In this love story you will experience my journey into marriage. You will experience my discovery of God’s promises which came through some of life’s most painful and agonizing circumstances. You will feel my joy and acquire a fresh new reverence for the love and intimacy which the Lord desires–and promises–for each one of us. I have found the promises of God which you can stand on and claim for your own “one flesh” relationship.
– Sheila Magiera
I prayed for “loving eyes.” Introduction by David Magiera
I can recall the months I prayed in the shower thanking my Father for the one He was preparing for me. I remember asking Him to show me those “loving eyes” He was preparing for my life. And just as He inspired me to sculpt a symbol of the bride of Christ out of clay, I asked my Creator to sculpt for me one of His beautiful creations out of flesh—a woman that would be so filled with His presence that we would have a “one flesh” relationship—the ultimate union in spirit and mind and body which He has promised in His Word. I thanked Him for bringing her to me quickly, for I had been alone now for over two years. Just six months later, the Lord would give me an opportunity to turn my prayer of faith into steps of faith. It happened this way:
While exhibiting my eight-foot sculpture titled the “The Rapture” at the 1994 National Religious Broadcasters’ Convention in Nashville, an enthusiastic lady named Anna visited my booth and fell in love with this symbolic vision of the bride. Upon my return home to Minnesota, I followed up with Anna and shared with her that after fifteen years of marriage and family life, I found myself single again. Anna told me she would pray for me and encouraged me to keep trusting God for a miracle.
The miracle begins two-and-a-half years later… I began feeling heart pains
It’s now two and one-half years later and I am still trusting God for a miracle. One day, while cleaning out my desk drawer, I came upon Anna’s business card once again. So I placed a call to her Dallas office. She wasn’t in, but her secretary took a message. The memo got misplaced, and two months later, on Monday, April 14, 1997, Anna found it and called me. It was then that I explained to her that just in the past few days, I had experienced the most unusual pain of longing in my heart, a longing for my future bride—whomever she might be. I was actually feeling physical pain like I’d experienced never before. I told Anna that God must be preparing someone for me…why else would I suddenly be feeling this?
Anna responded with wonderful words of hope. “Well, David, I know a lot of attractive, single women in the Dallas area. I’ll pray about it and see whom God puts on my heart. I’ll call you back in a few days.” In a couple of days, Anna informed me that God had strongly impressed upon her a woman named Sheila Arthur. She couldn’t explain it. She had met her only once nearly ten years ago. Anna told me that Sheila was a very pretty woman who had lost her husband about a year ago and that she was a strong and committed woman of God. Anna was amazed at how strongly the Lord was impressing upon her that there seemed to be just one person for me to consider. Anna said she would contact her friend Pat, Sheila’s mutual friend, to ask if she would like to talk with a man who lives in Minnesota.
April 19, 1997… Lost for words
Saturday morning, Anna called and gave me the good news—and also Sheila’s phone number. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t think of one thing to start my conversation with. I tried to work up my courage and confidence. I thought about what I would say for the next two days. Finally, I could take the tension no longer…I did the only thing I could do, I closed my eyes and just dialed the number.
April 21… I closed my eyes and dialed Sheila’s phone number
It is Passover morning, and I am hearing Sheila’s voice for the very first time. We began to tell about ourselves with curious enthusiasm. I remember how we shared just a little about ourselves, while both of us were thinking how much we wanted to share about our intimacies with the Lord. It didn’t take long, however, for us to establish our priorities with the Father. After just a few minutes into our conversation, Sheila boldly shared the prophecy given to her ten years ago:
“For the Lord thy God shall put one that shall stand next to you that shall carry a mantle like unto Elijah. And yea, his word shall be like fire, and his word shall be with power, and his word shall be with great glory; and yea, even thee, my daughter, shall stand with him in a realm of ministry—and you shall go forth and do exploits in this last day.”
Can this be so? Is this really happening? Am I hearing things? Did I hear her correctly? “Wait a minute!” I exclaimed. “You aren’t going to believe this—that’s the call on my life!”
“Really?” Sheila replied. “I’m serious,” I said. “In 1979 the Lord gave me two incredible prophecies—one on 11-27-79 and the other on 12-13-79. And right in the middle of these two awesome “words of knowledge,” He impressed upon me my mission so strongly that I wrote it down—“To prepare the nation for the return of the Lord.” He gave it to me on 12-10-79. It seemed absurd to me at the time because I am just an ordinary guy struggling to survive, but I never failed to believe that it wasn’t true. Over the next fourteen years, I came to know that He had given me an “Elijah spirit”…He has called me to prepare the “bride” for the Lord’s return. He gave me the vision of the “Bride of Christ” sculpture in 1992, and I believe it is a sign of the harvest.
Sheila and I would learn from this first conversation that we had both been given over seventy-five prophecies (words of knowledge) over the past seventeen years—amazingly from different sources yet with perfect continuity. We looked forward to sharing with each other more of what God had said to us.
