Do You See the Nails? The story behind the story.
I think that I really should not take credit for this story. I don’t believe in dreams or in visions. I don’t believe in special words of knowledge from God, etc. I don’t understand how this happened but I’ll explain as best I can.
The end of May, 2013 our youngest granddaughter, 6 years old at the time, had just graduated from kindergarten, and after we attended her graduation ceremony my wife and I went to their home to visit for awhile before we drove the 75 mile trip back to our home. While we were visiting with our daughter’s family our 6 year old granddaughter asked me to let her read some stories she had written in kindergarten class. As I listened to her read the 3 stories that she had written in class I was amazed at her reading ability and in her writing skills. Later that night as we were driving home I started thinking that I would write a story for her and while driving I just said a short prayer asking the Lord to give me a story to write for her that would present the Gospel message to her in a way that a child could understand.
By the time we arrived home my mind was on other things that I needed to do around the house. We bought a 7 year old house in December 2012 and now that summer was near I had a lot of things that I planned to do like paint, build a storage building, replace a broken fence post, etc. Anyway, I’m saying that I forgot about writing a story for my granddaughter and for the next few weeks all I had on my mind was planning, buying materials, and building a storage building in the back yard.
One day, several weeks later, my wife and I drove to a nearby fast food place to have lunch. I was parking my truck in my usual parking place when suddenly my mind was being filled with a story about a boy talking to God about Jesus dying on the cross. I parked the truck, we got out and started walking towards the restaurant, and my wife asked me what I wanted to order; she likes do the ordering when we eat out. I tried to block the thoughts that were coming into my mind, but I just could not stop them. My wife was talking to me and I was trying to talk to her but I just wasn’t able to carry on a conversation with her and I know she felt that I was ignoring her because I could not concentrate on anything but this story that was flooding my mind. She ordered our usual lunch, we ate, and then I drove straight home so I could write the story.
When we got home I sat down at the computer and wrote the story on the word processor. I can’t say for sure that God put those thoughts into my mind, but I just don’t know of any other way to explain how that story came into my mind in a way that I could not block it out or stop it. Therefore, I assume that the story was the Lord answering my prayer.
ldonjohn
This story is about a boy whose name is “Itzak,” a Hebrew name that means laughter. When Itzak was a little boy, his mother took him to church most Sundays where he heard about Jesus. By the time Itzak was almost nine years old his mother, his friends, and everyone who knew him were calling him Itzy.
One Sunday Itzy's Sunday school teacher told his class that if they would say a prayer, asking Jesus to come into their hearts, they would be saved and when they died, they would go to heaven. Itzy really wanted to go to heaven because he had heard that hell was the other place, and that hell is where all the people go who don’t get their sins forgiven and that hell is where people burn forever. So, Itzy said the prayer. Itzy’s teacher told his mom that Itzy got saved and of course his mom was really happy about that. Itzy was baptized the very next Sunday.
The next year one of Itzy’s friends was killed in an automobile accident. At the funeral the preacher told everyone that Itzy’s friend was in heaven with Jesus. Itzy asked himself “Would I be in heaven if I was the one who had died?” He decided that he really didn’t know the answer to that question. Itzy decided that he was going to start paying attention to what the preacher & his Sunday school teacher were saying in church, and that he would do whatever the preacher told him to do to be saved, because Itzy really wanted to know that he saved.
As time passed Itzy found himself still wondering about where he would go when he died. He thought that he would go to heaven since he had done all the things he had been told to do in church, but for some reason he just wasn’t sure about it. One night Itzy decided that, just to be sure, he would pray and ask God to save him again, but this time he would keep praying until God showed him that he was saved. So he prayed, and prayed, and prayed, and prayed until finally he fell asleep. After Itzy fell asleep, he had a dream. In his dream God rolled back the sky so Itzy could see into heaven. He could see God looking down at him. Suddenly God said “Itzy, there is something I need to show you.
In his dream God told Itzy that He was going to take him back in time to the day when Jesus was dying on the cross. Immediately Itzy was standing in front of the cross. God said “Itzy, do you see My Son, Jesus, on the cross?” Itzy said, “Yes God, I see Jesus on the cross.” Then God asked, “Itzy, do you see the nails?” Itzy said, “Yes God I see three nails, one in each of Jesus’ hands and one in his feet.” God said “Itzy, I want you to think of those nails as being your sins, one nail being all of your sins of your past, one of the nails being all of your sins of today, and the last nail being all of your sins of your future.”
Itzy asked God “Why are you showing me this, God?” God said “Itzy, you have been begging me to save you, and I want to save you, but I can’t save you until you see the cross in the same way I see the cross.” Itzy said, “How do you see the cross, God?” God said “Itzy, I’m going to show you, are you looking at the cross?”
