He’s An On-Time God:  A Lesson On Faith – How An Audition With The Dottie Peoples Chorale Taught Me A Lesson About Faith and About God

By John Calloway Jackson
Special To Gospel Revelations

It was the summer of 1998 and I was living and working in Georgia.  I had rented an apartment in downtown Atlanta in a housing complex called Capitol Homes.  One day I was listening to the radio and heard an announcement about an upcoming open-call audition.  The Dottie Peoples Chorale was looking for background singers.  The audition was being held in Decatur, Georgia which was a town that was quite  far from where I lived.  I was new to Georgia and didn’t even know where Decatur was.  I asked one of my co-workers could she give me a ride to the audition.  She agreed.  But, warned me that she couldn’t give me a ride back home.  I  look at her in fear, “But Dawn how am I going to get back home.  I don’t know anyone in that part of town and there are no buses at that time of night which can take me back home.”  She looked at me for a minute and then said, “Have faith, the Bible says, “Without faith it’s impossible to please God,”  She then said, “I bet you If you go to that audition, you will meet someone and they will give you a ride back home right to your door,”  I stopped and began to think for a minute.  Maybe Dawn was right, what I needed was more faith.

So she took me to the audition, and as I watched her car disappear in the distance, I stood for a minute before going inside.  I glanced once again as Dawn’s car could no longer be seen in the distance.  A funny feeling came over me, how was I going to get home?  In my heart I wanted to believe what Dawn had said, but there still was a feeling of uncertainty ---Did I really have enough faith to trust God to make a way for me?

Later that night, after I had auditioned I sat down next to a girl and we began to talk.  It wasn’t long before she told me that she was a resident of Capitol Homes, which was where I was living.  I couldn’t believe it.  She then looked at me and said “How did you get to this audition, do you need a ride home,”  I had to take a minute to think, Dawn was right and God’s word was true. God was providing for me all along.   Did God know all along that I would audition and then meet someone who would give me a ride home?  I guess it was true, God really does know our lives from the beginning and the end.

I didn’t get a call back from The Dottie People’s Chorale, which I admit was a disappointment, but what I did get that night was a lesson on faith and a lesson about God’s provision.   And now every time I hear Dottie People’s signature tune, “He’s An On-Time God,” I can truly say yes he is ---- God always provides for his children and he’s always on time.