My dad visited recently, staying with us for one week. What I admire and respect most about him is that he has remained faithful, loyal, pure and stable in his relationship with God, as he did with my mom in their sixty plus years of marriage, and still is as a father after all these years. I have always considered him to be a man's man, able to fix anything and everything while holding down a full time job and helping to raise six children. He is now 86 years old, and physically the years have taken a toll on him. He is a little bent over, kind of shuffles when he walks, has a hard time hearing people, and on ocassion loses his balance. The years have also taken an emotional toll. He lost his wife of sixty plus years almost two years ago, which has left a hole in his life. And, he has suffered spiritually, losing hope that things could ever get better again. In fact, I remember him saying, "Mark, I never want to come to the place where my life no longer has purpose."
While he was with us we made sure he visited the House of Hope and Healing to receive prayer, and then he came to services with us, responding to prayer for healing in the services. It continues to amaze me how good God is to us. There is strong anticipation and expectation in the hearts of people in World Revival Church, and much hope, because we've seen so much of the goodness of God poured out in our services. Hope is the "confident expectation that good things are coming."
As the week passed we had really good conversations about World Revival Church, why we do what we do, and the great sense of destiny we have in our hearts that what we are doing is right. I haven't had conversations like that with my dad for almost two years!
The week passed quickly and as we were driving my dad to my sisters house for a weeks stay with her, we made a pit stop. Normally my dad would have a hard time getting out of the car, and then walking into the gas station, but he got right out, and started walking steadily. He suddenly stopped, realizng what had happened to him and said, "the Lord has healed me."
Not only was my dad healed physically, but hope was reborn in his life. He will go to my sisters, and then home, with a renewed sense of purpose, and walk more healthily in it. You are never to old for hope and healing!
