by Ralph Tippin
It is especially hard to see a baby or a young child suffering with sickness, disease, or the effects of a serious accident. Quite often, as I watch a television program originating from Sick Kids’ Hospital, I am so emotionally involved with the child being operated on or being treated for some life-threatening disease, that I begin to pray for healing, for the Lord to be merciful to that precious little one. Then I realize that the program was filmed months or years ago, the child has been wonderfully healed or cured, and I feel a little silly, wipe the tears from my face, and hope that Barb hasn’t noticed.
Do we have moments of thankfulness for a God who sees the little sparrow fall, who arrays the flowers of the field with great beauty, who sets the universe with all its stars and brilliant light in place, who caps the mountains with white, who causes the sea to roar, and who cares for the tiny baby, for the child loaded with potential, and who loves even me? Sighs of deep satisfaction … YES! YES! Indeed!
Pastor George Schmidt quotes Dr. Myles Munroe, “Your belief is evidence that you trust God. He is not impressed by how many scriptures we can quote or how long we pray. He is moved and convinced when we believe what He has told us, and when we prove it by acting on it. Belief is trust in action.”
Over the years, I suppose I have prayed for many dozens of children – to be healed, to be comforted and restored from times of abuse, to be used in the Kingdom for the glory of God, to receive Jesus into their lives, to learn who they are in Christ – expecting prayer, believing prayer, loving prayer.
Barb and I Took Several Mission Trips
In Guatemala one Saturday afternoon, at Principe de Paz (Prince of Peace) Church, Barb and I prayed with a grieving grandmother whose granddaughter had been stolen right off the street and had not been seen for three months. A mother brought her blind daughter, whose smile still melts my heart, to be lifted before God’s throne of grace. As we layed our hands on her, I saw in my spirit the hands of Jesus reaching out to her.
In the same city, we visited and prayed for five children who had been rescued and adopted from the city dump by a missionary family. In a hospital three hours away from there, I prayed for twin babies, only hours old – that they would be protected from the superstitions and cruel practices of native lore and that the Lord would reveal Himself to them in the years ahead. These and so many others – precious to God, and so, precious to us – were subjects of His blessing as he called us to be agents of His blessing. To be sure, all God’s children are such – agents and objects of his love.
God’s Healing Power on Display
Michael Wilson, just one year old, was diagnosed with leukemia. His parents, Diane and Alan, and their other children, did not despair; they chose to believe the Word of the Living God which says that Jesus came to give life and that abundantly. And so began the battle for wee Michael. Hundreds of us prayed along with them; victory was proclaimed and we all stood firm. After months of chemo therapy, hard months that left him weak and exhausted, Michael prevailed. The last time we saw him, he was the picture of God’s healing power. Did prayer make the difference? Definitely! Later we learned that none of the other children in his group that leukemia had ravaged had survived. Just Michael. Why would that be so? I often wonder why; I have no pat answers. This I do know – God loved them all; loves them still. He is sovereign – I am not.
Brandon Gadsby, four years old and also a victim of leukemia, stood in the middle of our Bible study one Monday night and declared this Bible verse, the one he claimed as God’s promise for him, “I will not die, but live, and I shall declare the glories of God.” (Psalm 118:17) His story hit the newspapers and televison shows. With every opportunity, testimony and glory was given to God who healed him. That was about fifteen years ago. Today he is a strapping young man faithfully attending church with his family.
Christian Summer Camps and Vacation Bible Schools
This summer, hundreds of churches hold Daily Vacation Bible Schools, Christian camps provide action-packed weeks of fun and quality time to learn who they are according to God’s love plan, and families go off together to create memories. A myriad of ways to give God a chance to work. In one memorable film produced and directed by the late Johnny Cash, the actor portraying Christ, Kris Kristofferson, is seen kneeling beside the lake, laughing and playing with children, who were obviously having a hilarious time. It stands out in my mind, my imagination giving wings to how “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world; red and yellow, black and white, all are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.”
Today, be encouraged to pray for “the children in your world.” You may be the only one who does that for them. Have an outlook that is paired with an uplook. Pray with your heart; pray with his Word; pray fervently. Then see His mighty hand at work, securing a glorious outcome. Os Guiness says this to all of us, “To follow the call of God is to live before the heart of God.”
