Meet: Steven
Painted by Deborah Sharpnack
…Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. Revelation 4:8
Shortly after Christmas 2019, on a chilly Sunday afternoon, wandering aimlessly for hours, confused and hungry, suffering complications of diabetes and the sudden onset of chest pain, Steven was prayerful the end of his life was moments away. Life on the street had taken its toll. At 75 years of age, his identification stolen and his only belongings the clothes on his back, Steven was unable to advocate for himself due to incidents of short term memory loss and thus unable to secure documentation to access his limited monthly income or resources to help with his medical needs. He clutched the pain in his shoulder and stumbled off the sidewalk to lie on a patch of grass near the lonely roadway as he repeated the verse above in the book of Revelation.
The Lord however, had other plans for Steven. Earlier that Sunday at Anaheim Vineyard, God spoke a prophetic word through an individual to Deborah (the artist), that someone would need 9-1-1. On her way home from the church, the Holy Spirit led Deborah to Steven’s aid. At the hospital, the emergency room doctor told Steven his next walk would be his last if he didn’t get proper care and medicine. Steven was released after several hours intravenous to lower his blood pressure, and given a clean pair of shorts and a hospital blanket to face the frigid and drizzly night back on the street. Local shelters were closed, but the Lord had plans to prosper Steven, not to harm him, to give him a future and a hope, and purposed on Deborah’s heart to take him home. Eventually Steven was accepted at Heroes Landing, a new supportive housing apartment community for Veteran’s experiencing homelessness, where he currently resides with a live-in caregiver/pastor who has a heart for helping those struggling on the streets.
Steven’s heart is filled with God’s peace and he lives now sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, encouraging others, and helping them to see the beauty in themselves that God sees.
