Seeing is Believing

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John and Mary, both eighty-five years of age, had been married for sixty-five years. Folks said they were like two peas in a pod. They never had the good fortune to be parents, but they were devoted to each other. They often said they had never had a crossword.

One summer evening while coming in from the garden, Mary fell. She was taken by ambulance to the local hospital. In the emergency room, she was seen by Dr. Henry, our small town's only surgeon. He explained to John and Mary that a broken hip was the result of her fall. Dr. Henry explained that the fracture was in the neck of the left femur. He said surgery was needed to repair the fracture with a pin.

John and Mary discussed the options that evening. John was fearful that Mary would not survive surgery because of her age. They were aware of the risks of anesthesia. John expressed his concerns to Dr. Henry. Although Dr. Henry understood their fears, he said Mary would probably not be able to walk again without the operation. Reluctantly Mary signed the consent form for surgery. The operation was scheduled for the next morning.

The couple was praying together when John thought of praying for healing. He had never prayed to be healed before. There never had been a need. He was advised by a friend from church to lay his hands on Mary's hip while he prayed.

John proceeded to pray with his hands on Mary's hip. He asked God to heal Mary. He sat by her hospital bed and prayed continuously all night. While Mary slept he prayed. He said later that her hip area underneath his hands felt warm to his touch. He was an old man and, though he didn't complain, his back hurt and his joints were stiff and he was very tired. Still, he prayed for his Mary. He couldn't help but think what his life would be like without her. He prayed harder. He prayed longer.

Toward dawn, Mary awoke to warmth in her left foot. She later said it felt like it was inside her foot. The warmth moved to her leg and felt even warmer. It continued to travel up her leg until it stopped at her broken hip. It stayed there and felt almost hot. John's hands were still on her hip and he was still praying.

Mary knew when it was accomplished. She told Dr. Henry when he came in to visit her before the surgery. She told him she had been healed. He was skeptical, but she refused to go to surgery without another x-ray.

Dr. Henry told me later that he ordered another x-ray,"just to humor her." It showed a healed fracture. He said,"I wouldn't have believed it, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes." He was holding two films; the one from the day before which showed a fracture of the neck of the femur and this day's film which showed a healed fracture.

Mary walked out of that hospital with her beloved.

Seeing is Believing

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