Amazing Deeds by an Amazing God

You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds,O God our savior.You are the hope of everyone on earth,even those who sail on distant seas. Psalm 65:5 (NLT)

Have you ever witnessed a miracle? Have you ever seen God move in such an amazing way that there was absolutely no doubt that it was Him? I love the promise found in Psalm 65:5. This is one of my favorite verses to pray. God doesn't just answer our prayers. He FAITHFULLY answers our prayers with AWESOME deeds. HE is the HOPE of all!

Our God is a God of miracles. The Bible is filled with evidence of the great miracles God has performed. In the Christian world there has been debate as to whether God still performs miracles today. I'm no theologian or Bible scholar, but I can attest to the AMAZING things that I have personally witnessed. I can proclaim the glorious ways God has time and again answered prayers in such amazing ways, impossible ways by human standards.
I will "Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.Tell everyone about the amazing things he does." 1 Chronicles 16:24 and Psalm 96:3

One of the most powerful miracles I ever witnessed was in my maternal grandmother. In her later years, Grandma suffered from Parkinson's Disease and Heart Disease. She had a severe stroke in the Spring of 1991 that left her in a vegetative state. She was completely paralyzed, dependent on a feeding tube. She could breathe on her own and there was some brain activity but she could not speak much if at all. At times she'd communicate with her sly smile or a twinkle in her eye. She might even try to speak. She had to be moved into a nursing home. Granddaddy didn't want to, but caring for her at home was more than he could handle. Granddaddy would visit her everyday, sitting by her side, spending the whole day with her. She stayed in this stable state for about a year. Then she began having problems with infection. Her condition began to decline. She was transported to the hospital and the family was called in to say our last goodbyes.

I was extremely close to my maternal grandparents. They practically raised me the first 5 years of my life. Grandma kept me so that my parents could work and go to school. I often ended up spending the night there. Even after my family moved away to another state, we spent every holiday, summer, and as many weekends as we could at "Grandma and Granddaddy's." We loved being with them. They loved us and we felt that love growing up.

As my husband and I travelled to Panama City with our young son to visit Grandma one last time, I silently prayed. I prayed for Grandma's soul. I was worried. I didn't know if Grandma had ever accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. She didn't attend church because of her Parkinson's and her paralyzing shyness around strangers. I believe she had a real phobia that kept her housebound. But I knew that she loved hearing the radio broadcast of the local First Baptist Church, listening to Gospel music, and watching Billy Graham on TV. She and Granddaddy were of a generation that was so very 'proper.' A generation that did not discuss their faith much. I didn't know where Grandma or Granddaddy stood with the Lord Jesus Christ. I had tried to discuss this with them in the past but still wasn't sure. As we got closer to Panama City, I prayed that God would give me an opportunity to witness to Grandma. I knew that even in her condition, she could hear at times and understand what was being said to her. I prayed that God would give me a sign that Grandma was saved.

When we arrived at the hospital, we gathered with the rest of the family in the lobby. Each of us took a turn seeing Grandma. Only one person was allowed in at a time. When it came to my turn, I got special permission for Mathew to go in with me. He was only 2 at the time. Grandma loved that little boy and I knew she'd rally if she saw him. I stood by Grandma's bedside, gently talking to her. She didn't respond. I continued talking to her but I could tell by the vacant, unfocused look in her eyes that I wasn't getting through. I silently prayed. "Oh God, please let my words get through and reach her heart. Please let her respond. Please let her accept Christ or give me a sign that she already has." I began to tell her how much I loved her. How I wanted to see her in heaven with me. Still no response. Then I began to talk to her about Jesus. At the first mention of His Name, her eyes focused on me. With that familiar twinkle in her eye, she smiled. Then the most beautiful sound in the world came from her lips, she began to sing "Oh, how I love Jesus. Oh, How I love Jesus. Oh, How I love Jesus. Because He first loved me." A faint, broken, yet sweet voice sang this over and over again. My heart rejoiced! I sang along with her, sobbing, praising God for answering my prayer! Those were the last words I ever heard Grandma say. A small miracle? An amazing deed? Definitely. I rejoiced that God would care so deeply to answer my prayer for Grandma in such a tender way. How wonderful our Lord to be so concerned as to allow my Grandma and I to have that moment, to know without a doubt where she stood in Christ. But that's not the end of the story.

Grandma passed away in March of 1992. She was only 72 at the time. Granddaddy lived on until last summer, passing away at the age of 93. He was independent up until the last 2 years of his life. He suffered a brain injury from a series of falls in the last year of his life. As Mom and I were sitting with him in the hospital, we talked about the circumstances surrounding Grandma's passing and how faithful Granddaddy was to her even to the very end. I shared with Mom my last moments with Grandma. How special that was to me. Then Mom said something that totally blew me away. On that day the family gathered at the hospital to say their last goodbyes to Grandma, she was already brain dead. Mom said they chose not to tell the rest of the family at the time. Grandma was brain dead that day, the day I heard her singing of her love for her Savior as I stood by her bed. There is no logical human explanation for what occurred that day other than God!

Her passing was bittersweet. The morning she passed away the doctors had not expected her to survive the night. She didn't pass until Granddaddy arrived that morning. Granddaddy said she turned her head, looked at him, and smiled. Then she was gone.

I know for a fact that God performed something miraculous, something beyond human explanation. He showed me how much he loved Grandma. He comforted me by her very last words. He comforted Granddaddy by the way she was taken home, with a smile on her face. How wonderful is our God. He not only faithfully answers prayers with awesome deeds, He also showed me how He "... cares deeply when his loved ones die." Psalm 115:16

Oh, how I LOVE JESUS! Oh YES, How I LOVE MY SWEET JESUS!

In His Love, Cathy