The old lady told me her name was Mrs Ashby. She stood in her doorway one mid-morning wearing a dirty old nightgown, looking as though she was carrying all the troubles of the world upon her shoulders. I asked her what the matter was and she said it had to do with lumps in her breast which the medical specialist, “was looking at” and that soon she might have to go into hospital for an operation.
It was my perfect opportunity to talk with her of the Ultimate Healer, Jesus Christ. Although not a church attendee, eighty-six years old Mrs Ashby knew something of the purpose of Christ and the Christian gospel, but had never given serious thought as to how all this might apply to her personally.
I happened to speak about the Lord’s promise to remove all guilt, saying that we all have it – or have had it and in my case, I told her how wonderful it was to be rid of it. Without any hesitation Mrs Ashby shared how she now remembers the past, “so often” and at first feels angry, then feels guilty for feeling angry.
She told me that as a child at home her parents were very unhappy in their marriage, always arguing and blaming one another for anything going wrong and by the time she was a teenager they had divorced. Mrs Ashby then said she always felt she was to blame for the breakup, because of the way both parents treated her afterwards.
Now whether that was reality or whether it was simply Mrs Ashby’s perceptions, I mentioned to her that in the biblical book of Genesis 3 we see that the blame game is as old as humanity itself, the origin of it beginning with our first parents Adam and Eve. I explained that in that chapter, firstly we see the man blame God, when he said, “the woman whom You gave to me…..,” and secondly, we see the woman blame, “the serpent who deceived me…..”
I then went on to say to Mrs Ashby that each of us has inherited the exact nature of our first parents, therefore, blaming others comes just as natural to us as it did to them – as natural as breathing, eating and sleeping. By now Mrs Ashby was beginning to get a grasp of how pertinent the message of the gospel was for her. She could readily see that this failure to be blameworthy in her own life was indeed a stumbling block between her and any permanent peace she might enjoy. She caught on very fast to “blame” as being one of the root causes of sin.
She made a confession in prayer to the Lord right there on that doorstep, acknowledging Him as the one who died for her sin and she received Him into her life. Immediately afterwards she said she was feeling, “a lot more peaceful” but had doubts about forgiveness being so simple to receive. I promised to bring her a New Testament Bible with some appropriate Scriptures typed out on paper to help her overcome her doubts. I also prayed for this old lady to be healed and released from any fear of her up-and-coming visit with the medical specialist.
It was important that my church be updated from time to time as to what God was doing in the community so I shared this event with them in a prayer meeting one night and I asked that we pray for God to minister to Mrs Ashby and also to reach out to her husband, who was the same age as his wife.
Less than two months later I revisited Mrs Ashby. She most certainly was a much happier lady. Her worried countenance had vanished and was replaced with a bright-eyed smile. Why? Because she was still experiencing the promised peace of the Lord Jesus Christ – a peace which the Bible tells us, “surpasses all understanding,” plus she had been given the all-clear from the specialist. No hospital operation was necessary. I encouraged her to give all the glory to God Almighty in Jesus’ name.
Eight months after that second visit I called again. This time Mr Ashby came to the door. When he did so I knew prayer had been answered. Knowing God had set this up I told the old man that I had a great message for him from Christ Himself. I asked him if he had ever personally experienced the reality of God and he said no. He did tell me though that his father had been a church minister for forty years, so he’d, “heard it all, but I just never got around to doing anything about it.”
With that I asked Mr Asby if he wanted to do more than simply hear the message again, but this time act upon it. He replied that he would act, so I led him in a prayer whereby he acknowledged his need of God’s forgiveness in Christ and asked the Lord to come into his life. I noticed that before we prayed however, he would lose concentration. I didn’t readily know if that was simply old age or the work of the devil, so I took control over the devil anyway. God honored the situation regardless, because clarity in his thoughts and words were the result. Mr Ashby knew what he was doing.
Walking back to the church later in the day, I got to thinking about the old couple and I began to dwell on the love, faithfulness and the mercy of God as He reveals His power and reality; but also the power of diligent, persistent, faithful prayer. I continue to do so, knowing one doesn’t happen without the other. There is a saying in Christian-speak: “Without God we cannot; without us God will not.” Apparently it’s a quote from 4th century St. Augustine, but it is one that challenges and motivates me.
As a new Christian, I was taught that if we will do the possible, then God will do the miracle. Eighty-seven years old Mr Ashby’s father (and mother, probably) never saw the results of their diligent, persistent, faithful prayer for their son, but nevertheless they believed God. They were not parents praying with a beggars mentality, they were parents with a living faith who believed that one day their prayers would be answered, and that day they were answered. Today, nineteen years later, they’re all together in that dimension called heaven.
The same applies for Mrs Ashby. I never learned anything of that lady’s family background apart from the broken home episode. But someone’s prayer was answered, perhaps the prayers of many people, and certainly long before I or our church came on the scene. “……The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:16.