Today at work I got this elderly customer on the phone who was asking about some of the programs we offer for people with medical conditions. I easily helped him and sent him out the application when he tells me why he needs the help. He tells me that his wife has a form of senile dementia which is making her brain slowly deteriorate and that he is praying for a miracle. My immediate response was, well thats what God is in the business of doing. He asked me if I was a Christian and when I told him yes he responds by praising God that i’m his brother in Christ. He continues to tell me about his wives condition. She is basically in a hospital bed 24/7 drugged up to keep her calm. She cant speak or do anything on her own, a hospice nurse comes twice a day to take care of her and that there is nothing he can do but pray.
We proceed to have a half hour conversation about Jesus. He tells me about how he makes it a point to tell every person he meets about Jesus. He explains how its not about them receiving it at that moment but that we are planting seeds. We talk at length about how there is nothing we can do to contribute to our salvation……that Jesus being crucified on a cross was enough to pay for our sin. We talked about how Jesus healed people in the gospels, we talked about the day of Pentecost in Acts, we talked about how we have received that same Spirit. He walked me through several parts of scripture telling me about Jesus. He told me stories from his childhood and his experiences in life when the spirit of God moved and how bad this country needs a revival.
Several times he broke down crying when thinking about his dear wife. He expressed his deep trust in Jesus and that he is praying for a miracle. He went into details about his deep love for his wife. He talked about how his love for his wife has become deeper and that he has that agape love for his wife after being married for 56 years. With tears he tells me how he looks at his wife right now, with her being completely incoherent, and that he is more in love with her right now than at any point in his life. He so badly wants his wife to be well and knows that Jesus is the only one that can heal her. It broke my heart.
I broke down in tears sitting at my desk feeling helpless but at the same time feeling so encouraged. Here is this 86 year old man pouring his heart out to someone he doesn’t know. He preached the gospel to me and got me so excited, it brought joy in my heart like it was the first time I had heard it. He shared his wisdom and knowledge with me. Most of all he has run a long race in 86 years of serving Jesus and has persevered. I still stand in awe and I am so inspired by his faithfulness. These are the kind of men I take the time to read books about, just hoping to get a glimpse of how Jesus transformed their lives. Talking to him makes me want to be a better man. It deepened my desire to be a faithful and loving husband when I meet that lovely woman I get to call my wife. I want to love her like that. I want to serve her like that. I want to be one with her like that. I want to be her best friend like that. After talking to him I am a different person. As I go to bed tonight I am not the same man I was when I woke up this morning. Jesus invaded my heart yet again.
He asked me to pray for his wife and to have my church pray for her. Her name is *******and his name is *********. As I pray for complete healing and restoration for her body I ask that you would pray with me. It requires faith and this man has faith unlike anyone I have ever met. He walked me through Matthew 8:5-13 explaining the faith of the centurion and all I could think about was how he has the same faith. He also asked that we would pray for his left knee because it has been bothering him to the point that he now has to use a cane. Thank you brothers and sisters for standing along side this faithful man of God to pray for a miracle.
awakenosleeper 