Faith of Our Fathers: A Personal Testimony by Vance Havner (12-07-25)

Episode Overview

In this moving episode, celebrated evangelist Vance Havner delivers a deeply personal testimony rather than a prepared sermon or Bible study. Speaking candidly about profound loss, suffering, and spiritual insight gained after the death of his wife, Havner shares hard-earned lessons on faith, grief, divine purpose, and the sufficiency of Christ. Drawing on scripture, personal stories, poetry, humor, and poignant illustrations, he encourages listeners to seek God above all, cherish loved ones, and cling to eternal hope.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Pursuit of a Closer Walk with God

• Havner opens by recalling a growing desire in 1973 for deeper intimacy with the Lord, especially in his later years (01:02).
• “Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth… I had a great desire in my heart for God to bring me to Himself alone, so that I could say and not just sing... ‘Now Thee alone I seek, give what is best.’” (01:21)

Memorable Quote:

“You'd better mean it when you ask God to glorify Himself in you at any cost—He might take you up on it.” (01:36)

2. Loss, Suffering, and God’s Purposes

• Havner describes five months at the hospital bedside of his dying wife, wrestling spiritually with her illness and eventual passing (02:07–03:18).
• Despite fervent prayer, she passed away, prompting lessons in trust:

  “Spurgeon said, when we cannot trace God's hand, we can always trust God's heart. That's the first lesson I learned.” (03:07)

• He explores how divine chastening and devilish attacks can happen simultaneously, referencing Job, Paul’s thorn, and Peter’s sifting (03:18–05:04).

Timestamps & Quotes:

• “There are some others. I learned, for instance, that sometimes divine chastisement and a devilish attack go together. Double barrels.” (03:18)
• “We are to glory in tribulation, but we are not to glorify the tribulation.” (05:04)

3. The Redemptive Value of Sorrow

• Shared poem:

  “Many a rapturous minstrel among the sons of light will say of his sweetest music, I learned it in the night.” (06:54)

• God transforms suffering:

  “God is able to transmute the carnage of sorrow into the currency of joy. He gives us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning.” (07:24)

• The importance of not taking blessings for granted and cherishing loved ones while they are present (07:50-09:10).

Advice to Listeners:

“Tell that dear one now what they mean to you… Because if you don't, the day will come… when you'd give every blessed thing you have for one day, any old day with them.” (08:31–08:55)

4. God’s Presence in Grief and Loneliness

• Havner testifies to God making His promises real in the midst of deep loneliness and insomnia after his wife’s passing (09:50–11:25).
• He recounts relying on scripture for peace and sleep:

  “He giveth his beloved sleep.” (11:15)
  “So I've learned, and something else I've learned, and I want you to learn it if you haven't. I've learned the difference between God our rewarder and God our reward.” (11:58)

5. Learning to Seek the Giver, Not Merely the Gift

• Presses the point of seeking God Himself, not just His blessings (12:23–13:34).
• “The Christian life, I think, ought to follow the pattern of the Lord's prayer: God's name, God's kingdom, God's will, first, always first… Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things… will be added to us.” (13:06)

6. Perspective: What Is Gone and What Remains in Christ

• Vividly expresses the loss of his wife and tangible daily reminders of absence (15:49–16:56).
• Offers hope:

  “You haven't lost anything when you know where it is… Everything that's gone is coming back… Christians never meet for the last time.” (17:00–17:32)

• Sharing a metaphor about undeveloped negatives and resurrection (18:42–19:44).

7. Future Glory, Resurrection, and the End of Sorrow

• “One of these days, the great photographer is going to turn negative into positive… this mortal shall put on immortality and death shall be swallowed up in victory.” (19:44–20:00)
• Playfully anticipates renewed bodies and new joy in eternity:

  “Do you realize that we're all waiting for our Easter outfit?… You're going to have a brand new body!” (20:06)

• “Nothing’s lost if you’re in Jesus Christ. No prayer that you ever pray is lost, no tear that you ever shed.” (21:55)

8. Living in Faith Amid Unanswered Questions

• Life is incomplete for now—“the middle of the book”—with many things not yet revealed or understood (22:47–24:39).
• “If things don't make sense, dear friend, we're not through the book yet. Give it a chance.” (22:55)
• Illustrates how current miracles and joys are just a down payment, a “foretaste of glory divine.” (24:39)

9. Cherishing Hope and Human Connection

• Shares meaningful, supportive encounters with fellow Christians and friends (25:32).
• “I've come through shipwrecked on God and stranded on omnipotence. That's a good place to be stranded.” (26:34)

10. Final Encouragements: Seek God, Treasure Loved Ones, Trust His Faithfulness

• Call to assurance:

  “Are you certain and sure that you've got to the place where God is not only your rewarder? Thank God, He is, but there's something better. Have you got to the place where you say, ‘Lord, it's You that I want’?” (26:58)

• “Be sure while your dear one's by your side, that you appreciate what you have while you have… Because if they're swept away, say, Lord, I still have You. Since I have You, I have everything…” (27:56–28:16)
• On loneliness and God’s faithfulness:

  “Loneliness gets pretty bad sometimes… but then I remember… He hasn't failed me through all these years. He's made a way when there wasn't any way…” (28:29–28:52)

• Final charge:

  “Don’t you get out of heart tonight… You just put your faith in Jesus Christ and make sure that you're not leaning on props… Maybe you learned that underneath all the time were the everlasting arms… But it's worth it, and I only pass it on to you.” (28:47–29:29)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Suffering and Trust:
  “Spurgeon said, when we cannot trace God's hand, we can always trust God's heart.” (03:07)
• On Longing and Assurance:
  "Christians never meet for the last time. We can't tell each other goodbye, really." (17:18)
• On Resurrection Hope:
  “One of these days, the great photographer is going to turn negative into positive… and death shall be swallowed up in victory.” (19:44)
• On Gratitude:
  “You never miss the water til the well goes dry. And you don't realize what you have till you don't have it.” (07:50)
• On Foretaste of Heaven:
  “You can taste heaven before you get there. That's what that means. Have you done that?” (24:19)
• On Faithfulness of God:
  “He hasn't failed me through all these years. He's made a way when there wasn't any way.“ (28:47)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• Opening and Personal Context: 00:43–02:07
• Lessons in Loss: 02:07–03:18
• Theology on Suffering: 03:18–05:50
• Poetry & Learning in Darkness: 06:18–07:24
• Advice on Cherishing Loved Ones: 07:50–09:10
• Insomnia & Reliance on God: 09:50–11:25
• Difference Between Rewarder and Reward: 11:58–13:34
• Handling Grief and Loss: 15:23–17:32
• Resurrection & Eternal Hope: 18:42–21:55
• Incomplete Understanding & Foretaste of Heaven: 22:47–24:39
• Concluding Encouragements: 27:56–29:29

Tone & Style

Havner combines honest vulnerability with scriptural depth, humor, and folksy storytelling. He offers hope amid sorrow, practical counsel infused with warmth, and earnest calls to faith and gratitude. The message is timeless, personal, and deeply pastoral.

For anyone facing loss, discouragement, or simply longing for deeper faith, Havner’s testimony offers perspective rooted in Christ’s sufficiency, resurrection hope, and the assurance of God’s heart—especially when His ways are hidden.