Matthew 19:26

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, 

but with God all things are possible.”

 

I asked Jesus to come into my heart at age12. Garth accepted Him at 22. His family of origin was divorce and drunkenness, mine was mental illness. Not that unusual really, when you peak under the covers of most heathen families. But God was good even then, because He planted our heathen families next door to the godly, and unknown to us as children, the godly prayed.

 

As newlyweds, we had fire insurance– just enough Jesus to keep us out of hell should we die. But neither of us knew that unless Jesus was first, the hell that couldn’t touch us after death, would surely seek to destroy our lives before death.

 

At 3.5 years of marriage, we separated. The baggage we had carried into this relationship was insurmountable, and we were each overwhelmed with the pain and emotions that follow problems with no solutions. Our world was what we could see, and we knew there was nothing visible that could help us. And so, my angry husband, and me, the fed-up wife, parted ways, almost unaware of the 2 little boys that called us mommy and daddy.

 

As I look back, throughout our childhood and young adult years, I can see that God had placed godly souls amongst us both. They were neighbors, peers, customers, and these souls had been praying for us over a decade. From the outside, they were just ordinary people. But on the inside, they were warriors who took the unseen battle seriously; they prayed, and God heard.

 

A month into our separation, Garth surrendered his life to Jesus Christ. Enough had become enough, and he folded, but he folded into the arms of his Savior. And those who had been praying came alongside him, and he followed them to church. He was loved, he was discipled, and he learned to trust God.

 

As Garth began to couple his love for me with the love of Christ, my heart melted, and I realized there was hope. So, with godly sorrow, I confessed my sin and waywardness to Jesus, and those who tended to Garth’s soul now nourished mine as well.

 

Our church was our life-line and we were there often, soaking up every word our pastor preached, attending prayer meetings, Bible studies, fellowship gatherings, and potlucks. God was filling us up, and we no longer looked like the prior Garth and Belinda. Were we perfect? No, but we were not the same. The eyes of our souls had awakened and we were finally letting Him do for us, what He was sent to do– to forgive our sins, set us free, and love us first, so we could love Him back and then love others.

 

Our community was small, and we’d lived there since we were toddlers, so the change in our lives was seen by many. Jesus had shown us great mercy and we were thankful. We had hope and there was no way we could keep quiet about it.

Our peers, neighbors, co-workers, parents, siblings and their spouses were struck with the ‘deer in the headlights’ effect. Jesus, living in us had made such a difference, that those who knew us either followed us to church or watched us carefully from a distance. But we took note & special attention; wrote their names on a list and prayed for each one daily. All those mentioned above, plus acquaintances, were on that list. We tried hard to not miss anyone, for you see, when those who are in the darkest of despair, those who have no hope, are graciously scooped up by the hand of God because someone prayed for them, a gratefulness is born that ignites a fire in the soul, and you know the importance of prayer because it literally saved your life. Jesus is real, and prayer is how you communicate with Him. It really is that simple and it does work!

 

Praise God, many names on that list soon had lines drawn through them, signifying they had said ‘yes’ to Christ. But there are those, 40 plus years later, that we are still praying for.

 

Garth is now 71, and I am 66. Neither of us can imagine a life without Jesus. He didn’t just save us all those years ago, He has kept saving us from ourselves, the world, and countless snares. The trials and tears, deliverances and healings have been many. And oh the adventures… they either took our breath away or curled our toes! What can I say? God is definitely not boring!

Today we look very different on the inside and the out. But what has stayed the same, and even grew inside each of us, is the belief that God hears us when we pray.

 

Our first Pastor told us to always pray and believe God for the big things, and we took hold of his words. We found those words in the Bible too, and they are our foundation. When we pray and believe that God is truly who He says He is, the remarkable happens– 

 

Love,

Belinda