Amazonian Wednesdays 🌴
“Pastor, Benjamin has passed into eternity.”
Lesley wept. Supernatural peace intermingled with her deep grief. The husband of her youth was gone. He had lost his battle with both cancer and covid.
She shared with us her sorrow, but also her joy. “Pastor, there were so many times I wanted to give up on him. He made life so difficult for me, for so long. But every time I wanted to leave, you encouraged me to keep on loving him, to keep on praying for him, to never stop. So I would keep on pressing on … one day at a time.”
Benjamin had a drinking problem for years. In spite of this, Lesley received a specific call from God to stay with him. He instructed her to pray fervently for his salvation. In fast after fast and prayer vigil after prayer vigil, she remained faithful to this call. She continued to love him through his terrible, unlovable behavior. Year after year, she persevered in prayer and in faith. For twenty long years, she refused to give up hope for his redemption.
The incense bowls of heaven were completely full of Lesley’s prayers. That final prayer ascended from her lips, and the answer finally came (Rev. 8:3). An old man now, Benjamin surrendered his life to Jesus at last. In the final chapter of his life, God gave him a new heart. He quit drinking completely. He became a loving husband to Lesley. He even became an eager learner of everything that she could teach him from the Bible.
With tears in her eyes, Lesley remembered the new creation that Benjamin had become. “I am inexpressibly glad that you kept encouraging me not to give up!” she exclaimed. “I know he is in heaven now. I know that my love, patience, and sacrificial obedience is the reason for that. My heart is so deeply glad that I obeyed the Lord. Benjamin’s eternal life is well worth everything that I endured!”
Lesley herself also contracted covid on top of grieving the loss of her husband. She was soon on oxygen. She shares: “While sedated, I saw a vision of that oil you gave me. When I woke up, I asked my daughter Anita to anoint me with it. I knew that oil was extra special… you all prayed over it. I even drank a little bit of it. Anita anointed me with it, all over my body. As soon as she did, my breathing opened up supernaturally. I could feel new strength coming into my whole being.”
Lesley is now completely well. Her life has become a living testimony that we “should always pray and never give up” (Luke 18:1).
Feeding On Jesus 
Love this. God is so mighty to be praised! In the waiting, His glory is ever unfolding – and because of Jesus we have eyes to see it and ears to hear it. Praise Him!
Makes me think of this verse:
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—
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Amen! Such a beautiful Scripture, dear Anna! I am now back and getting caught up again on blog comments. The richest of blessings to you for this new year!
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BTW when I got up to pray this morning, I read through the story of Zechariah again and it struck me how his waiting on the Promise and John’s birth reminds us so much that the longings God gives us to see The Promise birthed in our loved ones are not ever longings just for us. John’s birth was so important to prepare the Way and likewise our loved ones’ new birthing in Jesus are so important to prepare the Bride (including us) for her Groom.
What struck me also is that John was filled with the Holy Spirit in the womb, before his birth. I am seeing that truth in my loved ones too, who say they don’t believe in Jesus and yet I hear and see Jesus in them already. He is so living and active in them. The Promise is alive and kicking. But why would it not be, when His Word decrees it so? There are so many Promises of redemption and the healing of generations. God’s inviting us through Jesus to labor with Him to see His Promises unfold piece by piece.
I bet you that even this woman you shared of here saw glimpses of Jesus hidden in her husband long before he came to faith. God gives us eyes to see and love Him in others, to help us cling through the long wait. It reminds me of what Jesus tells us about us feeding and clothing and giving Him a drink and visiting Him in prison. He’s already there in those right before us. We just need the eyes of Jesus to bow our knees and humble ourselves to join Him there. Oh may He continue to humble me to join Him there – with JOY, awaiting what is sure and steadfast and true.
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I feel His great fatherly pride in you as you cling to faith and trust and persevere so steadfastly in Him! Your trust in Him delights His heart more than you know. 💖
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And I have an American friend (a Grandad), who ministers with his wife to a Muslim community in France and he said in his newsletter that we in fact begin discipling people long before they come to faith. But what I suddenly see is that Jesus has been discipling me through my unbelieving husband. He’s been teaching me and persuading me to see and live by faith and strengthening me to persevere – and that’s impacting so many areas of my life. It reminds me of this verse:
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
It says here “patient toward YOU” – not unbelievers but believers. I want the Promise to be fulfilled NOW but God wants me to wait that I might see the fullness of His Promise. It reminds me of my crying out to Jesus when He brought me, His lost sheep, home on His shoulder. I cried out: “why did you leave me in that thorn bush so very long. Why didn’t you come get me 20 years earlier?” Because it wasn’t me who came to her senses, it was the Holy Spirit who descended upon me, opening my eyes. And Jesus began to show me that that waiting was SO important. That waiting taught me so much about Him that I couldn’t have learnt any other way. I see things differently than I would have, had my eyes been opened earlier. AND even more importantly- if my eyes had been opened earlier I wouldn’t be where I am now: smack bang in the midst of God’s will to bring His children home, to labor with Jesus to see Him being birthed in me and those around me.
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What a wonderful, Holy Spirit-breathed insight into that verse! That really is so good. It’s such vital truth, that He is doing incredibly important things in His development of us as we wait. Father, strengthen my precious sister more and more as she waits on You!
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Awesome and encouraging post. Thank you for reminding us to keep on keeping on not matter how hard it gets. The race is not given to the swift or to the strong but to the one who endures to the end…(Ecclesiastes 9:11) Be and stay blessed!
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What a perfect Scripture to go along with this testimony, thank you so very much for sharing it! (I am now back from my long ministry trip and getting caught up again on blog comments. The richest of blessings to you in 2023!
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All praises to God and thank you too! I pray that your trip was fruitful and fulfilling! Again, thanks.
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It was our best yet, My heart is so full of gratitude. Thank you too!
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