Itzy said “Yes, God, I’m looking at the cross.” Then God said, “Do you see the nails?” Itzy said, “Yes God, I see the nails.” God said, “Tell me, Itzy, why should I save you” Itzy said, “Well God, I said a prayer that the preacher told me to say.” God said, “Why did you say the prayer, Itzy?” “Well, because the preacher told me if I would say the prayer, then I would go to heaven, replied Itzy.” “Itzy, you missed something there, replied God.” “Look at the cross again.”
Itzy said, “OK God, I’m looking at the cross.” God said, “Can you still see the nails?” Itzy said “Yes, God, I see the nails.” “Now Itzy, tell me why I should save you, replied God. ” Itzy said “ Well God one time in church I went to the altar and confessed all my sins.” God said “You should confess your sins, but there is still something else you must see before I can save you. Itzy, look at the cross again.”
“OK God I’m looking at the cross, said Itzy” “Do you see the nails, asked God?” Itzy said, “Yes God I see the nails.” God said, “Now tell me why I should save you.” Itzy said “Well, when I went to the altar at church, I promised you that I would serve you the rest of my life.” God said, “I’m sorry Itzy, but I want you to look at the cross again because you are overlooking something that is very important.”
Again, Itzy said “I’m looking at the cross, God.” God said “Do you see the nails? “Itzy said “Yes, God, I see the nails.” God said, “Tell me, Itzy, why should I save you” Itzy said, “One night I got down on my knees and repented of all my sins.” God said, “You should repent of your sins Itzy, but.” Before God could tell Itzy to look at the cross again Itzy said, “I know, I’m looking."
Again, God said “Itzy, do you see the nails?” Itzy said, “I see the nails, God.” God said, “Tell me why I should save you.” Itzy said “OK, God, I said the sinners’ prayer, I confessed all my sins, I promised to serve you all of my life, I repented of all my sins, I turned from all my sins, I believe in Jesus, and I was baptized, now will you please save me?” God said “Itzy, those are things you should do, but you are still overlooking something very important, so look at the cross again.”
Itzy said “God, I don’t get it, why do you keep telling me to look at the cross?” God said “Itzy, you will get it when you look at the cross the same way I look at the cross. I want you to look at the cross again.” Itzy said, “OK God, I’m looking at the cross.” God said, “Tell me what you see.” Itzy said, “I see Jesus on the cross.” God said, “Do you see the nails?” Itzy said “Yes, God I see the nails?” “Itzy, tell me why I should save you?" God said again.
This time Itzy didn’t say anything. God waited a few seconds then said “Itzy, are you there?” After a long pause, Itzy said “Yes, Lord, I’m here.” God said “Itzy, tell me why I should save you.” Again, Itzy didn’t say anything. After another short pause God said “Itzy, why won‘t you answer me?” Itzy said, “I’m still looking at the cross, God.” God waited a few seconds then said “Itzy, what do you see?” Itzy didn’t say anything. Again, God said “Itzy, do you see the nails?” Finally, after another long pause Itzy said “Lord, I see Jesus, but Lord, now I can’t see the nails.” God said, “Why can’t you see the nails, Itzy?” A short pause this time, then Itzy said, “They’re covered with blood Lord; all I can see is the blood” God said, “Now you see the cross in the same way as I see the cross, because when I look at the cross, I don't see the nails; I see the blood.”
Then God asked Itzy, “Why I should save you, Itzy?” Without hesitation Itzy said, “Because of the blood, Lord, because my sins are covered by the blood.” God said, “Wait just a second, I’ll be right back.” Itzy said, “OK Lord, I’ll wait.” A few seconds later God was back. God said “Itzy, are you still there?” Itzy said, “I’m here, Lord.” God said, “Now that you have been saved, I just wrote your new name down in the book of life.” Itzy said “Wow, you mean I get a new name too?” Then Itzy said, “What is my new name Lord?” God said, “I won’t tell you now, you’ll have to wait until you get to heaven, then you will know your new name.”
When Itzy was awakened by his mother he told her about his dream. He told his mother that he wanted to read about Jesus dying on the cross in his bible. Itzy and his mother opened their bibles to the Gospel of John and read about Jesus. His mom explained to him how that Jesus died on the cross & that His blood paid the penalty for our sins. Itzy told his mom that he had heard that in Sunday School but that he really had never thought about his sins being nailed to the cross with Jesus. Itzy’s mom told him that if he wanted be sure he was saved that Jesus was waiting for him to come to Him just like they had read about in the bible. Itzy made his salvation sure that day and never again did he worry or wonder about whether or not he was saved.
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37; KJV)
©Larry Johnson, 3rd revision. All rights reserved.
