A Miracle for Jim
Jim, one of our members at Hayward Wesleyan Church, had a pancreas transplant last week.
It's mystifying, really. Through the death of a young Utah man, and the kind generosity of his family, Jim will have a new life.
Everything was going well until Sunday morning. Just before I was going up to preach, someone came to me with an urgent message. Jim was not doing well. He had a fever of 104, and there was serious concern about his body rejecting the new organ. We stopped and had a special prayer for Jim in the middle of our three worship services.
Monday, I called the hospital. Pandora, his wife, answered the phone. "How's Jim doing?"
"Great! Really Great!" she replied. "We heard that you prayed for us during the worship services. Well, guess what?? At each service, while you were praying, his temperature went down a degree or two! By the time the 11:00 people had finished praying, it was down to 99!"
It's mystifying, really. Through the death of a young Utah man, and the kind generosity of his family, Jim will have a new life.
Everything was going well until Sunday morning. Just before I was going up to preach, someone came to me with an urgent message. Jim was not doing well. He had a fever of 104, and there was serious concern about his body rejecting the new organ. We stopped and had a special prayer for Jim in the middle of our three worship services.
Monday, I called the hospital. Pandora, his wife, answered the phone. "How's Jim doing?"
"Great! Really Great!" she replied. "We heard that you prayed for us during the worship services. Well, guess what?? At each service, while you were praying, his temperature went down a degree or two! By the time the 11:00 people had finished praying, it was down to 99!"
I am glad that Jim is doing better and my heart goes out the the Utah family.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that puzzles me is How does God decide which prayers he answers and which one he does not.
The mother and family in Utah must be pondering this question right now. I am sure that it is not because of something they did or did not do in their life.
I have had numerious times in my life prayed that a life be saved,
and it did not happen.
It is happening right now to a close relative of mine. She has cancer and is refusing to take the Dr. advice to operate and refusing to take Cemo instead she wants to let the Lord heal her.
Her faith may be great and her motive pure, but I am willing to bet she will die because of it.
Not because of lack of faith, but because of her narrow view on how God can work.
I am glad tht Jim let the Dr. along with the Lord help him.
I have prayed that unjust and unchristian acts be stopped, and the people doing them be able to see what they were doing is wrong.
That also does not seem to happen.
Maybe if he had answered my plea to stop the unjust acts, he would not have time to answer Jim's prayer to save his life.
Does someone prayer for the Lord to save their soul have priority over some one prayer to save their life and does someones prayer to save their life have priority over someones prayer to stop unjust acts.
I am sure that many Mothers with son's and daughters in Irack would like an answer to this.
Hummm.
I KNOW JUST WHAT YOU MEAN WALT!
ReplyDeleteThank you Walt for your comments. I am also having a difficult time with how God answers prayer. A mother stood in the court house praising God that her prayers were answered. She was thankful that my son was going to prison for a crime he did not commit. Why did God not answer my prayer that justice be done???????
ReplyDeleteI also know what you mean.
ReplyDeleteThat is the difficult challenge, isn't it? Sometimes, we see direct answers to prayer -- and are amazed. At other times, we pray, and it turns out the opposite way we had hoped. I believe it is important to keep praying -- but then to trust God with the results.