remembrance

Today I went to visit my dear friend down the path. He is the one I wrote about in August. After a serious car accident, his spine was crushed in many places and he is currently paralyzed from the waist down. After a few weeks in the hospital he accepted Christ. He is now back at home after months in the hospital and his spirit is inspiring, his faith unwavering.

We walked down the dirt road, passing families making dinner, ladies washing clothes, chickens, goats, more goats and then to his house. It was such a nice afternoon, talking to him, spending time with his family. We talked about his day, his family, my family, work, but inevitably came back to his "situation", his paralysis.

I would just like to say this and bear in mind, I am saying it to myself. In 2 Timothy 1:6 Paul tells Timothy to bring in to remembrance the faithfulness of God. I was thinking about that this morning, making a literal list of all the ways God has shown himself faithful to me in the past 25 years; that time I was 2 and almost died, the time I broke my foot and God healed it, the time I needed $1500 for India in 2 days and received $1800, the time I was unemployed and didn't have money for food or rent or gas and God provided every day in every way, the time I was believing for an international job and moved to Haiti, etc etc etc. The more I wrote, the more that came to mind of the goodness of God, His hand always on me, His plan for my life, and His love for me. I felt foolish for facing my challenges now with such discouragement and impatience. How could I forget what He is capable of? How can I not see His continued faithfulness in light of His past faithfulness? He is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever more; I am convinced of this. And I am convinced that His promises hold true for us as they did for those we read about. That His healing is for us now (1 Peter 2:24), His protection (Psalm 91), His love, goodness chasing us (Psalm 23) in every aspect of our lives. ONLY good comes from Him and He is working everything out for those who love Him, who abide in Him. (John 15, Romans 8:28)

I have regressed. But this faith I describe is the faith of my friend. It grows in him daily, regardless of paralysis, regardless of what the doctors have told him. He believes he will walk again. And I do too. So pray for my friend. He doesn't have a church, Kenneth Copeland tapes or books on authority and healing and promises. He has one Bible and the Holy Spirit. Yet his faith is immense. And according to the Bible enough to move mountains. Pray for encouragement, strength, healing, abundance of joy in the hardship.

And as you pray for his faith, stir up yours. Write down what God has been for you. Choose to look at past victories and envision the future ones. Trust that His faithfulness continues each day, He may not do it the same, but He will do it. His word says it.