The Power of Prayer and The Healing Hand of God!

I have a friend at work (Laura), who has a friend in the hospital (Norma), who is dying from cancer. Another co-worker (Jackie)knows about the situation with Norma, and asked Laura if she could go and pray for her. Laura said "sure, that would be great." With that, Jackie asked me if I would like to go with her to the hospital and pray for Norma.I told her, "of course I'll go with you." So we made plans to go to the hospital right after work. In the mean time I learn that Norma's daugter had been trying to get a temporary visa so she could come and visit her mom. She hadn't seen her in over 12 years. Laura found out earlier that day, that the daughter was granted a weeks stay so she could visit her mom. Hallelujah, right! The end of the work day comes (Monday), and Jackie and I ride over to the hospital together. We walk up to Norma's room and find Laura already there. She was extremely happy too see us. We asked her if it was alright to go in and start praying for Norma. She told us to hold on a minute, went in the room and then came back out and said it was alright to enter. So we go in, and there was Norma laying in the bed with her children beside her. She was unable to move, see or talk. She was only able to hear. She could squeeze your hand to let you know that she had heard you. She was pretty much on her death bed. The doctor's didn't give her much of a chance to make it much longer. So there we were, all around the bed. Norma's family is Mexican. Jackie is Puerto Rican, and I'm a white dude. Jackie takes Norma's hand and starts praying for her in Spanish. When she is finished, I start praying for her in English. I didn't understand a word that she said and I'm pretty sure that the family didn't understand a thing that I said. But that's alright because prayer is an international language. When finished praying, we say goodbye and head back to work so Jackie can drop me off. The family is very grateful that we came to pray for someone that we don't even know. We told them, "we don't know Norma, but we know Laura". On Wednesday of that same week, I ask Laura how Norma is doing. She proceeds to tell me that she had started moving around and trying to get up. She was thrashing around so much, that they had to sedate her. I began to thank God for what Laura had just told me. Friday comes and I ask again how Norma is doing. Laura whipped out her phone and showed me a picture. It was a picture of Norma laying in the bed, reaching up and wrapping her arm around her daughter and giving her a kiss. I couldn't believe my eyes! I began to praise The Lord for her miraculous recovery. What a change since we saw her on Monday. The next Monday rolled around, so once again I asked Laura about Norma. She told me that she was able to eat solid food for the first time since entering the hospital. Not only that, she was able to talk. She asked for pancakes and told her daughter that she loved her. WHAT?? Praise The Lord once again. Hallelujah! Wow, in a weeks time, she went from being comatose to eating and talking. The doctors chalked it up to her daughter being here and giving her motovation to get better. That could be a little bit of it. But Jackie and I are like, "That's GOD!" So today (Wednesday), when I get to work, both Laura and Jackie are almost jumping up and down with excitement. They couldn't wait to show me new pictures of Norma. Laura gets out her phone and shows me the two pictures she took of Norma. One shows her sitting on the side of the bed. The other one shows her sitting on the side of the bed with her giving the thumbs up sign. They were so giddy and it made me giddy. What a great God we serve. I was praising Him and thanking Him. It made my whole day. I walked around on a cloud the rest of the day. To see God's miracles happening first hand. Oh my!! Again the doctors give credit to her daughter being there. But you can't ignore God's healing hand upon her. He has raised her up, out of that bed. For how long we don't know. If it's for a month, a year, 40 years, doesn't matter. Give all the glory to Him! She has gotten so much better, that she is moving back to Mexico with her daughter later this week. So I dare your to tell me that prayer doesn't work. That God doesn't heal. He is still in the healing buisness. Still performing miracles. AMEN!!

I WILL!

Six years ago today (10-11-08) a pastor stood in front of me and asked me a very important question. "Do you take Leigh as your lawfully wedded wife?" "If you do, say I will." My response of course was "I will." I have been thinking about this. What does I will mean? In a mariage. This is what I will means to me and our marriage. TO LEIGH I WILL, Love you unconditionally, through the good times and the bad. Take care of you when you are sick. Cherish you. Adore you. Provide for you. Protect you. Treat you as my equal. Share my dreams with you. Take you by the hand and walk with you through this crazy thing called life. Tell you that I love you every chance that I get. Dance with you. Embrace you. Kiss you. Marry you all over again. I will do all of these things and more that I am sure that I am forgetting about. God knew what He was doing when He brought us together. I thank God everyday for you. You are an amazing wife and I am blessed to be married to you.