I was
visiting a patient who had suffered a stroke.
His brother –in-law, Efren, prayed for him and told him to trust in God
who would heal him.
Once Efren
had gone another visitor commented that he could believe God might heal the
patient because of the transformation he has witnessed in the life of Efren.
“I used to
be afraid to meet him in the street,” the visitor elaborated. “He was a drug trafficker. He drank heavily. Every weekend from Thursday to Sunday he
would drink and drink. He smoked. He stole from people. He was a violent man.
He left his
wife with three young sons and set up home with another woman with whom he had
a daughter. They lived deep into the
countryside. Who can tell what kind of
life that poor woman lived? One day her
then nine year old daughter arrived home to find her mother dead. Everyone assumed it was a killing due to
drugs. Later it was decided she
committed suicide. Efren´s life was a
total disaster.
But then he
commited his life to Jesus. He started
being a faithful attender at the local church.
He stopped drinking completely.
He stopped smoking. He stopped
drugs. He started working in the fields
for a living. His whole face changed and
his old companions no longer recognized him.
His first
wife took him back. He set up a new
family with his approaching teenage sons and his daughter. And now, five years on, what a wonderful
family he has. He is a hard worker, a
preacher, a man of faith. His children
are studying and happy. If his life can
change so completely and utterly, I can believe that healing is possible, that
God is real.”
It is wonderful to witness God bringing about marvelous restoration, reconciliation and transformation of lives and families.
