A special older friend from the Washington, D.C. area has encouraged me greatly over the years through her letters, prayers, and packages.  We have prayed for many years for C’s husband., H. to turn back to the Lord.  He has been very anti-Christian for many years, and has made life challenging for C.  This morning I found a letter from her in our mailbox that made me weep at the things that God can do… I wanted to share the story that she wrote.

“[My husband] H. just turned 73.  He has a brother in Seattle who is 13 years older than he — so he’s 86.  He has become a widower.  H. has tried to keep his family at great distance form us… My 2 children, S. & G., haven’t seen that branch of the family for 20- 30 years, at least.  But this 86 year old brother, apparently, called H. and said he heard that [our son] G. was a minister and he wanted to talk with him.  He did get ahold of Greg and told him he had huge regrets in his life (he was very abusive to his wife.  I know that, as she used to call me often and tell me about it unbeknownst to H.) G. talked with him by phone over several months’ time and sent him series of sermons on grace, mercy, forgiveness.  G. asked his church to pray.  Well, one day this lost uncle called G. and said for the first time in his life he understood the Gospel and he is now a Christian.  He copied the tapes for his two grown children who have never shown an interest in spiritual things.  (He even sent CDs of these sermons to my husband, H., but I saw them in a trash can).  I am still in a state of amazement at what the Lord has done.”

Look at how the Gospel can change the hardened heart of an 86 year old!  I am sure that her husband H. is next.  Jesus is so amazing to me.  There is no other relationship;  no other religion that has the POWER to move the hearts of even the most crusty like our Savior.

Don’t give up praying for the hardest person on your list.  As Ann Kiemel Anderson likes to say, “I love the word impossible.”