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"God, you know my heart, and you know my needs. All I really want to do is please you, to serve you, and to know you deeper, no matter what it costs."

I have often prayed those words in my life, but it was the summer of 1989 when God gave me a unique opportunity to fulfill that desire.

I was one of several Christian musicians taking part in the first-ever, Soviet-sanctioned Christian music festival, sponsored by Youth for Christ. We were scheduled to perform four concerts in three days in Talin, Estonia.

Taking off from Nashville, I made myself comfortable for the long overseas flight. The roaring jet engine couldn't drown out the still, small voice of God testing my obedience.

"Remember, Bruce, I own all that you have. I want you to give away your guitar in the Soviet Union."

My acoustic, six-stringed Takamine guitar was safely stowed with the luggage in the cargo section. At $600, it was the nicest guitar I had ever owned. Everyone who heard it or played it thought it was touched by God.

I tried to ignore the voice, but the words kept repeating in my mind as we continued our flight, "I want you to give away your guitar in the Soviet Union."

It seemed a radical request. Why would God want my guitar? Immediately, Luke 11:28 came to mind—"Jesus said, 'Blessed are those who hear the word of the Lord and obey it.'"

"How could this message be from you, Lord?" I asked. "You know I need my guitar for the ministry you called me to."

The voice persisted. "I want you to give away your guitar in the Soviet Union."

I turned to my wife, Nikki, and said, "Honey, I think I'm supposed to give away my guitar in the Soviet Union."

"That would bring honor to the Lord," Nikki replied without hesitation. "It may be God's way of providing an instrument for the people over there to use in worship."

Her matter-of-fact answer confirmed for me that God was speaking to my heart. Still, I was uncomfortable with the idea. How was I supposed to carry it out? I imagined myself walking up to a stranger on a street corner, handing him my guitar, and then running away.

Nikki's voice brought me back. "Bruce, everything you have is on loan from God anyway. If you can admit that your guitar really was never yours to start with, it should be a lot easier to give back to him."

I knew she was right. But why was it such a struggle? Yes, I had told God I was willing to serve him no matter what the cost. Did I mean it? I needed my precious guitar. Could I trust God to provide for me?

"Okay, God, if you really want me to do this, please give me another sign. Give me a burning bush or at least make it crystal-clear to me." I wanted to believe I was willing to give up my guitar. But I'd have felt a lot more confident going into this knowing the specifics.

Watching God work
After we arrived in Finland, we got on a ferry for the three-hour voyage across the Baltic Sea. Standing on the deck of the ferry, we watched Soviet patrol boats cruise by. Still, we had a sense of peace, trusting that God was in control.

The unsettling presence of the KGB at the arena couldn't be dismissed—they sold the tickets and collected them at the door. However, once the concerts began, there was an air of freedom, and the Lord opened many hearts. Seventeen thousand people attended the concerts, Bibles were distributed, and thousands gave their lives to Jesus Christ. I had never before been involved in anything like it. I was humbled that God used me to bring the gospel to another part of the world—to people who spoke another language, and lived another life, yet desired freedom and the right to know God.

	God's storehouse is filled with blessings (and guitars) I never knew existed.

After our last concert, the performers, local stage hands, and YFC staff gathered backstage, hugging, crying, and saying our goodbyes. The road master announced we would be leaving in 30 minutes.

At that moment, I realized I still had my guitar. "Lord, I know you asked me to give away my guitar. I really do want to be obedient, but you haven't led me to give it away. Perhaps you just wanted to see if I would be obedient?"

With a growing sense of relief, I continued, "You know my heart. Are you going to let me keep my guitar because of the obedience you knew I would have shown?"

Time for obedience
Just then an Estonian man—part of the local YFC staff—approached me. In broken English, he said, "I have been wanting to share something with you all day."

His next words were the ones I had anticipated. "Your interpreter, Peter, leads praise and worship for his church and he has been praying for five years for an acoustic guitar. I thought you ought to know."

As he turned to leave, he added, "Isn't God good? He knows our hearts and all of our needs."

My heart pounded. My immediate response was to thank God for his faithfulness, though I still harbored a seed of doubt. Maybe this is just a coincidence, I rationalized as I walked across the stage toward Peter. Maybe this really isn't God; it's just me wanting it to be God.

Suddenly, the Old Testament story of Jonah flashed through my mind—only it was me on the bow of a Baltic ship. I saw myself, clutching my guitar as waves crashed over the sides of the boat, splashing me with salt water. The captain was running frantically around the ship, yelling, "Someone has something he's not supposed to have … who is it?"

In my vision, I tried to hide my guitar behind me, but the crew pointed and shouted, "There he is! Throw him overboard!"

Now it was my time to run—straight to Peter. The words poured out as I handed him the instrument. "This guitar is for you … the case, the strings, the picks, the straps … everything that has to do with this guitar. God wants you to have it all!"

I didn't have to say anything more. We both had tears in our eyes, amazed at God's blessings. With a final hug, I hurried off to catch my ride back to the ferry.

Now what?
Two weeks after I returned home, I reminded God of an upcoming concert. "I know I don't need to tell you—because you already know—but I'm going to need another guitar or some money to buy one." I felt confident God would provide what I needed, although once again, I didn't know how it would happen.

A few days later, the phone rang. An unfamiliar voice asked, "Is this Bruce Carroll, the gospel singer?"

"Yes."

"I'm calling from the Gibson Guitar Company. We'd like to make some inroads into gospel music by way of an endorsement."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"We'd like to give you a guitar," the man replied.

"Seriously? What kind of guitar do you want to give me?"

"Any one you want."

"Then, I'll take the top of the line!"

"No problem. It's on its way," he replied.

Within the week, the Gibson Guitar Company sent me a black, J200 Gibson guitar valued at $3,000!

One month after receiving this brand-new guitar, an acquaintance called me. "Bruce," he said, "I was leading worship this morning and felt the Lord saying, 'I want you to give your guitar to Bruce Carroll.' It's a Martin D28 worth about $3,500."

I was stunned, especially since I knew this man didn't know what had happened in Estonia. Then I heard some familiar words as he added, "God told me to give you the case, the strings, the picks, the straps … everything that has to do with that guitar."

"How do you know it's God asking you to do this?" I asked.

"I know the Shepherd's voice. When I told God I was going to give you my guitar, an amazing thing happened. A stranger came up to me right after church and gave me his guitar. And it's better than the one I'm giving you."

Since receiving the second guitar, I have been given nine others—most of which I've prayerfully given away. God is good. He knows my heart and all my needs. When he gives, he gives abundantly.

God's storehouse is filled with blessings (and guitars) that I never knew existed until I gave back to him what had been on loan to me from the start.

A Christian Reader original article.

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