Talking with 30-year-old “prayer warrior” and medical doctor, Bradley Rolle, was a mood-altering experience.
One of those persons who just lifts your spirit with the simplicity of their faith in God, his mantra is: “If God is for me, who can be against me?”
Bradley Rolle grew up in a single parent household and was raised by his mother and God-fearing grandmother. “It was purely God’s love and mercy that kept me from going over the edge time and again as I tried to cope with the fact that my father was missing from my life,” he admitted. “It deeply affected me not having him around and I constantly wondered why he wasn’t interested in me, especially when I saw my school mates with their dads.”
Bradley disclosed that it wasn’t immediately clear to him as the only child for his mother why his father was absent from his life, but whatever the reason, the pain was always there when he thought about him. Who was this man that had played his fair share in causing him to be born and yet had failed to maintain a relationship with him? Bradley didn’t know him; yet, without a doubt, he unconditionally loved him.
He remembers that as a student he would work excessively at excelling. Whether it was in sports, music, or academics, he always desired the approval and affirmation from his father. He used to think that if he was bright enough, studied hard enough, and did well, then maybe he would love and be proud of him. Perhaps as much as he did his other two children who resided with him overseas.
IT’S A THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND…
But the situation never improved and as the youngster transitioned from his teen years into young adulthood, he began resenting his father in order to cope with his pain and brokenness.
“My mother never spoke ill of him,” he said. “She always encouraged me to reach out, but I did not yield until I was 26 years old. I was about to get married and the LORD convicted me to invite my father to my wedding.
“As an intercessor, I am accustomed to being up from midnight to around 3 a.m. praying (when I am not at work), and I remember that leading up to the wedding, I wrestled a lot with the decision to call my dad. When I realized that God would not stop prompting me, I decided to concede.”
Making that first step to start a family was a once-in-a-lifetime event for me, and over time, I felt that I should obtain my father’s blessing if I could. Was I still angry with him? Sure, plus I was secretly afraid that if I exposed myself like that to him, he might decide to reject the invitation.
“NO, IT MUST BE DONE AT CHURCH”
It was during 5th form year at Wolmer’s High School for Boys, that Bradley officially gave his life to the LORD. A group of his friends had decided to attend a Christian camp at Moorlands in Manchester and he decided to attend.
Mesmerized by the Word and the intensity with which he saw some persons praying, he came under conviction at that camp. “I was struck! It was at that moment I knew I was called to be an intercessor. I called my mother and told her I wanted to get baptized, but she said, ‘No, it must be done in a church!’”
So, that October, after attending new Believers’ class, he was baptized at Boulevard Baptist, after which he started to participate in mote youth-related activities at church. “I had been attending this assembly all my life, but something changed after I became a Christian,” he stated. “I was excited to hear the Scriptures, to learn and mature in my walk, and to tell others what they were missing out on.”
THE REVEALTION
“I was very green in terms of my Christianity and the Bible,” Bradley said. “It took me a full year to really understand what I had been drawn into, and this came through a revelation I had of Jesus through a dream.
“I dreamt one night that I was in a large sea of people who were gathered in front of a mountain. Something was coming up from the ground, an oddly-shaped figure with 8 or 9 feet, looking like a demi-god. And the people were saying, “It’s Jesus, It’s Jesus. We have to worship it.”
“Somehow, I knew they were mistaken, and I began to holler, “No, that’s not Jesus. Stop it! Don’t worship it! It’s not Jesus!” Then I heard a cracking sound, and the heavens opened and from it emerged a white horse and someone was on it, descending towards us. Around Him seemed to be millions of angels, and His eyes were like raging fire. His hair was white and a light shone around Him.
“I started shouting, “Jesus! It’s Jesus!” and when the people realized who He was and began calling Him, too, He quieted them and, said, “Depart from me!”
Bradley said at that point, he jumped out of his sleep hyperventilating, and terrified. He had never had a dream that seemed so real! Grabbing his Bible, he ran to his mother, crying “We need to pray! Mom, we need to pray!” His mother, not yet a Believer, calmed him down and called her sister who by this was taking care of their mother.
A strong Believer, his auntexplained what had happened, concluding with, “Bradley just had a spiritual encounter with the LORD. Things will be different for him now.”
It was some time after that He read the last book in the Bible and discovered that what he had seen in his dream was clearly outlined in the book of Revelation.
RESPONDING TO THE INVITATION
“As I matured, I knew I was not short of love, but deep inside there was still that little boy that was waiting on his father’s love and affection,” Bradley continued. “After much prayer and fasting and badgering from God, I invited my father to my wedding, and much to my surprise, he and his family rsvp’d! I was NOT expecting that!”
“When he came to Jamaica, we had a long conversation and for the first time, I realized that the same emotions I had felt about feeling unloved were the same emotions my dad was experiencing and it took a leap of faith to break down the wall.”
By God’s grace, Bradley and his father re-connected and it was the beginning of a new and beautiful relationship as father and son.
“I often see God’s story in my story. How He reached out as Father and called me into sonship. How he has invited me to the marriage supper of the Lamb and How He has broken down my wall,” the young doctor confessed.
“It was not an easy process. I accepted Jesus at 16 years old and reconciled with my earthly father at 26. In those 10 years, there were many difficulties, but I learnt what it meant to be a son. Instead of focusing on what I thought I didn’t have in a father, God taught me to embrace who I was and what I did have in Him. I was a son! I was His son, and He was my Father.
“As I responded to the invitation and devoted myself to my Heavenly Father, the better things became with my earthly one. The more I sought God’s kingdom was the more He added to my lot.
Little did I know this was just the beginning…so many more storms and blessings were awaiting me around the corner…”
Tune in next week for Part 2 of this “love story.”