A billion-to-one that we would have the same prophecies over our life
I began to realize how remarkable this first conversation truly was. What are the odds that we would be sharing such incredible promises?—got to be a billion to one! But neither one of us wanted to be deceived, so we proceeded into our next conversation with great anticipation and caution. Immediately following our first phone call, I sent Sheila a “Bride of Christ” brochure which had a photo of me inside and my testimony.
I have now called Sheila a second and third time, and our conversations are now lasting about two hours. We began sharing more words from the Lord and exploring our previous lives and marriage(s). I told Sheila that I knew that my ministry would truly begin when the Lord gave me my new mate. She told me that she was also called, and the Lord had told her that her ministry could not unfold until she had the mate God had ordained for her as well. On a day between my second and third call, I was doing my daily reading in the Word and received a “rhema” word in which the Lord told me something about Sheila: “I Myself have selected…as a gift to you, dedicated to the Lord to do the work of the ministry….” (Numbers 18:6) During this same time, Sheila had also asked the Lord about me and who I was. The Lord gave Sheila the following Scripture: “which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his chambers, like a champion rejoicing to run his race.” (Psalm 19:5) We were both stunned by the revelation we had just received simultaneously.
May 13… At last, a tiny little photo
I received a photo from Sheila today; the photo is of Sheila petting her dog, Angel. I couldn’t believe my eyes! From what I could see, she truly was beautiful. Later that week, I contacted Anna to let her know that God seemed to be doing something supernatural between Sheila and me. During my call, I also told her of a medical device which I recently helped develop in a separate business I started with a business associate. Anna and her husband were excited about it and agreed to help me introduce the prototype to a medical distribution company in Dallas. We agreed that I would come to Dallas to visit with them and I could stay at their home. It was decided that they would be in town the week of July 4, and the best time to come would be July 3. So I made airline reservations and purchased my ticket for Dallas in the early part of May. I was flying into Dallas on July 3. Little did I realize that my true purpose for coming was yet to be discovered.
May 16
I awakened this morning and was inspired to write these bold words of faith concerning Sheila: Sheila, my precious gift, my beloved promise, my chosen one. I was full of faith and ready to claim the Lord’s promise. I wasn’t ready to say it directly to Sheila yet, so instead, I wrote the words as an inscription on one of my sculpture creations titled “One Flesh” and put it in the mail. I was boldly going out on my limb—via the post office.
May 19—I am calling Sheila about every four or five days now, and today I made my usual evening call. I told Sheila that the Lord inspired me to write something awesome about her but that I wasn’t ready to say it to her yet. I knew it was just too bold and too presumptuous to actually say out loud. But I had no idea of the curious energy this had unleashed. It took all of ten minutes for Sheila to coax them out of me. After I said them, I waited for her response. To my surprise, Sheila asked, “Do you really believe it was from the Lord?” I thought she took it quite well.
June 19… I lost my mind and stepped across the line!
Today we had a long and wonderful conversation. As our conversation drew to a finish, something rose up within me, and I told Sheila there was one more thing I had to tell her. Sheila responds, “And what is that?” “I love you, Sheila.” Sheila was absolutely shocked by these words and immediately responded, “Don’t say that, no not yet!” and then said goodbye and hung up. Well, I thought, “Now I’ve done it. I’ve gone too far. I’ve stepped across the line into insanity, and she’ll never want to hear from me again. But wait a minute—did she say, ‘Not yet’?”
June 21
It has been two days since my heart took charge of my mouth, and I haven’t had the courage to call her for two days. And while I was thinking the worst, Sheila was moved, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to write the following letter to me:
“Today I’m sitting and marveling with wonderment and awe at God and His love. David told me he loved me Thursday night, June 19. Excitement exploded within me but yet fear of some sort—fear that this is all too great to receive. It’s 6:10 p.m. and I’m looking at David’s “One Flesh” sculpture. The light on the endtable brings forth a depth that I’ve not seen before. God is showing me a glory on this masterpiece that only He could have created. I marvel at what God is doing in my life. The long years of waiting, believing and trusting in my God are now springing forth with a life that is glorious. I wonder if I can contain it.
“David, a man so gentle, yet he is so strong and bold. I hear his compassion. How can this vessel contain the joy that is welling up within? The Holy Spirit is showing me what He has always desired for me to have. And because I have waited, I will now see it unfold. Song of Solomon—David and I will help others to understand—not only for the natural romance between a man and woman, but the “One Flesh” sculpture which reveals a type of the man/woman (the Bride) as one prepared in Spirit—holiness—one fit for Christ, our Bridegroom, our Lover, our God.
“Glory to His name—Glory, Jesus. Send us forth, Lord Jesus, in the power of Your Spirit that all will see You as they behold us as one. ‘My soul doth magnify the Lord’ and all that is within me.”
