We lay in the dark, after praying, trying to get settled in and go to sleep. All of a sudden, I heard a deep sigh coming from Mark’s side of the bed. I rolled over to face him, asking what was wrong. He said, “I am going through a dark time.” I asked what he meant. He said, “Things just seem dark right now.” I had been out of town for a few days, so I asked if it was because I’d been gone. He said, “No.” He had been feeling this way for several days. He said he was feeling very alone in the physical condition (he is presently dealing with). I told him that I was very sorry, and that I will never understand why God has allowed him to suffer with the emotional pain of this condition, something no doctor or medication can do anything about. But, as hard as it has been, God has and is using it in our lives and in the lives of others. He said he was grateful for that, but really, that didn’t make it easier or any less lonely. We talked for a few minutes; I tried to encourage him, kissed him and rolled over to go to sleep.
Talking must have helped him feel better because he went right to sleep. I, on the other hand, began to cry and pray, asking my Heavenly father once again to heal my husband and fulfill the promise He gave me five years ago in Jeremiah 30:17, “I will give you back your health and heal your wounds, says the Lord.” The pain of watching him struggle to stand, walk and speak, seems more than I can bear at times, yet I have found strength in this promise and in knowing that my God is a promise keeper. I fell asleep once again to awaken on a bed of wadded up tissues the next morning.
Plopping into my corner chair, I recalled our conversation the night before. Still saddened by the emotional pain and darkness Mark was feeling, I asked the Father to send him a word of encouragement today; before this day was over, I wanted God to bless him with a word of encouragement. We went about our activities and commitments for the day. Late that afternoon, Mark went with me to run a couple of errands. Upon arriving back, he dropped me at the apartment complex mailboxes. I told him I would walk to the apartment and meet him there in order to get the bags out of the car and help him in.
As I approached the apartment, he was in the car and there were several of our upstairs neighbors gathered at the stairwell talking. Passing them, I said hello, and proceeded to get the bags and then help Mark up the sidewalk. As we approached them we introduced ourselves. Della introduced herself and proceeded to introduce us to her son, Caleb, and her cousin, who happened to live across the complex. She told us she was originally from the Bahamas. She apologized for not coming down sooner to meet us, but explained that a couple of years ago, she had taken a class at Bellevue Baptist Church called Pioneer Evangelism. She had gotten so excited about it. She mentioned to those teaching that she was going to go door to door to tell others what she had learned. The leadership quickly discouraged her, because in America, we do not do things like that. She explained to us that in Jamaica, neighbors were free to come in and out of each others’ homes sharing whatever was on their hearts. They would spend hours just visiting.
We asked her about her involvement in Pioneer Evangelism and explained that we also went to Bellevue. I told her Mark had been on staff; all of a sudden she looked right into his eyes and said, “Mark Doug-R-ty, Mark Doug-R-ty. Oh, you will never know how you blessed me when I first came to the church.” She proceeded to tell us they came to Memphis because of St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Caleb, who was about 7 at the time, was suffering with cancer. A friend invited her to church and following the service encouraged her to fill out a visitor’s slip. Then proceeded to insist they find a staff person to introduce Della to; across the sanctuary her friend spotted Mark. She hurried Della down the aisle to introduce her to him. Della said he talked with her about their circumstances and then said he wanted to pray with her; they bowed their heads and he prayed for her and Caleb. As they were parting, he told her he would pass on her information to one of the staff who would call her and come for a visit. She said as she left she thought, “How nice, but that will certainly never happen.” The next morning by 8:30, the phone was ringing, and on the other end, one of the Bellevue staff. By that afternoon, there was a knock on the door, and opening it, there stood a member of the Bellevue staff. She expressed to Mark what a blessing that was and how much she appreciated all he did for them. We all rejoiced that Mark was a part of praying for Caleb’s healing and here this young man is now living above us. She just could not believe we lived underneath them.
What a word of encouragement God sent to Mark, a blessing from the apartment above, and all stemming from a meeting that occurred 5 years ago. Wow! God is amazing! I stood there rejoicing in a God who cares enough about his child, Mark Doug-R- ty, that He would send to him a sweet word of encouragement, a word to lighten his darkness. How neat to see Caleb, now 13, healthy and living for Christ, and to know that Mark had a small part in that. How truly amazing my God is and how much He loves me, and Mark!
Father, how amazing you are! You tell us that when we cry out, You hear and You answer, thank you! I am claiming Your promise on behalf of my husband, knowing you are fully able to restore this man! May you continue to be glorified in and through his life! May we continue to trust You for all things. For You, Lord, promise to feed the birds of the air and clothe the lilies of the valley; You desire to do so much more for Your children.
“Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise His holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget all the good things He does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagles!” Psalm 103:1-5
“I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’ They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures and on hills that were previously bare. They will neither hunger nor thirst. The searing sun will not reach them anymore. For the Lord in His mercy will lead them; he will lead them beside cool waters. And I will make my mountains level paths for them. The highways will be raised above the valleys. Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their suffering.” Isaiah 49:9-13
dianne