Catch the Miracles

Efrain Reyes, an intake counselor at The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) in Paterson, N.J., talks about studying apologetics, how God answered his birthday prayers, and the way Scripture enriches his musical projects.

I grew up in the church, but as an adult, I wanted to pursue God from a true academic perspective. So, I enrolled in classes at Liberty University, majoring in biblical and theological studies and apologetics. In apologetics, one learns to use reason, the gospel, and even science to defend faith and prove that God is present in all our lives. This is the basis of 1 Peter 3:14–15:

It’s a blessing to work for The Salvation Army. Being here is like God Himself opened the doors to a job in ministry. When I counsel the men at the Paterson ARC, I do it through open prayer and the biblical principles I’ve studied, without feeling restricted about sharing the Word of God. Years ago, I admit I was a little afraid of taking on ministry work. Guiding a person’s spiritual life is a big responsibility. It can be overwhelming, and sometimes you hear very sad, painful stories. But today, I can talk to the men in the ARC because I have experienced some of the same trials that they have. If God can deliver me from those experiences, He can also deliver them.

I’ve loved hip-hop music since I was young. I started by making my own beats on turntables, but soon realized that I wanted to be a lyricist too. I went from writing secular lyrics to talking about my faith and the love of Christ. Hip-hop is how I both express myself and communicate with God. I can take what I’ve studied and implement those lessons into my music. A lot of Christian music can deviate from His teachings and take its own path, and that can make the message sound hollow. I make sure that what I mention in my lyrics is theologically sound and based directly on Scripture. I hope that anyone who listens to my music is able to understand the gospel a little bit better than before.

I’m a father of seven children, from past relationships and with my wife today. But my oldest daughter and I always had a difficult relationship. On Father’s Day, after a painful argument, I finally decided that after years of trying to work things out with her, I now had to let the Lord dictate where our relationship would go. About a month later, on July 17, she called me for my birthday. We spoke about how she had returned to church and allowed God to be present in her own life. I mentioned that I would be having a birthday celebration in my home that weekend, and she was welcome to come. One year earlier, I had prayed that for my next birthday, I could celebrate it with all my children by my side. That weekend, I cried tears of joy as He answered my prayers. When we have a relationship with God and are students of His Word, we’re able to recognize and catch His miracles in front of us. Even though I am a flawed, imperfect human being, God is working in my life.

A verse that always helps me is Romans 8:38–39. “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” I love knowing that nothing will ever erase what Jesus did on the cross for us. Nothing in my past can separate me from Him. He loves me, He’s listening, and He’s present in my family.