Miracles and other answers to prayer
A miracle at 3 am
May Lemke was 52 years old when the phone call came. ‘We have a 6 month abandoned baby. He’s mentally retarded and without eyes, has cerebral palsy and is totally unresponsive to sight and touch. He’ll die soon, but will you take him while he lives?”
May’s response was quick and firm. “If I take him he won’t die. I’ll take him.”
She bathed him, cuddled him for hours, talked to him and sang to him; but there was no movement, no response.
May prayed. She wept. She asked God for a miracle. Everyone tried to discourage her but May knew that one day Leslie would break out of prison. Finally at sixteen, Leslie stood with the help of a fence they had built for him. Once May noticed his finger plucking a string. Was it a clue? Music!
From then on, the house was full of music. May and her husband bought an old piano and put it in his room. She pressed his fingers against the keys to show they could make sounds. Leslie remained totally unresponsive.
The miracle happened in the winter of 1971. At 3am the music began to play. May and her husband found Leslie seated at the piano playing a Tchaikovsky piece perfectly. May fell to her knees and thanked God.
It took 19 years of love, patience, faith and courage to tap into the hidden potential in Leslie. In each of our lives there is hidden potential. It takes this same enviroment of love, patience and perseverance to bring out the best in each other. Many of us in our wedding vows spoke the words, “I promise to love you, to cherish you…” One of the meanings of this word cherish is to ‘warm with body heat’ - just like a mother hen sitting on her eggs before they break out of their shell. In this enviroment of warmth, acceptance and love we’re free to grow, to break out, to try new things.
Look for the hidden potential in your partner, your child, your friend. Give them heaps of encouragement, hugs, love and warmth and watch them grow. By Brian Andrew
A bicycle riding answer to prayer. Colourful - Dave Longworth
One day in what I think was early 2002, very foolishly I went riding at night without lights to an unfamiliar area. The result: I ended up with a panic attack, cold and lost with no easy way of getting home. So I sat outside a shop until they closed and took the chair I was sitting on inside. In my fear and despair I started to cry. I didn’t know what to do but after trying to ring my earthly father from a public phone to no avail I spoke to my heavenly father in prayer. I asked God for a miracle and he gave me one. As I finished praying a policeman walked around the corner and he asked me how I was. I said I’m having a panic attack, through tears running down my face. He questioned what I meant to which I said I’m mentally ill and I’m sick now. He promised to come back in five minutes as he had a job up the street. He did come back soon with another policeman and a police van and they drove me home in the back of it with my bike. I couldn’t do anything but Praise God and thank these two “angels”. As I got out of the back of the paddy wagon I wondered what the neighbours thought but didn’t really care. I am reminded of the verse…”Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers for some who have done this have entertained angels without realising it” Hebrews 13:2.