Stories of God at work

A personal testimony (following our 12 July healing service and seminar):

My father had been diagnosed with Vascular Dementia 4 years ago.  I myself have ME / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I spend a very quiet life at home where I care for my father.

Thursday 12th July started out like any other morning. Breakfast, confusion and pills. Then onto my father’s repetitive fixation of the day: on one of the hottest days of the year and it was to keep closing all the doors and windows!  

I was exhausted come Thursday evening, It had been one hell of a dementia-fuelled day, but I really wanted to go and hear John Woolmer plus I had offered to drive a couple of friends along. I’d not been to anything like it before, but the whole evening was totally brilliant. It was so good to hear all the stories of healing that he had witnessed over the years around the world. I thought how wonderful it must be for the peoples whose lives had been touched by God. It was a thoroughly uplifting service all round.

Towards the end of the evening, we went forward and patiently waited for our turn to be prayed for - if there were any miracles to be had we were in the queue and not going to miss out!

I was not ready for what happened next. I did not even know what I wanted to receive prayer for. I sat down and talked about my fear of not being physically strong enough to look after my father. I wanted to hold him and tell him he would always be safe, to know that he would never be frightened. He was terrified of ever having to go into a home. I had always promised my parents I would take care of them both in their later years. I had made a promise to keep them safe, but could I keep this promise? Dear God help me to keep this promise! Dear God please give me the strength I need to look after those I love...

The people praying for me invited me to lay all my concerns before the Lord and to lay them down before the cross. In my mind’s eye, I saw a small neat grass lawn with a cross planted in it. I emptied my head onto that lawn before the cross. We then prayed that my father might have peace from day-to-day and then the couple praying for me prayed for my health. They prayed that I would have better sleep (I don't sleep unless I take tablets, but I'd not mentioned this to them). One of them placed their hand on my neck (I have sharp neck pains, but I'd not mentioned this). The prayers went on all around me. I was invited to open my palms upwards and receive the Lord. My tears fell but they were tears of lightness, gratefulness and ease.

I was encouraged to pray in my father's room when I went home that night: to ask the Lord to keep him safe and to care for him. I don't know where my prayers came from but they seemed stronger and much deeper than any before. I cried. My tears flooded out uncontrollably.  I held my arms up in the air and wept for love and healing to be blessed upon my father. I peacefully made the sign of the cross on his pillow. It seemed the right thing to do. Then I calmly went downstairs to join the family.

That next morning I met my Father coming out of his bathroom. He had washed, shaved and dressed himself and all his buttons were done up correctly! He smiled his cheeky smile at me! It was him again! His "Good morning" greeting was energised and had a confident tone that dispelled any of its usual confusion.  My father was back appearing to me as his old self. He continued to go downstairs, pour out his Frosties and sat happily eating his breakfast with an amazing confident air about him. 

For myself, I felt calmer, lighter, more confident and pain free. I had a strong sense that all was going to be fine. My father had appeared to me that morning as if the clocks had been turned back several years and I truly believe I received my miracle.The Lord will look after my father and I will be able to keep my promise.

The day remained a good one, however the next day had all its usual ups and downs of living with dementia. But I had had my miracle and I now live in peace knowing we are both in God’s embrace and will be fine. I did also have several good nights sleep without the aid of pills!!

Although it was a week ago now, I know it happened and I am better and stronger for it. I now fear nothing about my father's illness and have a strong reassurance all will be well and I will cope. I am greedy to understand more. I look forward to growing in confident with Christ. Praise be to God!