Delmar Chastain

As a teenager, I went to church only to please my parents and to be with my friends. I wasn’t an atheist or an infidel, I just wanted to do so many other things. I especially enjoyed outdoor activities. I was wrapped up in the wonders of nature, but I had no time for the Creator.

I am thankful for parents who prayed for my salvation, because when I was eighteen years old, God permitted an incident to take place in my life which got my attention. I was rafting on the Upper Klamath Lake when a storm came up. Waves began to dash over the top of the little raft I was on. There was no one to help me, and I realized I was going into eternity where I would face God.

I began to pray, telling God, “If You will spare my life, I will serve You.” The hand of God came down and the wind began to shift; it began blowing from the east to the west which is very unusual for that location. I realized God was giving me a fighting chance to reach land. I began to battle my way toward shore. It took nearly an hour, and when I got there, I looked up at the stormy sky and thanked God for sparing my life. I knew I had not deserved an answer to prayer because I was a sinner, but God had answered anyway. Again, I promised Him I would serve Him.

Over the next few weeks, a battle raged in my soul as the devil tried to get me to ignore my promise. Then God spoke to my heart, asking, “Del, if you gain the whole round world but lose your own soul what will it profit you?” I knew I could not afford to miss Heaven!

The next Sunday morning, I went to church with one purpose, and that was to get saved. However, it isn’t always easy. I sat with a group of young men in what we called, “skid row.” We spent our time during the services cutting up. Towards the close of each meeting, one of the boys would point the toe of his shoe toward the door. Eventually, that caught on and all of us began doing it. On this Sunday, he pointed his toe toward the door and I pointed mine toward the altar. The others saw it, and I lost my nerve; I found myself starting to go out of the church with my friends. Someone stopped me at the door and said, “Del, don’t you want to pray?” I answered, “Yes, I do.” I had only needed some encouragement.

There was no one to help me, and I realized I was going into eternity where I would face God.

At the front of the church, I knelt at the altar and prayed. God rolled away the burden of sin, and the peace of Heaven flooded my soul. Satan had convinced me that I could not be happy as a Christian, but when that old story of love that I had heard all my life became real to me, I was thrilled. I realized that for so long I had been passing up the greatest thing in the world.

The next day, I took my best friend up on a hill to talk to him about God. Although I had been saved only one day, I knew something wonderful had happened to me. He was very enthusiastic, but decided to put off salvation for later, telling me he wanted to join the Naval Air Force and didn’t think he could maintain Christianity while in the service. He did join the Air Force, flying all over during World War II, and became an officer. Sometime after the war was over, he was driving to Eureka, California, with his family when an accident involving two logging trucks took place on the road in front of him. One of the trucks hurled toward him and he was killed instantly at the age of twenty-nine. I went to the funeral home and looked at him in his officer’s uniform, lying in a casket with the American Flag draped over it. He had achieved what he set out to do, but I wondered, How was it with your soul?

Just a few months after getting saved, I also went into military service. I spent thirty-six months overseas in Europe, and I saw God perform marvelous miracles there.

One time I was granted a furlough with a couple of buddies. We were to stay for a week in England with a pastor and his wife. Before we left camp, the First Sergeant said, “Del, you are going to stay with Christian people. Take double rations for you and your friends.” We took a lot of food on our bicycles to the house.

When we arrived, the wife said her husband was at the market trying to find some fish. Food was scarce during the war, and he had only fifty cents to spend. We began to unpack the food we had brought and pile it on the floor. When she saw it, she began to cry with joy. She said, “My husband and I have been praying for something to feed you fellows.” When the pastor came home, he saw the food on the floor and said, “Praise the Lord.” His wife cooked a big meal. Then we thanked God for the food, and what a prayer meeting we had! When we returned to the army base and told about our good time on furlough, many of the boys then wanted to make a change in their lives and attend church.

For many years, I have proved that being a Christian is a good way, a happy way. I thank God for giving me the greatest thing in the world: His great salvation.