Reflecting on Romans 4:13–18

Some stories stay with you because they are full of hope only God can give. Our friend Louis “Buddy” Gerber, who became a member of our church family this past Sunday after many years away, has offered one of those stories. It is tender, honest, and rooted in the kind of faith that grows slowly, faithfully, over a lifetime.

Louis Tells His Story

The greatest story of my life—and the happiest day I ever lived—was the day my father died. He was my best friend.

As I’ve said before, I was born into this world as a Catholic. When I got married, I left the Catholic Church and became a Methodist. Later, I joined a Baptist church, and eventually I became a Gideon. The very first New Testament I ever handed out was to my father.

I knew he was reading it because he would ask me questions. If I knew the answer, I gave it. If I didn’t, I went straight to my concordance, found the answer, and the next morning I’d be at Dad’s kitchen table, having coffee and talking about the Lord.

Over the years, Dad had several heart attacks. He grew weaker, and then one day he had another one and was rushed to St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware. As soon as I heard, I drove to the hospital, praying all the way.

When I arrived, Mom and Bev were in the room and told me to come in right away. I walked in praying—asking the Lord to help me get an answer about Dad’s salvation. I knew just being Catholic wouldn’t cut it. My little sister Casi was there too, and I wondered how I could possibly ask Dad about his salvation out loud.

Then Casi said, “Dad wants something. Do you want a piece of paper?” Dad nodded. They handed him paper and a pencil. Slowly, he wrote one letter on top of another:

I
am
saved.

There was my answer. I never cried, wondered, or worried again. My dad was saved.

A Faith Like Abraham’s

Louis’s story is a living picture of Romans 4:13–18, where Paul reminds us that the promise of salvation does not come through law, lineage, or religious labels—but through faith in the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.

Abraham believed God even when everything looked impossible.
Louis believed God as he prayed for his father year after year.
And on that hospital bed, God fulfilled a promise that had seemed out of reach.

Louis’s father didn’t write a paragraph. He didn’t give a speech. He simply wrote the truth: “I am saved.”
That is the faith Paul describes—simple, trusting, resting in God’s grace.

Welcome Back, Louis

Louis, we are grateful you are here.
We are grateful for your story.
And we are grateful for the reminder that God’s promises do not expire, even after decades, even in a hospital room where breath is short and time is thin.

Your testimony strengthens our faith.
Your return strengthens our fellowship.
And your father’s salvation reminds us that hope never disappoints when it is placed in the God of Abraham.

Welcome home.

Takeaway

God’s promises are not fragile. They do not depend on our perfect understanding, our religious labels, or our long, winding journeys. Like Abraham, we hold fast to a God who brings life out of what looks hopeless and keeps His word in His own perfect timing. Louis’s story reminds us that no prayer is wasted, no heart is beyond reach, and no return—whether a father’s salvation or a son’s homecoming—is too late for grace.

Closing Prayer

Lord, thank You for being the God who keeps His promises. Strengthen our faith as You strengthened Abraham’s, that we may trust You even when we cannot see the way forward. Bless Louis as he returns to this church family, and bless every person still praying for someone they love. Let Your hope take root in us, and let Your grace draw us home again and again.

Amen.