.
One day, Dad quit
his job as a farmhand and began making plans to move to Dallas where there was
the promise of a better-paying job. However, as soon as he quit his job he heard
the Holy Spirit say, “What about pastoring this church?”
He replied, “Lord, if this is You, let the pastor resign before the first of the month.” He was shocked and devastated when in the very next service the pastor announced his resignation.
He was devastated because he knew the people did not see him as a pastor. They saw him as an uneducated farmhand. He had never been to Bible school and had only a 4th grade education. Nonetheless, 12 years prior to this he had experienced a supernatural call from God but had not been able to find his niche.
It was obvious to him that God had spoken, so he went to the secretary of the church and said, “I would like to submit my name to be the pastor of this church.” The secretary replied, “Well, you are the first one and will be at the top of the list.”
Opposition Arises
About three days
later “Brother Cook,” who was the Chairman of the Board of Deacons, and in
charge of finding their next pastor, came to my dad and said,
I
have talked to all the members of the church and we are all in agreement that
you are not qualified to be our pastor. We would like for you to withdraw your
name and not go through with an election. We believe it will save some hurt
feelings for if you go through with it, no one will vote for you.
Brother Cook
departed and I can only imagine the thoughts and feelings my dad must have
experienced. God had spoken and confirmed that He wanted him to pastor this
church, but the people are all in agreement that they do not want him.
Prayer and Perseverance Bring Incredible Victory
Not being a politician, the only thing he
knew to do was pray. He, therefore, spent an entire night in prayer, but heard nothing.
He spent a second night in prayer, but still no voice or sense of direction
from heaven. He spent a third night in prayer and still no angelic voice, nor
even an impression.
However, something
incredible happened as the sun arose on the horizon after the third night of
prayer. He looked out a window, and as the first rays of the morning sun shone
in his face, he said, “I felt that I was turned into another man.”
Suddenly, he had
no concern about what anyone thought of him. Peoples’ opinions no longer mattered.
The only thing that mattered was obeying God. He went out and found the
secretary and Chairman of the Board and said, “Brethren, whatever you do is
between you and God, but I have to go through with this.”
God
Intervenes in the Election
They reluctantly assigned
him a time to preach on a Sunday night. I still remember the title of his
message taken from the Old Testament book of Habakkuk, “Consider Your Ways.”
There seemed to be an unusual anointing on him, and I still remember his words
when he finished. He said, “I have obeyed God and the Hyatt family is going
home. It is now between you and God.”
We went home and
about 35 minutes later someone came to our home and informed my dad that he had
been voted in as pastor with 100% of the vote. Others then came sharing details
of what had happened. They said that after we left, Brother Cook opened the
business meeting in which they would now vote. However, before the voting began,
he began to weep, and through tears said, “Folks, I have been wrong about this
man. He is supposed to be our pastor.”
The Spirit of God fell on the congregation, and many more were moved to tears. Although every member had come that night intending to vote against my dad, hearts and minds were suddenly changed, and he received every vote. God intervened in that election.
That was a
defining moment, and my dad continued to pastor in the Assemblies of God for
the next 35 years until his retirement at age 77. The last church he pastored
was the Eastside Assembly of God in Chicota, TX, which he pastored for 27
years. One young man, Tony Boykin, that grew up under his ministry, wrote the
following after his passing.
He had a profound impact
on my life that changed me forever. My children and I can always say that our
Christian life was helped to be framed by one of America's greatest pastors. I
will forever believe that he will stand beside Moses, King David, Elijah, and
Father Abraham. If any man has ever lived by Gods highest standards, it was the
legendary C.H. Hyatt. I miss one of the best friends I have ever had.
Yes, God can
change elections, not by creating or duplicating ballots, but by changing
hearts. For me, the choice for November 5 is very clear, but for many it is not
so clear. Therefore, let us not only vote, but be diligent to pray, “Thy
kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” God can change
hearts and change an election.
Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt is an author, revivalist, and Bible teacher. His books on America's Christian birth out of the Great Awakening are available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.
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