Brother.
He was a generous man, sharing his wealth,
But he needed to know Jesus.
Twenty five years as an FBI agent hardened him,
Gave him a cynical view of life.
He'd seen too much evil to want
Any part of God,
If one even existed.
Besides, the man bore a heavy burden,
A disease that slowly, inch by inch,
Was destroying his muscles.
Finally, wheel chair bound, he
Needed help to get around.
God sent an angel nurse, Regina, to
Help him shower twice a week,
An effervescent believer who couldn't
Keep her joy to herself.
He sent a housekeeper, who when
She first came,
Was an unbeliever, just like Judge.
She was a pleasure seeker, but in a
Beautiful twist, God sought her instead, and
Patti became His child.
Judge was stunned at the delightful
Change in her life. Perhaps there
Really was something to this
God thing.
And it seemed Judge couldn't escape,
For the Jesus ones kept coming:
The wheelchair repairman was a
Christian, a Messianic Jew.
The lawn care mom and son shared
Their faith, and yes, the man
Who maintained the pool too.
Meanwhile, his sister, who lived
States away continued to
Faithfully pray.
The years took their toll on both of
Them, and their times together were
Too few.
But when the woman was finally able to
Spend some time with him
She expected the visit to be just
Like the others.
It wasn't.
One evening, Judge wheeled his
Chair into her bedroom and simply
Said, "You know I'm a Christian now."
What!
It took a moment for the astounding
Announcement to penetrate her brain.
On his own, the prayed-for one had
Prayed himself and asked Jesus to
Come in and rule his life.
Judge's surprised sibling was overcome,
Humbled by God's faithfulness,
By the joy of knowing her brother's
Future was secure.
But his present state was in decline.
Even as his spirit thrived, the weak man's
Body failed him.
A serious spill sent him to the hospital
Where he fell into a coma and
Finally into Jesus's arms.
Why did it take so long for him to
Give in?
Perhaps Judge needed time to see
What it looks like to follow
Jesus.
Perhaps Carol needed thirty years of
Praying to grow her faith.
Only God knows, and His time table
Isn't ours after all.
(This is Carol Harrison's story, and
it encourages me to keep praying.)