June 24… We felt like lovesick teenagers
I could stand the suspense no longer, so I called Sheila to see if she still wanted to be my friend. To my wonderment and joy, Sheila informs me of the “word” which the Lord wrote through her. I asked her to tell me what it says. She finally agreed and read it to me. My soul did leap like a young gazelle. We have now begun to perceive and realize that God has prepared each of us in the Spirit and in the flesh for marriage—for His glory! Without ever mentioning the specific words of the marriage proposal, we began to discuss our future as man and wife. We evaluated our places and jointly recognized that I should move to Dallas to live. I would fly my children there for visits or go to Minnesota on other occasions. Sheila thought it would be a good idea if I moved to Dallas. I thought so, too. We figured I could set up an office for Rainbow Gallery Ministries and Rainbow Medical in Dallas—and that’s exactly what I did. A week later, my belongings began arriving at Sheila’s offices.
By the end of June, Sheila and I were together—via phone—every evening. We began to crave each other’s companionship—such as it was. That is when the sleepless, lovesick nights began. Imagine that; at 46 and 51 we were acting like teenagers again. At the same time, and even at the same hour, Sheila and I began to feel the pain of longing in our hearts to be with one another; and we had not even met yet! Those last few days of waiting to meet and be with each other became almost unbearable. Only by the strength of His abiding presence and love were we able to stand the final wait.
June 26
I informed my partner in Rainbow Medical that I had become engaged to Sheila in Dallas and would be moving to Texas. He understood that the business would continue there without any difficulty — God granted me total favor with my partner. I began packing all my office materials and within five days shipped the cartons to Dallas…and so our walk of faith continued.
June 27… I’m on my way to Dallas with wedding rings in my pocket
Earlier this year I had made the acquaintance of a lovely Swiss jewelry store owner named Monique. She had ordered the “Bride of Christ” sculpture to sell in her shop. I had kept my friend Monique abreast of our supernatural encounter. As I was preparing for my trip, Monique called me and told me to come over and pick out my wedding rings. “They are a gift to you from the Lord,” she explained. Monique gave me the finest matching wedding bands in her beautiful store as a gift to the ministry. The wedding bands added a new dynamic to my arrival in Dallas, and I prayed that the Lord would reveal the right moment to present the rings.
I packed my travel bags—complete with two beautiful wedding rings chosen by the Father. Thank You, Father! Per Monique’s suggestion, I placed each ring in its own little jewelry box and placed our respective photos over each ring so that when you opened the box you would first see a photo. Beneath, in the recess, rests the ring.
July 1
The last of my belongings are shipped to Dallas. My heart prepares to meet my beloved…my Song of Solomon.
July 3… What a glorious prayer!
I have boarded my plane and am now on my way to Dallas. As the plane began its final approach, I closed my eyes, raised my hands and began to pray. The anointing of the Holy Spirit came upon me, and I began to pray an awesome prayer. It was so glorious that I marveled at the words. I can hardly do justice now to what was actually said, but my prayer was something like this:
“Heavenly Father, I pray that when our eyes meet, it will begin a supernatural union that will pour forth from this place into all the world. I pray our eyes will see only Your sublime beauty which dwells within each of us—and we will become one in You. We shall become one soul, one spirit, one heart, one breath, one life with one voice—sharing the heart of the Father. We shall walk one path—hand in hand—for the glory of God.”
My eyes scanned the terminal for those beautiful eyes
As I waited for the plane to land, I reflected on the prayer I prayed for months during my worship times in the shower. I walked off the plane and appeared in the receiving area. I panned the room until my eyes beheld the most beautiful face I’d ever seen. Sheila was radiant. Her face was aglow with joyful anticipation. Her eyes—those “loving eyes”—danced with vitality and sparkled in the bright daylight. Her bright smile must have lit the room because it was all that I could see—she was absolutely beautiful! I stopped in my tracks almost in unbelief. Then I resumed my walk to her, and as we met, we embraced with a hug so grand and glorious that I felt like my heart would stop. Surely this was a foretaste of the rapture…I was halfway to Heaven, and I hadn’t even left my body yet!
As I stepped back to see her face, I realized that this beautiful woman looked like she was still in her twenties! God had kept His promise in her life…“He renews my youth.” She wore an elegant black jumpsuit with golden studs—it will always be my favorite.
Could it be God sent two angels to greet us?
As we walked toward the baggage claim area, I was so joyful and happy that I began kidding about how I must be dreaming. So I asked two women who were passing by to pinch me—just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. One of them smiled and obliged me. As she reached out and pinched my arm, her companion said the strangest thing. This very tall woman looked at the two of us and said, “We heard about you two.” Then the two of them continued on, while Sheila and I looked at each other in wonderment. “What did she say?” I queried. “What did she mean that she heard about us two?” I probably would have entertained the puzzlement longer, but at that time, we couldn’t think about anything else but the awe and wonder of each other. Could it be that the Lord sent two angels to the airport to greet us?
Thank you, Father. Glory, glory, glory, glory, glory, glory, glory to Your Holy name!