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"The prayer of a righteous man availeth much." Unknown to me or to my husband, two missionaries in faraway Brazil were praying for my husband and me to be saved. They didn't even know us. There was a time in my young life when I was searching for fulfillment, I looked for it: I looked for it in a husband. But he was not able to fulfill me. Next, I began to look for it in a career, but it didn't fulfill me. The I thought I would change careers, but gave that up. I s pent a year sneaking around with another man until I remembered that God hates divorce.So I broke off the affair and then told God "You are going to have to make me love Jim again, because right now I don't even love him." Yet I was willing to do what God wanted me to do. Suddenly, we, who could not communicate without fighting, began to talk that evening,and I mean REALLY talk. We talked for 3 days. When we began, we were talking divorce, but a new respect for this man began to grow in my heart, and I knew that I could never be happy leaving him behind. So we tried to reconcile, but old ways kept creeping into our behavior, and we couldn't seem to change. Then, on a fluke, a client of mine mentioned that she was getting ready to have a Bible study at her house. I was so ripe for the picking. I said, "A BIBLE STUDY??? Can anyone come?" She said, "Sure, would you and Jim like to come?" I was not thinking of Jim at this point. He had never expressed the least interest in anything to do with God or church or the Bible. So I said, "Well, I don't know about Jim, but I would definitely like to come!" So I decided that I would simply mention it to Jim, but I would not try to manipulate him into attending it. On the day before the Bible Study, an old friend of my husband's called and asked him to come to it. He said that he guessed he would. I nearly fell over! Through that Bible study, we were told by a young missionary couple from Brazil about God's plan of salvation, and we were challenged to choose Christ. I hesitated for a week, thinking I could never live the Christian life. But I told the Lord that He would have to make me able to live it, because I knew that in and of myself it was impossible. Of course, that is just what God wants to hear! Two years after this couple returned to Brazil, I was sitting in church when our pastor, through his message about evangelism, told the congregation that 3 years ago a missionary couple began to pray that ONE COUPLE would come to know the Lord while they were home on furlough. (the pastor didn't mention the missionaries names). Then he said, "And that prayer was anwered in Jim and Jan Norris." I was stunned. Not only had this couple sacrificed time and opened their home continuously to us over the course of a year, but they had been praying for us for a year before they came home. They had thought that another couple would be coming to the Bible study. But that couple never did. God Almighty used those prayers to cross continents, direct events, to move mountains, to single out and save Jim and Jan Norris. We have never doubted God's power since. And we will be eternally grateful for His grace. We have a beautiful, healthy growing marriage some 30 years later, three children who are Christians, and others who we've been blessed to influence for Christ: My mother My sister, her husband (a former atheist), their children My brother, his wife and two children A couple--he was doing some drywall in our home and consequently was led to Christ along with his wife through a Bible study. 3 other people--their spouses not yet saved. Others We are priveleged to lead a church youth group. I am writing again--this time for the glory of God. And my husband actively witnesses at work. Who knows how the ripples will continue to spread throuhgout the world? God is awesome! Click HERE to return to the edited story Click HERE to create a banner that links to this story! Your e-mail address will be kept private!
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